Centurion 38 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Wauquiez built the Centurion 38 with a solid fiberglass hull and a lead keel, and the yard offered the boat with two distinct keel configurations rather than a single standard. The deep-keel version draws about 7.05 to 7.35 feet depending on load, which limits her to major marinas, while the fin-keel version draws just 4.79 to 5.09 feet and can enter even shallow harbours. That spread is the central design decision a buyer faces: the deep keel is the bluewater profile, the fin keel the Mediterranean and estuary cruiser. Her wetted surface runs about 462 square feet, and at a theoretical hull speed of 7.5 knots she is a true displacement hull whose 249 kg/cm immersion rate (roughly 1,397 pounds per inch) means she loads heavily for every added pound of gear and water.

Rig and Handling

The masthead rig carries a comparatively modest sail plan — the Centurion 38 has more rig than only about a third of similar sailboats, which marks her as slightly underrigged for her class. That is not a defect so much as a Dubois calibration: she relies on hull form rather than sail area for her performance envelope. The standing and running rigging dimensions are well established, with all three halyards (mainsail, genoa, and spinnaker) running about 120.5 feet at a half-inch diameter, while sheets vary from the 37.6-foot jib and genoa sheets to a 93.9-foot mainsheet and an 82.6-foot spinnaker sheet, both at 0.55 inch. A 31-foot waterline and 7.5-knot theoretical maximum suit a boat that rewards clean balance over brute power.

Accommodations

The Centurion 38 was produced in a small series of 24 hulls, and the builder offered owner three-cabin layouts as well as other arrangements on the used market. The 12-foot-6-inch beam and 66-gallon water capacity against a slender 25-gallon diesel tank suggest a boat oriented toward weeks aboard rather than long motoring ranges. Beyond those proportions the available material does not describe interior finish, and the boat is best judged on her hull and rig rather than on described details.

Known Issues

The Centurion 38 shows no structural defects, osmotic blistering, or rigging failures specific to the design. The principal caveats are inherent rather than fault-based: the deep-keel draft restricts her to major marinas, and the underrigged sail plan means she will not ghost along in the lightest airs the way a larger-roached competitor might. A 25-gallon fuel capacity is a real limitation for anyone planning extended motoring, and the small production run of 24 boats means spares and survey familiarity are thinner than for a mainstream cruiser.

Refits and Ownership

Ownership of a 24-boat series means most examples have been through at least one refit cycle. The inboard Volvo Penta diesel is the standard auxiliary, and the established halyard and sheet lengths make a rigging renewal a measured, predictable job rather than a guessing exercise. The deep-keel and fin-keel variants share the same basic deck and rig, so many upgrades cross between them; the limiting factor on any individual boat is more often the keel configuration she was built with than the condition of what can be replaced.

The Verdict

The Centurion 38 is a narrowly drawn Dubois cruiser from a short, deliberate production run — a boat you choose for a specific keel and a specific kind of sailing rather than for universal appeal. The deep keel is the offshore statement; the fin keel is the shallow-water pragmatist. Either way she is a solid, lead-ballasted fiberglass hull with a coherent rig and a small but identifiable presence on the water.

Pros