Harmony 38 Buyer's Guide
The Harmony 38 is a mid-2000s French cruising monohull from Mortain & Mavrikios and Poncin Yachts, a 38-foot fractional sloop certified CE Class A Ocean and aimed at family and charter use. On the brokerage market she appears mostly as ex-charter and privately owned examples, and the age of the fleet means a buyer’s survey should center on wear items rather than novel defects.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The standard arrangement sleeps eight across three cabins and a saloon with two heads, a bright interior, and headroom above 1.85 meters. Ex-charter boats will show the higher-cycle wear you would expect from fleet use, while private examples may reflect more individualized care; either way the three-cabin plan is the one most buyers will encounter.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
For a boat of this vintage, the consequential gear clusters around self-sufficiency and sail handling. Commonly fitted are chartplotter, autopilot, AIS, radar, and life raft for navigation and safety, with watermaker, inverter, solar, freezer, and lithium batteries covering power and water independence — the kind of kit that turns a coastal cruiser into a weeks-aboard boat. Sail-and-comfort upgrades often seen include a gennaker for offwind speed, plus bimini, dodger, cockpit shower, and teak decks; a swim platform and heating turn up often as well. Less common but worth noting as owner-level additions are Starlink and EPIRB, and some boats carry circumnavigation rigging. Several were delivered without downwind extras, so a missing gennaker is not a defect but a likely upgrade.
What to Inspect
The mid-2000s build age means checking standing rigging, deck fittings, and engine hours on any example. Some owners found the standard 40 hp diesel modest against swell, so confirm the actual engine option and its condition rather than assuming surplus power. Storage volume is limited for long passages, a design fact rather than a fault, but it shapes how realistically an individual boat is equipped for extended use. Early reefing is advised in heavy weather given the light hull’s more active motion, so inspect reefing hardware and sail condition with that in mind.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Harmony 38 are Croatia, New Zealand, and France. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm rigging and deck-fitting age, verify engine hours against the fitted Volvo, and assess whether the equipment list matches the kind of cruising intended. She is a practical, forgiving family cruiser with good used-market value, best chosen where the layout and upgrades already suit the plan rather than as a blank canvas for heavy voyaging.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Harmony 38. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $78,028 | — |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $55,856 | -28.4% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $78,028 | +39.7% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $98,504 | +26.2% |
| Sep 26 | 1 | $90,078 | -8.6% |
| Oct 26 | 1 | $55,968 | -37.9% |
Where they're listed
Harmony 38 listings appear across 3 countries. Italy has the most listings with 2 (50.0%), followed by France and New Zealand.
Country view
4 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | $73,023 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
| France | $98,504 | 1 | 1 | 25.0% |
| New Zealand | $78,028 | 1 | 0 | 25.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
9 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavaria Yachts C38 | 37.34' | $ 299,000 | 84 | 15 |
| Beneteau Oceanis 38 | 37.73' | $ 160,000 | 74 | 22 |
| Hanse 348 | 34.12' | $ 190,000 | 68 | 13 |
| Dufour Classic 38 | 37.58' | $ 75,141 | 40 | 7 |
| Hunter 386 | 38.25' | $ 89,000 | 27 | 8 |
| Freedom 38 | 37.92' | $ 70,911 | 23 | 7 |
| SUN Sun Shine 38 | 38.25' | $ 49,417 | 18 | 4 |
| Harmony 42 | 42.19' | $ 89,549 | 10 | 3 |
| Poncin 38You are here | — | $ 84,053 | 4 | 3 |