Hull Design and Construction
Bavaria funded two permanently on-site Lloyd's inspectors, and the results show up in the laminate schedule. The hull below the waterline is solid fiberglass built to 32 mm thickness with alternating 15- and 20-ounce Verotex woven roving, and the forward section from bow to first bulkhead adds a 2 mm Kevlar layer for impact resistance — a detail Perry also noted as an unusual commitment for a production boat. Double laminations run 12 inches to either side of the centerline from bow to rudderpost, with a further double layer at the keel flange as a Lloyd's requirement. Above the waterline, hull and deck are cored with 15 mm Divinycell for structural stiffness, insulation, and noise reduction. Deck hardware — winches, cleats — is mounted to three-quarter-inch aluminum backing plates bonded into the deck rather than simply through-bolted, an elegant solution to the chronic problem of deck-hardware pull-out on production boats. Bavaria's own promotional video, reportedly showing the hull sailed repeatedly into a seawall with only gelcoat scraping to show for it, is the kind of anecdote that reads as marketing theater, but the underlying laminate specification is independently verifiable through the Lloyd's certificate.
The keel is a whale's-tail fin with a spade rudder, available in two drafts — 6 feet, 5 inches deep or 5 feet, 1 inch shoal — representing current hydrodynamic thinking at the time of design. The D/L ratio of around 215–217 and SA/D of 17.8 place the boat in the moderate-displacement cruiser bracket, appropriate for coastal and offshore work without making it a light-air sprinter.
Rig and Handling Under Sail
Perry flagged the rig configuration as unusual: an almost-masthead fractional arrangement on a nine-tenths spar with a tapered double-spreader Selden mast, which the Practical Sailor test concluded performs more like a conventional masthead rig than a true fractional. Standard equipment includes a Furlex headsail furler, hard vang, topping lift, and a hand-cranked backstay adjuster. Buyers could specify a fully battened main, a conventional main, or an in-mast furling system at no additional cost — though the Practical Sailor team noted that the furling main looked disproportionately small for the hull and reduced sail area by 75 square feet while also eliminating meaningful sail-shape adjustment. The mainsheet traveler sits aft of the cockpit at the end of the boom, a real advantage of the center-cockpit layout that avoids the compromised mid-boom sheeting common on aft-cockpit designs of the era.
The jib sheeting angle of 16 degrees — a consequence of the broad beam limiting chainplate placement inboard — is the boat's most significant upwind compromise. Perry's benchmark for tight genoa sheeting is 12.5 to 13 degrees, and he acknowledged that for a pure cruising boat the wider angle is arguably acceptable. Practical Sailor's test confirmed the limitation in practice: the boat sailed comfortably to within 40 degrees of apparent wind at around 6 knots in 15–22 knots of breeze, but speed increased while stability decreased when the crew footed off to 85 degrees. In lighter conditions, owners will likely resort to the motor until true wind reaches 6–8 knots, and will find a drifter or reacher valuable where winds are typically gentle. The Ocean 38 is not a boat for sailors who equate pleasure with pointing; it rewards those who value comfort, stability, and ease of management over VMG.
Cockpit and Deck Layout
The center-cockpit configuration yields one genuine engineering dividend: a separate engine room under the cockpit that provides access to machinery from all four sides — a luxury on a 38-footer that most aft-cockpit contemporaries cannot match. The cockpit itself avoids the sunken hot-tub look that plagues some center-cockpit designs; Perry noted the faceted seatbacks and long enough seats for sleeping, while Practical Sailor counted six-person seating capacity with berth-length room for a six-footer. The fixed five-piece windshield, a polarizing aesthetic choice, provides exceptional weather protection and serves as a structural foundation for enclosure additions.
There are only four winches — two Harken 44 self-tailers as primaries and two Harken 40s on the coachroof for halyards and reefing — a minimalist count that reflects the boat's charter-fleet DNA. The jib winches' aft position means crew must navigate around the steering pedestal on tacks, a choreography issue compounded on test boats equipped with a storm dodger that further restricted the cross-boat passage. Side decks at 16 inches are modest but passable, and the double lifelines, stainless stanchions, and bow pulpit contribute to workable offshore safety. The bow carries a large chain locker sized for an electric windlass and generous chain, with a cantilever roller for the 44-lb CQR that avoids gelcoat damage.
Accommodations Below
The interior is where the Ocean 38's beam pays its most obvious dividends. The workmanship is of a quality found in boats costing considerably more, with solid wood trim, veneered surfaces, and 3-inch cushions throughout. The aft master stateroom spans the full beam of the stern and provides a centerline double berth 6 feet long by 5 feet 6 inches wide, 6 feet of headroom, and surrounding mahogany cabinetry — genuinely unusual appointments on a 38-foot hull. The forward V-berth converts to a double with a filler piece, and both staterooms include small but genuine sitting areas that provide some private space when the boat is full.
The head has an adjoining separate shower stall with 6 feet of headroom and 30 inches of elbow room. Perry noted that the shower would do justice to a much larger boat, and that assessment holds. The galley runs fore and aft and is equipped with a double stainless sink, two-burner stove, and an L-shaped countertop — generous in concept but practically limited when the stove is in use, since active cooking consumes 24 inches of counter, pushing food preparation to the dining table. The navigation station at 22 inches deep by 38 inches wide is similarly functional but not expansive. The major drawback below is the absence of a proper sea berth; the settees and berths are excellent for harbor living but less suited to offshore use where a lee cloth and narrow dedicated bunk matter.
Known Issues and Watchpoints
The saildrive installation warrants careful attention. The aluminum saildrive housing is vulnerable to corrosion from stray AC currents in marinas, and Practical Sailor specifically cautioned owners to monitor it carefully, replace zincs regularly, and conduct a visual inspection dive every 90 days. This is not a Bavaria-specific vulnerability — the issue is inherent to aluminum saildrives in electrolytic marina environments — but it is a maintenance discipline that the Ocean 38's ownership experience requires.
The in-mast furling main, if fitted, imposes a practical constraint: if there is a scallop at the tack when hoisting, the sail will not furl properly. Crew must learn to hoist fully before attempting to furl. The Coolmatic 12-volt refrigeration system fitted to early production boats was identified as a weak point in period testing. Sourcing replacement parts for European-specification components in North American markets — and likely in any market distant from Bavaria's supply chain — remains the standard challenge with boats of this pedigree; the North American distributor historically maintained a parts inventory, but secondhand buyers should confirm availability for their region. The cockpit layout's pedestal-and-dodger choreography issue during tacks is a minor but real ergonomic limitation that owners coming from aft-cockpit designs should anticipate.
Refits and Upgrades
The separate engine room is a significant refit asset: the Whitlock cable steering is directly overhead and easy to inspect or service, wiring is bundled and wrapped every six inches against chafe, through-hulls are bronze with stainless ball valves, and all hoses and manifolds are accessible with double clamps throughout. The structure is accommodating to the work. Owners who want to improve the Ocean 38's light-air performance most effectively should prioritize a good light-air sail — a reacher or code zero — rather than modifying the rig; the 16-degree sheeting angle is a geometric consequence of the beam and is not easily corrected without extensive track relocation. Upgrading to a chartplotter, AIS, and a proper offshore SSB or satellite communication setup transforms the platform's offshore capability without structural intervention. The bow's large chain locker supports an electric windlass installation cleanly. For owners in corrosive marina environments, converting from a saildrive to a shaft-drive arrangement is a documented but expensive option; most owners manage the issue through disciplined zinc and anode maintenance instead.
The Verdict
The Bavaria Ocean 38 is an honest boat that delivers precisely what it promises: spacious, well-built accommodations in a center-cockpit hull with a structural pedigree verified by Germanischer Lloyd's continuous inspection program. It will not excite the windward sailor — the wide beam, moderate SA/D, and generous sheeting angle see to that — but it provides a genuinely comfortable platform for families and couples who want to use their boat for extended passages and live aboard it in harbor without feeling cramped. The construction quality has held up well, and the accessible mechanical layout rewards careful ownership.
Pros
- Germanischer Lloyd A5 certification with on-site inspectors throughout production
- Separate engine room with four-sided access to machinery
- Aft master stateroom and shower stall of unusual quality for a 38-footer
- Kevlar-reinforced bow and heavy-duty deck hardware backing plates
- Accessible, well-organized mechanical systems throughout
Cons
- 16-degree jib sheeting angle limits upwind performance relative to narrower contemporaries
- Aluminum saildrive vulnerable to stray-current corrosion in marinas; requires disciplined maintenance
- No dedicated sea berth for offshore watches
- Light-air performance poor; motor dependency in sub-8-knot conditions
- Galley counter space reduced significantly when stove is in use
- In-mast furling main reduces sail area and eliminates meaningful sail-shape control
