BoatsSeafarer Yachts 38C

Seafarer Yachts 38C

Cutter · Long Keel · First built 1972

A versatile cruiser available in multiple rig configurations and often sold in kit form for owner completion

Designed by Philip L. Rhodes.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Seafarer Yachts 38C, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Nervous- Starting Over!

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 37 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 37
CoastalBluewater

At 1.65 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.65
LightHeavy

364 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 364
EasygoingPowered-up

12.1 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 12.1
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

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

  • Draws less than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 412 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Seafarer Yachts 38C, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Seafarer Yachts 38C, also known as the Rhodes 38, is a long-keel sailboat designed by Philip L. Rhodes and built by Seafarer Fiberglass Yachts from 1972 to the present. It measures 11.5 meters LOA, with a 3.2-meter beam, 1.4-meter draft, and 7484 kg displacement. The model was available in sloop, cutter, or ketch configurations, with short and tall rig options, and a bowsprit was optional. Many were sold in kit form. Aboard *Sailing Nervous- Starting Over!*, the crew undertook a restoration, prioritizing critical systems like chain plates, keel bolts, hoses, and seacocks to ensure the boat remained watertight before addressing hardware, rigging, or aesthetics.5:30 They tracked project tasks and costs to manage the restoration of their Seafarer Yachts 38C.4:12

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
33.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
12.1
Displacement / length
364.0
Comfort ratio
36.6
Capsize screening
1.65
Hull speed
7.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1022
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Designer
Philip L. Rhodes
Builder
Seafarer Fiberglass Yachts

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.

Cape Dory 3611.01 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterProduced from 1978 to 1990, this long-keeled cutter was later marketed as the Robinhood 36
Solo Bluewater Sailing: Beginner’s Path to an Atlantic Circuit0:42from Atom Voyager
Bristol Yachts 3911.89 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 1966 masthead sloop with a long keel, built for five years as a precursor to the long-running Bristol 40
Bristol 40 for $40,000 - Can You Make it Work?from Practical Sailor
Alberg 3711.33 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA long-keeled masthead sloop produced for two decades with a transition from wood-heavy interiors to moulded fiberglass
Which Sailboat Keel is the WORST? Ep 233 - Lady K Sailing4:52from Lady K Sailing
Morgan Yachts Out Island 3610.92 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA 1970s production cruiser featuring a 1.14-metre draft and a heavy ballast ratio for stability in shallow waters
AMAZING MACHINES! How They Make Sailboat Sails12:02from Practical Sailor
Downeaster 3811.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1974-era cutter with a 35.4 comfort ratio, built for stable, long-distance voyaging on a heavy-displacement hull
Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East 38from Practical Sailor
Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
A Sailboat With No Keel? Shannon Shoalsailer 351:37from Lady K Sailing

The family

Boats like this

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

Seafarer Yachts 38C KRA 1972 staysail ketch with a shallow 1.37-metre draft and long keel, optimised for stable, comfortable cruisingSeafarer Yachts 36CA masthead ketch based on Rhodes Design 702, featuring a long keel and a high comfort ratio for steady cruisingSeafarer Yachts 38 KetchA 1971 staysail ketch featuring a 33% ballast ratio and a long keel for steady, predictable offshore passagesSeafarer Yachts 37A 1980 fin-keeler with a skeg-mounted rudder, offering a 29.14 comfort ratio for stable offshore passage-makingSeafarer Yachts 34A versatile masthead sloop offered with yawl or keel-centerboard configurations and optional diesel power

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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