Design and Construction
Berret gave the First 38 an easily driven, racy hull with sweet lines. Its tapered stern produces a more balanced shape than the broad-transom fashion of later years. The boat was also among the first production yachts to use a reverse scoop transom. Solid sections can be inserted to fill the scoop when a conventional stern platform is wanted.
The solid-fiberglass hull is stiffened by a large, shallow structural pan with an integrated grid, firmly glassed to the hull. The pan leaves most of the hull above the bilge accessible, while inspection ports provide access to the bilge itself. Bulkheads are glassed around their entire perimeter to the hull and deck, then bolted to the floor pan.
The hull-to-deck joint is bonded with sealant and through-bolted, incorporating the aluminum toerail. The deck is a balsa-cored glassfibre sandwich, with solid laminate beneath the hardware. Raised bosses under the chainplate covers and genoa turning blocks help shed water.
The cast-iron ballast is carried externally on stainless keel bolts, while the iron keel is tied to bolts built into the hull liner. Yachting Monthly found the First 38 well built and unsparingly laid up. It also noted that the removable cockpit sole allows the engine to be craned out without cutting into the structure.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The First 38 is a masthead sloop with a large genoa and a vast spinnaker. Its mainsheet traveller is mounted on the coachroof, forward of the companionway, with the track running across the coachroof and out of harm’s way. Headsail tracks sit well inboard for close-winded sailing. Lewmar 46 self-tailers handle the sheets, while Lewmar 30 winches serve the halyards and spinnaker. Reefing requires only one crewmember on deck.
Owners describe the boat as very closewinded, a trait well served by those inboard sheet leads. Test sailors found her fast-paced, sea-kindly, and highly manoeuvrable. Close-hauled, she made 6.2 knots in the groove and tacked through 90 degrees; the tester said that angle improves by 10 degrees in racing mode. Off the wind, she reached 7.4 knots and made 6.5 to 7 knots while running down-Channel.
The balanced spade rudder provides excellent control downwind and a light, balanced helm in most conditions. Without a protective skeg, however, the blade remains exposed to damage. The boat also shows propwalk when going astern.
Ahead, she can turn in her own length. She tracks well and sails upwind in strong winds without slamming; owners report less pounding to weather than on flat-bilged modern performance boats. Reported speeds while surfing downwind have exceeded 13 knots, and offshore passages average a credible 150 to 170 miles per day.
Accommodations
Below, a cutaway bulkhead opens up the saloon, which period reviewers said has not dated as many contemporary interiors have. The finish includes a cherry-and-oak sole and wood-veneered headlining.
To port, the U-shaped settee converts into a double berth using the drop-leaf table. To starboard are a single settee and a small pilot berth. The forward cabin has a V-berth that narrows at the foot, along with shelving, a hanging locker, and light from a forehatch. The forward heads is to port, with a shower and a dated padded-vinyl deckhead.
The forward-facing navigation station to starboard has a huge chart table and space for radar, VHF, and a plotter. The galley is well designed, with double sinks, a top-loading fridge, and a gimballed two-burner stove with an oven. Testers nevertheless described it as small but seaworthy.
Aft are two double cabins, each with a hanging locker and even its own sink. Both cabins are tight for two people, and their headlining prompted one reviewer’s unflattering comparison to a grotto. A seamanlike second heads sits on the centerline behind the companionway.
At a push, the First 38 can sleep up to 10, although it can sleep nine comfortably. Even then, the V-berth, pilot berths, and aft doubles are all narrow or tight.
Known Issues
The First 38 has suffered more than its fair share of osmotic blisters. This is the one structural caveat associated with the class.
The spade rudder has no protective skeg and is always vulnerable to impact. In the aft cabins, the headlinings are prone to drooping. Most of the interior is also lined with foam-backed vinyl glued to the deck and hull; the saloon’s plywood panels are the exception. That glued liner is another long-term material to watch.
Engines, Refits, and Ownership
The standard engine is a 45-horsepower Perkins 4108 diesel, although some boats have 50-horsepower units. Access is excellent from the aft heads, both aft cabins, and the removable cockpit sole, making engine work more approachable.
Many owners have converted the cramped pilot berths into cupboard or shelf space. Bluewater-minded owners have also turned the tiny aft heads into a large pantry or locker.
More than one First 38 has circumnavigated, and many sail in the USA.
The Verdict
The Beneteau First 38 is a genuinely early-modern European cruiser. Its interior still looks relatively contemporary, while under sail it remains lively, sea-kindly, and easily driven. The short production run and Berret pedigree give it a distinct place in Beneteau’s First history, and details such as the convertible scoop transom and shallow structural pan show thoughtful design.
Its history of osmosis and its exposed rudder are the prices of admission.
Pros
- Easily driven, tapered-stern hull with a convertible reverse scoop transom
- Closewinded, sea-kindly, and manoeuvrable, with a light helm
- Shallow structural pan and removable cockpit sole provide excellent bilge and engine access
- Three-stateroom layout that reviewers found relatively undated, with practical navigation and galley stations
Cons
- More than its fair share of osmotic blisters
- Exposed spade rudder without skeg protection, plus propwalk astern
- Aft-cabin headlinings can droop
- Narrow V-berth and tight aft doubles
