Design and Construction
Ibold kept his signature visual language on the 38: a semi-flush deck with a traditional cabintrunk and his own version of a clipper bow, set off by a long bow overhang and a sweet, pronounced sheerline. The ends are highly shaped, and a deep bulwark that grows taller toward the bow gives the boat a bigger-boat presence than its 37-foot length alone would suggest. Colvic's hull is hand-laid fiberglass, a construction that period reviewers noted needs only minimal upkeep through a sailing season. The keel is lead and fin-shaped, drawing roughly 5.6 to 5.9 feet depending on load, and the underbody blends modern lines with classic topsides — a combination the same reviewer welcomed for its old-and-new character.
Dimensions and Performance Character
At a displacement-to-length ratio of about 309, the Endurance 38 falls into the heavy-cruiser category, yet only 31 percent of comparable designs are heavier. With a ballast ratio of 37 percent — higher than 34 percent of similar boats — and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.16, she reads as reasonably beamy and roomy against most rivals, though not extreme. The rudder and keel treatment is credited with helping her move in moderate air, and the capsize screening value of 1.82 would, by that formula alone, admit her to ocean racing. Her Motion Comfort Ratio of 31.5 places her as more comfortable than most similar sailboat designs, a meaningful metric for a cruising couple weighing passage-making ease.
Rig and Sail Plan
The drawings and the built boats tell slightly different stories aloft. The rig is fundamentally a masthead sloop with the mast stepped well aft, though the design was also offered as a cutter, and more than one rig configuration exists. Drafting shows a babystay with in-line lowers, but photographic evidence of completed boats reveals fore-and-aft lowers and no babystay — a detail worth confirming on any specific hull. One masthead rig carries 640 square feet of mainsail and jib combined, and a tester estimated the sail-area-to-displacement ratio near 17.5. Sheet specs are generous: mainsheet runs about 92 feet, with jib and genoa sheets near 37 feet.
Accommodations
Below, the Endurance 38 is laid out with three cabins and between five and six berths, the interior finished in mahogany. Forward are tight V-berths reached only by passing through a head that spans the full beam — an unusual arrangement that trades privacy for volume. Amidships sits a comfortable pullman-style double, with the galley placed adjacent to that berth. The wide flush foredeck carries an exaggerated crown and was noted as a sunbathing space, if one doesn't mind the curve.
Cockpit and Deck Note
One reviewer found the cockpit possibly small, with no seat long enough to stretch out on comfortably — a minor concession on a boat otherwise oriented to traditional cruising comfort rather than lounging.
The Verdict
The Endurance 38 is a thoughtfully resolved cruiser that marries Ibold's classic profile to a capable modern fin-keel hull. She is stable, comfortably proportioned for her length, and offered enough rig flexibility to suit different owners, though the forward-berth access through the head and the snug cockpit are real compromises. Kit-built examples demand individual scrutiny since completion quality varied.
Pros
- Modern underbody with traditional topsides aids moderate-air performance
- High comfort ratio and ocean-race-level capsize screening
- Lead fin keel, hand-laid glass hull with low seasonal maintenance
- Amidships pullman double and beamy three-cabin layout
Cons
- Head spans the beam, blocking direct access to forward V-berths
- Cockpit may be too small for comfortable stretching out
- Kit completion means variable build quality between boats
