Downeaster 38 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Downeaster 38 carries a strong family likeness across the Down East range: a clipper bow with heavy bowsprit, trailboards, bobstay, whisker stays, and dolphin striker, sweeping aft along a graceful sheer to a wineglass stern. The coachroof follows that sheer to just aft of the mast, then steps up, and the taller cabin-trunk section carries large windows that flood the interior with light. Structurally, the hull is a hand-laid laminate to Lloyd's requirements built with fiberglass and polyester, with a deck largely cored in Airex but solid at its perimeter. The hull-to-deck joint lands on an inward flange, is bedded and screwed up from below into a heavy ironwood caprail, and is further reinforced with interior fiberglass tabbing; that same caprail forms a substantial bulwark and stanchion base. Below the waterline the boat is a full-keel hull with attached rudder, 8,000 pounds of lead ballast sealed into the keel molding, and a steel backbone in the rudder. With a 29-foot waterline, nearly 12-foot beam, and just-under-five-foot shoal draft, the 19,500-pound displacement and 41-percent ballast ratio give her a steady, traditional cruising profile rather than a racing one.

Rig and Handling

Three rigs were offered — cutter, ketch, and schooner — but the cutter dominated owner choice, carrying a roller-furling jib and a club-boom staysail beneath a jiffy-reefed mainsail on deck-stepped aluminum spars. The schooner could be built out with a 498-square-foot gollywobbler between masts or a 727-square-foot balloon jib from the main masthead, but the cutter's simplicity suited the cruising brief. Test sailors found her carrying very little weather helm on all points of sail, and despite a reputation for sluggishness in light winds she performs well off-soundings when heavily laden with fuel and stores. The cockpit, however, works against short-handed sailing: the wide seats that double as lounging spaces in port make the sheet winches hard to reach, the footwell gives no footing for serious winch work, and the wheel sits so close to the seats that passing the helmsman is nearly impossible, leading period observers to suggest a tiller might serve better.

Accommodations

Inside, 6-foot 4-inch headroom and the broad beam make the cabin feel open, with four large trunk windows admitting abundant daylight. The forward cabin holds a double berth with a 35-gallon holding tank beneath, while the main cabin originally paired settee berths with pilot berths outboard on both sides, later offered with a convertible double and shelf to port. A hinged drop-leaf table sits between them, the galley centers a double sink near the midline, and opposite lies a fixed chart table and quarter berth under the cockpit. Three separate iceboxes were specified from the start, and the teak-and-holly sole covers stainless steel water tanks in the keel cavity. Secure foredeck movement comes from the bulwarks, with sidedecks kept clear of rigging.

Known Issues

Age tells on the hull-to-deck joint: owners report leaks as the bedding fails, and because the fasteners are concealed the sources are hard to trace and fix. The large cockpit needs to drain readily if she takes green water, and the cabin windows require storm shutters at sea. The original mainsheet led from the boom end to a stern block abaft the helm, an arrangement described as awkward and unsafe on at least one boat. The wide-seat, wheel-centric cockpit layout remains the central handling criticism.

Refits and Ownership

The original Farymann 24-horsepower raw-water-cooled diesel, with hand-cranking provision, was often swapped by owners for a larger freshwater-cooled engine as years passed. Downeaster 38s are known for the breadth of owner improvisation to suit individual cruising, from rig tweaks to systems upgrades, and the standard two-battery independent electrical setup and emergency hand-start reflect a practical baseline. Provision for hand-starting and wheel steering were standard from the builder.

The Verdict

The Downeaster 38 is a traditionally styled, heavily built cruiser that rewards the owner who values Down East character and is willing to address deck-joint aging and a cockpit unsuited to singlehanding. She is stable, light on helm, and capacious below, but demands respect for cockpit drainage and window security offshore.

Pros