BoatsPuma 38-K

Puma 38-K

Masthead Ketch · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1976

A masthead ketch featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, offering a spirited sail area-to-displacement ratio

Designed by Alberto Cabal, built by Nao Glass.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The Puma 38-K, on the water

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

Footage from A Son de Mar

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 30 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 30
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.85
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 286
EasygoingPowered-up

20.9 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 20.9
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

What the fleet has seen

The Puma 38-K, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Puma 38-K is a 12.0-meter masthead ketch designed by Alberto Cabal and built by Nao Glass and Puma Yachts since 1976. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, a 3.6-meter beam, a 1.9-meter draft, and displaces 7599 kg.

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

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
39.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
20.9
Displacement / length
285.8
Comfort ratio
29.6
Capsize screening
1.85
Hull speed
7.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1253
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1976
Designer
Alberto Cabal
Builder
Nao Glass, Puma Yachts (Nao-Glass)

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.

Warrior 4012.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged cruiser with a skeg-hung rudder and a 1.52m draft, built for steady offshore passages
C&C Yachts 3911.96 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1971-1974 production masthead sloop with a moderate displacement-to-length ratio, balanced for coastal cruising
Hallberg-Rassy 3911.85 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterProduced in two versions over twelve years, this cruiser evolved from the 1991 MK I to the extended MK II with a bathing platform
Cal Boats 4011.99 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA legendary offshore racer with 160 built, featuring a light displacement and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
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
Passport Yachts 4012.02 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop offering tall rig and shallow draft options for versatile cruising

The family

Boats like this

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

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Puma 38-K, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue