Giles 38 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Giles 38 means looking at a traditional long-keeled Laurent Giles cruiser from the early 1970s, a boat whose belowdecks layout was built around sea-going life rather than dockside sprawl. Because several yards moulded and fitted them out, no two are quite identical in detail, so a buyer should judge each example on its own condition and arrangement.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Giles 38 carries a deep-bodied but narrow hull with a traditional transom and a transom-hung rudder, tiller-steered though some boats had wheels. Below, the sea-optimized plan gives numerous berths suited to rough water, a safe working galley, and a big outward-oriented navigation table right in front of a quarter berth. The heads sit forward of the saloon and were a reasonable size for the generation; stowage is generous in all areas. Expect minor layout variation between boats due to multi-yard fitting out.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Used Giles 38s commonly carry an autopilot, chartplotter, and cabin heating as standard cruising kit. Often-seen additions include spinnaker gear, hot water, radar, and circumnavigation-oriented rigging. Less common owner upgrades run to inverter, wind generator, bow thruster, electric winches, freezer, bimini, dodger, and short-handed handling setups. For a buyer, the meaningful clusters are power and energy—heating, autopilot, and the occasional wind generator or inverter—and sail-handling and shelter, where spinnaker and radar reflect offshore intent but bimini and dodger remain occasional comforts rather than defaults.
What to Inspect
The only documented construction point for the buyer is that the Giles 38 was moulded and fitted out by several yards, so there are minor variations in layout and build quality among individual boats. Inspect each example for consistency of joinery, deck fitting, and structural finish rather than assuming a single production standard.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats typically appear in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Guatemala. For a shopper, the practical checklist is: confirm which yard fitted out the specific hull and assess build consistency; verify the rudder steering type (tiller or wheel); check that the sea berths, secure galley, and chart table remain intact; and review the presence of heating, autopilot, and chartplotter as baseline cruising equipment before weighing optional upgrades.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Giles 38. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | 1 | $71,640 | — |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $104,061 | +45.3% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $117,911 | +13.3% |
| Dec 25 | 2 | $33,783 | -71.3% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $32,106 | -5.0% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $33,186 | +3.4% |
| Aug 26 | 2 | $33,783 | +1.8% |
| Sep 26 | 1 | $51,669 | +52.9% |
Where they're listed
Giles 38 listings appear across 3 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 7 (70.0%), followed by Denmark and Guatemala.
Country view
10 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $46,369 | 7 | 3 | 70.0% |
| Denmark | $50,012 | 2 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Guatemala | $14,000 | 1 | 0 | 10.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caliber 38 | 38' | $ 79,000 | 19 | 6 |
| Nicholson 38 | 37.83' | $ 31,465 | 14 | 2 |
| Sigma 38 | 38.33' | $ 50,372 | 13 | 3 |
| Northshore 38 | 37.99' | $ 50,628 | 11 | 5 |
| Laurent Giles 38You are here | — | $ 48,091 | 10 | 3 |
| Morgan 38 | 37.67' | $ 69,000 | 5 | 1 |
| Cape George 38 | 38' | $ 137,162 | 4 | 2 |
| Endurance 38 | 37' | $ 83,953 | 3 | 0 |