BoatsHughes 38-1

Hughes 38-1

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1967–1969

A Sparkman & Stephens design #1903 masthead sloop with hulls shared with the Hinckley 38

Designed by Sparkman & Stephens.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Hughes 38-1, 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 heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 30 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 30
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.75
LightHeavy

288 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 288
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 17.2
TenderStiff

48% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 48%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Narrower than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2913 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Hughes 38-1, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Hughes 38-1 is a Sparkman & Stephens-designed masthead sloop built by Hughes Boat Works Ltd. from 1967 to 1969. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, measures 11.5 meters LOA, has a 3.1-meter beam, a 1.8-meter draft, and displaces 5760 kg. Some Hughes 38-1 hulls were sold to Henry Hinckley Co., where they were fitted with a different deck and marketed as the Hinckley 38. Diesel power was an available option. Aboard *Lady K Sailing*, a transducer mounting hole in a V-hull was repaired using chop strand mat and polyester resin to create a flat mounting surface.3:07

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
48.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.2
Displacement / length
288.1
Comfort ratio
29.6
Capsize screening
1.75
Hull speed
7.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
981
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1967–1969
Designer
Sparkman, Stephens
Builder
Hughes Boat Works Ltd

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.

Morgan Yachts 38211.68 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 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 Aboutfrom Practical Sailor
Ericson Yachts 3811.48 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bruce King-designed masthead sloop with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance
Why We Sail--"Cape Horn Steering Vane Install and Sea Trial"from Christian Williams
Ericson Yachts 38111.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn 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
Warrior 3811.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run 1980s cruiser featuring a shallow 1.52m draft and a heavy ballast-to-displacement ratio for steady offshore work
Sail Life - Sailing to Trinidad0:03from Sail Life
Aragosa Yachts 3811.61 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1988 masthead sloop with a 35% ballast ratio, designed by Ted Brewer for balanced offshore performance
DIY furniturefrom Velero Regina
Beneteau Idylle 115011.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA shoal-draft cruiser with a 1.33-metre keel, designed by Jean Berret for comfortable coastal passage-making
Why I HATED Selling My Sailboat!!!1:35from Adventureman Dan

The family

Boats like this

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

Hughes 38-3A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop featuring a revised deck layout with a longer coachroof and a skeg-mounted rudderHughes 38-2A T-shaped cockpit update to the Hughes 38-1, later marketed as the North Star 38Hughes 40A masthead ketch with a shallow 1.42m draft and heavy displacement, built to Sparkman & Stephens design #2134Hughes 31A stretched and widened evolution of the North Star 1000, originally offered as a kit-built masthead sloopHughes 35A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop derived from design #2166, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudderHughes 48A Sparkman & Stephens masthead yawl designed as the 1969 Queen of the Show, featuring a stiff hull and skeg-hung rudder

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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