BoatsLittle Harbor 38

Little Harbor 38

Masthead Sloop · Keel/CB & Spade Rudder · 1982–1988

A 38-foot masthead sloop with a spade rudder and 2.9-metre draft, built for offshore stability and deep-water tracking

Designed by Ted Hood, built by Lien Hwa.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/CB & Spade Rudder

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 moderate beam gives 36 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 36
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.73
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 309
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.8
TenderStiff

41% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 41%

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

  • Heavier than ~75% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~85% of boats her size on file

Compared with 274 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

On the water

The Little Harbor 38 on video

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.8
Displacement / length
308.7
Comfort ratio
35.8
Capsize screening
1.73
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1310
Hull
Hull type
Keel/CB & spade rudder
Construction
FG w/balsa or airex cored deck
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1982–1988
Units built
31
Designer
Ted Hood
Builder
Lien Hwa

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.

Pearson Yachts 4012.17 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA 12-metre masthead sloop with a deep 2.87-metre draft and high ballast ratio, built for stability and speed
Bristol Yachts 41.112.54 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA masthead sloop with a deep 3.05-metre keel-centreboard draft, bridging the gap between the 411 and 43.3 models
Morgan Yachts 3811.48 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run masthead sloop produced from 1969 to 1971, featuring a keel-centerboard hull for versatile draft
Shannon Yachts 3711.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch featuring a keel-centerboard hull, refined from the Shannon 38 for offshore versatility
Southerly 11511.23 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA versatile swing-keel cruiser evolving from Dick Carter's original design to the twin-rudder Humphreys MIII version
Irwin Yachts 38-111.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1970 masthead sloop featuring a deep-draft keel-centerboard configuration and a spade rudder for shoal-water versatility

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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