Broadblue 385 Buyer's Guide
The Broadblue 385 is a 38-foot cruising catamaran designed by Simon Davidson and Robert Underwood and launched in 2005, with Polish-built hulls finished in the United Kingdom. For a buyer scanning the brokerage market, she represents a Category A ocean-rated platform whose laid-out simplicity and redundant buoyancy suit long-term cruising rather than charter-volume space.
Layouts on the Used Market
Charter four-cabin arrangements appear more often on the used market, though the owner's three-cabin version is also available, and ex-charter boats are common. The three-cabin layout places a king berth aft in each hull, a port-side walk-in shower compartment, and a starboard head with integral shower, while the four-cabin charter split adds a forward double in the starboard hull. Either way the saloon keeps a U-shaped dinette, full galley, and forward nav station with seating for six.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Power and energy systems dominate the consequence list on these boats. Watermakers, lithium batteries, inverters, and solar arrays are commonly fitted, meaning most candidates already support extended off-grid stays. Navigation and safety gear usually includes radar, chartplotter, autopilot, EPIRB, life raft, and AIS, with Starlink often seen for connectivity. For sail handling and comfort, electric winches, a freezer, and dinghy davits are common, while air conditioning is often carried; a bimini or cockpit shower is a less frequent owner upgrade rather than standard.
What to Inspect
The keels are integrally molded and sealed from the hulls to form a double bottom, with a stainless shoe at each anchor, so check for grounding scars at the shoe and any breach of the sealed keel-hull joint. The skeg-hung rudders share keel depth for beaching, and their pintles and skeg bonding deserve a close look. Below the waterline the solid glass is Kevlar-reinforced in high-load areas, so sound the hull for delamination where hardware loads concentrate above the waterline in the balsa-cored sections.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These cats routinely turn up in Malaysia, Australia, Greece, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), and Germany. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm the layout matches intended use (owner versus ex-charter four-cabin), verify the lithium and watermaker upgrades are present, and inspect keel shoes and rudder skegs for ground contact. A 385 with intact flotation compartments and led-aft rigging remains a low-drama ocean candidate.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Broadblue 385. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 2 | $199,857 | — |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $163,255 | -18.3% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $138,815 | -15.0% |
| Apr 26 | 4 | $210,000 | +51.3% |
Where they're listed
Broadblue 385 listings appear across 3 countries. Malaysia has the most listings with 3 (50.0%), followed by Greece and Australia.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufour 385 Grand Large | 38.45' | $ 102,371 | 56 | 13 |
| Lagoon 38 | 43.04' | $ 507,670 | 36 | 11 |
| Catalina 385 | 39.17' | $ 255,000 | 31 | 11 |
| Tradewind 35 | 35.01' | $ 79,165 | 17 | 2 |
| Privilège 435 | 43' | $ 274,000 | 16 | 4 |
| Prout 38 | 38' | $ 134,825 | 15 | 0 |
| Pearson 385 | 38.25' | $ 60,000 | 12 | 2 |
| Dean Catamarans 365 | 36.75' | $ 85,000 | 9 | 2 |
| Island Packet Packet Cat 35 | 35' | $ 48,500 | 9 | 3 |
| Broadblue Catamarans 385You are here | — | $ 210,000 | 7 | 0 |
| Beneteau First 435 | 43.5' | $ 62,000 | 7 | 6 |