Cabo Rico 38 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Two primary accommodation plans circulated through most of the production run. Plan A offers a traditional V-berth forward, a dedicated head and hanging locker just aft, twin settees with a centerline dinette table, a U-shaped galley in the port quarter, and a starboard aft double berth. Plan B substitutes an L-shaped dinette arrangement and repositions the forward berth slightly to starboard — a less common find on the used market but worth knowing about when evaluating sightlines and flow belowdecks.

Later in the production run, an Offshore model emerged that replaced the aft berth with a large storage area under the starboard cockpit seat, making room for watermakers, generators, and offshore passage gear. A companion fold-up chart table and expanded nav station came with it. Toward the final years of production, some hulls were delivered with fully custom interiors featuring an L-shaped galley to port, a more generous aft stateroom, and the engine repositioned forward under the galley — a change that improved both weight distribution and engine access. Because these were semi-custom boats, buyers will encounter genuine variety: interior wood species range from the classic teak and holly sole to mahogany, ash, maple, and cherry on different hulls. The mast on early models passes through the saloon dinette table; later arrangements moved it clear of the primary living space.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Boats appearing on the brokerage market are commonly fitted with AIS, radar, a chartplotter, a dodger, and a bimini — the practical safety and comfort layer that most liveaboard-minded previous owners have already addressed. Solar panels and an inverter are frequently present, reflecting the boat's appeal to anchoring-oriented cruisers who want to reduce reliance on the engine. Dinghy davits are a common sight on the transom, consistent with the boat's use as a cruising platform where towing a tender becomes impractical on longer passages.

Autopilot and a spinnaker are often found aboard, as are teak decks on a significant portion of the fleet — a characteristic of the era and one with implications for inspection (addressed below). Watermakers appear frequently, particularly on hulls that have been actively cruised offshore. Lithium battery banks, cockpit showers, and heating systems are seen on well-equipped examples, as are upgrades to the standing rigging that reflect prior owners' offshore ambitions. Hot water systems and life rafts, while not universal, are present on a meaningful share of what reaches the market. Navigation and communications electronics will vary considerably by generation of ownership — early electronics are almost certainly due for replacement.

The original engine varied across the production run: Perkins, Westerbeke, Universal, and Yanmar diesel installations all appear, with later boats typically carrying a Yanmar. Horsepower ratings cluster around 46 to 56 horsepower — adequate for the displacement but not generous. Engine accessibility improved on later models after a side access panel was added; early hulls can make reaching the aft end of the engine genuinely difficult.

What to Inspect

Teak decks are the single most consequential inspection item on any Cabo Rico 38. The screwed-and-bunged teak planking over a fiberglass and plywood core is a known leak path: as bungs and sealant age, water works its way along the fasteners and into the plywood substrate, eventually causing rot and delamination. Remediation is expensive. A surveyor should probe the deck carefully with a moisture meter and mallet, paying particular attention to the areas around deck hardware, scuppers, and the chainplates, which are externally bolted to the hull and have been reported as another leak point on these boats. Long-standing water infiltration in the balsa-cored deck sandwich can lead to delamination that is costly to address.

The cockpit sole on pre-1990 models incorporates a plywood layer that is vulnerable to rot from water intrusion; owners of earlier hulls have documented this failure. Inspect it closely. On pre-1990 hulls, osmotic blistering of the hull is a known issue, as those boats were built with polyester resin; later models benefited from vinylester resin in the first several layers, which substantially reduces blister risk. A boat from the earlier production years should have its bottom carefully assessed by a surveyor and may warrant an osmotic treatment and barrier coat if not already done.

In the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, Cabo Rico was supplied with substandard stainless steel, resulting in weakened rudder posts, bow railings, and chainplates. If a boat falls in this production window, the chainplates and rudder post deserve particular scrutiny — replacement chainplates are a known and manageable repair, but the stakes of missing a compromised rudder fitting offshore are high. The iron ballast on earliest hulls has been superseded by lead on later boats; know which you are looking at.

Engine access should be tested hands-on during any survey. On early hulls without the added access panel, even routine servicing can be frustrating. Have a mechanic assess the engine's condition and compression regardless of brand, and verify that the raw-water cooling system is in good order.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Cabo Rico 38 surfaces most often in the United States, with Florida and the East Coast representing the densest concentration of listings. The Pacific coast, Canada, and Greece also see inventory from time to time, reflecting the boat's long life as an actively offshore-sailed cruiser. With roughly two hundred hulls produced, the fleet is not enormous, but it is active and well supported by an engaged online owner community — the Cabo Rico Owners Group on Facebook and the Caborico Google group being the primary gathering places for advice, spare parts leads, and refit guidance.

The value proposition is real: a boat designed and built to offshore standards, with a comfort ratio and motion behavior that distinguish it from lighter, more production-oriented alternatives of similar length. Buyers who can look past the maintenance implications of a teak deck and conduct a thorough survey will find a boat with genuine go-anywhere credentials and a community that knows every corner of the model.

Before making an offer, confirm the following:

• Moisture readings in the deck sandwich, particularly around chainplates and scuppers
• Cockpit sole condition (plywood layer on pre-1990 models)
• Hull blister history and current bottom barrier coat status on older hulls
• Chainplate and rudder post integrity, especially on hulls from the late 1980s to early 1990s
• Engine brand, hour count, service history, and accessibility of the aft end
• Standing rigging age and condition
• Electronics fit-out relative to your intended use (navigation and communication gear often warrants budgeting for replacement)
• Ballast type — iron on early hulls, lead on later production