Hughes 38-1

BoatsHughes 38-1

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 11.5-meter masthead sloop designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Hughes Boat Works Ltd. from 1967 to 1969. Some hulls were sold to Henry Hinckley Co. and marketed as the Hinckley 38 after receiving a different deck. The Hughes 38-1 is a non-IOR design, featuring a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, and a traditional shaft-driven Yanmar 3G diesel engine was an available option. Aboard *Lady K Sailing*, a Hughes 38-1 was noted for its larger interior compared to the Hughes 35, including an expanded V-berth, a larger head, and a dual-access icebox.10:47 This particular Hughes 38-1 received a new transmission, depth sounder, and speed instruments, but required repairs for soft spots in its deck.12:46 The model is considered a capable world cruiser.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale

US$20,000Median asking

Owner is considering selling for around $20,000, noting some soft spots in the deck
from Lady K Sailingseen June 202012:36

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

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.

Pearson Yachts 37-211.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA wing-keel masthead sloop with a shallow 1.42-metre draft, designed by William Shaw for shoal-water cruising

Pearson 37 & 37-2 - Behind the Curtain from Practical Sailor

Rival 3811.45 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Peter Brett-designed cruiser available in multiple cockpit and rig configurations, built for stability and comfort

This is What You Came For - Antigua Sail Week Part I (MJ Sailing - EP 71)2:11 from MJ Sailing

Catalina Yachts 3811.61 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens hull updated with a taller rig and balanced spade rudder for improved coastal performance

NEW 2026 BOAT AUCTION - END OF SUMMER2:48 from Sailing Solé

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

Advanced Cruising-Boat Sailing Techniques (Part 7, "Introduction to Sailing")28:41 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

Why We Sail--"Rehabilitation in Winter"3:16 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 - New thru hull and Ruuvi temperature sensors0:03 from Sail Life

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 rudder Hughes 38-2A T-shaped cockpit update to the Hughes 38-1, later marketed as the North Star 38 Hughes 40A masthead ketch with a shallow 1.42m draft and heavy displacement, built to Sparkman & Stephens design #2134 Hughes 31A stretched and widened evolution of the North Star 1000, originally offered as a kit-built masthead sloop Hughes 35A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop derived from design #2166, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder Hughes 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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