Racer-cruiserr

With a D/L of 125 you would have to consider the 38 very light for a cruising boat. Beam is 11 feet for a narrow L/B of 3.45. Draft is a modest 6 feet, which cruising owners should applaud. The profile shows a boat with short overhangs and a deep "chin" on the forefoot. Aft, the almost straight line you see in plan view across the end of the transom indicates a flat run.

Will this boat pound sailing to weather? Yes, I think so, sometimes, but so will almost every boat designed to today's modern performance parameters. Light weight and minimal rocker forward result in a tendency to pound. It's a trade-off, and in this case the designer has gone for speed-producing shapes. Note the huge rudder blade about as far aft as you could get it without having it outboard. This boat should track and maneuver well.

There is no mystery to cruising boat interiors. Displacement means volume and volume means accommodations and stowage. Take away displacement and you will pay in the area of accommodations. This means that items that some cruisers consider requirements will have to be left ashore on the 38. The boat could take the weight, but there is simply not the volume to carry large amounts of cruising gear like generators, washer-dryers, massive battery banks and A/C. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm a nut about simplicity and a simple cruising lifestyle.

Where this light displacement will take a bite out of your cruising convenience is in the area of tankage. We seem to have become tankage manic in the last few years. The tank capacities for the 38 will be 50 gallons for fuel and 25 gallons for water. (Let them drink wine!) Keep in mind that if your boat is a sprightly sailer you will motor far less.

The tall fractional rig has an SA/D of 24.2. Racers will love the horsepower it will produce. Cruisers will like that too, but may have some concerns about handling this much sail area when shorthanded. In their favor is the fact that the headsails do not overlap the shrouds and, of course, can be fitted with roller furling (which racers may opt for as well, since sail changes are minimized by the nonoverlapping jibs). A smaller, nonmasthead spinnaker can be used, as well as a full masthead chute. The spinnakers are asymmetric and tack to a short bowsprit. This will be an exciting boat to sail under masthead spinnaker in surfing conditions.

The deck and cockpit are nicely laid out for efficient sail handling.

Cape Fear will build you a custom interior. The interior shown in the drawings features a large double V-berth and a minimal quarter double berth. The galley is adequate, but the stove shown is a small, light, two-burner type, which given the state of my own cholesterol level is probably just fine. Note the large lazarette, or as labeled in the drawings, "mechanical room." Missing from this layout are lockers. Apart from two hanging lockers there are few small compartments for stowage.

This is a design that puts a premium on sailing performance. Racers expect that. Cruisers who are willing to trade a certain amount of luxury for sailing speed, nimble handling and light-air performance that will keep the engine silent most of the time will appreciate it too.

I look forward to seeing this interesting new design at the boat shows.