Catalina Yachts 38

BoatsCatalina Yachts 38

See her sail

The Catalina Yachts 38, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Lady K Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 28 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 28

CoastalBluewater

1.89 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.89

LightHeavy

256 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 256

EasygoingPowered-up

16.2 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.2

TenderStiff

43% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 43%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

Draws more than ~81% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2895 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Catalina Yachts 38, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Catalina Yachts 38 is a 11.6-meter masthead sloop designed by Sparkman, Stephens, and Frank W. Butler, built by Catalina Yachts from 1978 to 1990. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder and displaces 7212 kg. The design originated from the Sparkman & Stephens Yankee 38, with Catalina Yachts acquiring the molds and modifying the deck, coach roof, and rig, and adding a balanced spade rudder. A shoal draft version with a 1.49-meter draft was also available. The Catalina 38's design reflects the International Offshore Rule (IOR) era, which prioritized racing handicaps, leading to hull shapes with short waterlines, wide beams, and significant tumblehome. These IOR-influenced designs, like the 35-foot Lady K, often require a constant heel to achieve optimal performance and can be challenging for modern cruising due to compromised stability in heavy seas and limited storage capacity.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

43.1%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

16.2

Displacement / length

256.4

Comfort ratio

28.1

Capsize screening

1.89

Hull speed

7.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1279

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/spade rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1978–1990

Units built

365

Designer

Sparkman, Stephens, Butler, Frank W. Butler

Builder

Catalina Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Moody 37611.53 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bill Dixon-designed center-cockpit cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable, comfortable hull form

Selling it All for Waves: The Quest for Our Dream Sailboat Throughout Asia3:26 from Stella Overboard

C&C Yachts Landfall 3811.45 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA cruising-focused variant of the C&C 38-2 hull, featuring a shallower keel and shorter rig for versatile coastal work

7 Sailboats You Should Never Buy (Unless You Know This) - Ep 357 - Lady K Sailing1:32 from Lady K Sailing

Morgan Yachts 38211.68 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Ted Brewer-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff displacement

Morgan 382 - The $30K Boat Nobody Talks About from Practical Sailor

Sabre Yachts 3811.53 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop designed for performance, featuring a fin keel and spade rudder for responsive handling

Sabre 38's Cored Hull - Excellent sailboat, or one to stay away from? - Lady K Sailing - ep 330 from Lady K Sailing

Catalina Yachts Morgan 3811.71 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1993-2005 production masthead sloop featuring a deep 1.98-meter draft and a performance-oriented fin keel

Caribbean Sailboat for $80k?! YES! Ep 228 - Lady K Sailing1:37 from Lady K Sailing

Ericson Yachts 38111.43 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn evolution of the Ericson 38, this 11.4-metre masthead sloop features a 1.98-metre draft and a fin-keel hull

Welcome to the New Age of Sail, Skipper!from Christian Williams

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Catalina Yachts Morgan 38A 1993-2005 production masthead sloop featuring a deep 1.98-meter draft and a performance-oriented fin keel Catalina Yachts 380A 1997-era masthead sloop derived from the Morgan-Catalina 381, offering optional shoal draft and tall rig configurations Yankee 38A Sparkman & Stephens IOR One Ton racer derived from Lightnin, later serving as the foundation for the Catalina 38 Catalina Yachts 36A versatile coastal cruiser offering optional tall rig and wing keel configurations to suit varying water depths Catalina Yachts 390A masthead sloop featuring an updated interior and a tall rig, built on the proven hull lineage of the 380 and 387 Catalina Yachts 34A high-volume production cruiser with 1,438 hulls built, featuring a fin keel and spade rudder for coastal performance

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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