Ericson 380 Buyer's Guide
Shopping a used Ericson 380 means looking at Bruce King's late-era cruiser built from 1991, a 38-foot fiberglass sloop with a fin keel, spade rudder, and a grid-structured hull meant for real cruising. These boats turn up in the United States and Canada, and the design's 15 opening portlights and three Lewmar hatches make for a recognizable, well-daylit interior.
Layouts on the Used Market
The accommodation plan is fixed: a forward double berth with hanging lockers and drawers, a saloon with settees around a mast-wrap table, a port galley opposite a modular head with separate shower, and an aft port stateroom whose double berth runs under the cockpit and is vented by three cockpit-level portlights. A starboard cockpit locker is large enough for a rolled-up inflatable. The nav station faces aft to starboard using the settee as a seat. Buyers should note the cockpit itself is comfortable and functional but not spacious, so a boat marketed as a social cockpit cruiser is misdescribed.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The 380 came with Harken self-tailing sheet winches and Harken cockpit stoppers, a Whitlock steering system, a midboom mainsheet, and a Yanmar 3JH2E diesel. A removable inner forestay was optional from new. Given the evergreen market, any roller-furling genoa, full-batten main, or added inner forestay is a frequent owner upgrade rather than standard, and a watermaker or generator would be a less common addition. The bronze freshwater manifold and bronze seacocks are original-standard items worth verifying intact.
What to Inspect
The hull is solid fiberglass with vinylester resin; check for any blister repair history despite that protection. The keel is fastened through hull and Force Grid with stainless bolts—inspect the grid interface and bolt integrity. The balsa-cored deck needs sounding for core saturation, especially around the 15 portlights and three hatches. The steel-reinforced rudder stock and hull-to-deck joint with molded bulwark should be examined for movement or separation. Engine access is excellent beneath the companionway, and the stuffing box is reachable through an aft-cabin hatch, so both should be opened during survey anchor. Verify the bronze seacocks and freshwater manifold under the galley sinks are present and unmodified.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Ericson 380s are found in the United States and Canada. For a buyer, the checklist is short and structural: confirm Force Grid and keel-bolt condition, sound the balsa deck, exercise the Whitlock helm and Harken winches, and confirm the Yanmar's drip-pan mounting and companionway access. A clean example offers a self-steering, grid-built cruiser with serious water tankage and a practical aft stateroom.
- Verify keel bolts through hull and Force Grid
- Sound balsa deck around portlights and hatches
- Open companionway engine access and aft-cabin stuffing-box hatch
- Confirm bronze seacocks and galley manifold intact
- Check optional inner forestay or furling gear as owner upgrades, not standard
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Ericson 380. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | 1 | $68,800 | — |
| May 26 | 2 | $27,500 | -60.0% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $2,750,038 | +9900.1% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $75,000 | -97.3% |
Where they're listed
Ericson 380 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 3.
Country view
3 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $27,500 | 3 | 1 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CATALINA YACHTS 380 | 38.42' | $ 93,700 | 82 | 17 |
| Hunter Marine 380 | 37.25' | $ 75,000 | 75 | 17 |
| Island Packet 380 | 39.58' | $ 162,352 | 61 | 8 |
| Najad 380 | 37.89' | $ 256,192 | 25 | 6 |
| Ericson 35-3 | 35.5' | $ 20,900 | 22 | 8 |
| Ericson 38-200 | 37.67' | $ 53,578 | 16 | 6 |
| Ericson 38 | 37.67' | $ 43,658 | 12 | 3 |
| Tartan 3800 | 38' | $ 129,000 | 10 | 4 |
| Morgan Morgan 381 | 39.67' | $ 52,450 | 10 | 6 |
| Arcona 380/385 | 37.01' | $ 403,199 | 8 | 1 |
| Pacific Seacraft 380You are here | — | $ 51,250 | 4 | 2 |