BoatsIrwin Yachts 38-2

Irwin Yachts 38-2

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1984–1988

A masthead sloop with a 1.37-metre draft and a 31.62 comfort ratio, built for stable coastal cruising

Designed by Ted Irwin.

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

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 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.81
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 260
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.8
TenderStiff

35% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 35%

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

  • Draws less than ~97% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2742 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
35.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.8
Displacement / length
260.1
Comfort ratio
31.6
Capsize screening
1.81
Hull speed
7.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1423
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1984–1988
Designer
Ted Irwin
Builder
Irwin Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Valiant Yachts 40-212.16 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter built for offshore passage-making, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff, heavy hull
Colvic Craft Victor 4012.19 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA John A. Bennett-designed masthead ketch also known as the Blackwater 40, built for steady, comfortable passage-making
Hans Christian Christina 4012.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Scott Sprague-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for steady, comfortable blue-water passages
Moody 40 (Dixon)12.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run 1990s cruiser featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, optimized for a balance of coastal performance
Dufour Yachts 405 Grand Large12.17 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-metre cruiser featuring a 2.03m fin keel and a balanced displacement-to-ballast ratio for stable coastal passages
Hunter Marine 40.5 Legend12.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA B&R rigged cruiser featuring a shoal-draft wing keel designed for stable, comfortable coastal passage making

The family

Boats like this

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

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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