Jeanneau Gin Fizz 38 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Most Gin Fizz boats you will encounter are either early ketches or later sloops, and the rig choice changes the helm experience: on ketch versions the mizzenmast sits just ahead of the wheel and cuts the visibility that the low deckhouse otherwise affords. The center-cockpit arrangement is real but the aft cabin is more of an oversized lazarette — a double berth, hanging locker, and shelves reached only from the cockpit, comfortable for off-watch crew a moment from the helm. Below, the main companionway is wide with broad steps leading to a saloon with a C-shaped dinette to port and a large navigation desk opposite the small starboard galley. Headroom is limited to about six feet by the low freeboard and almost flush deck, and the forward V-berth is not overly large. The head to port can expand across the cabin for more room.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Power and energy on these boats center on the original Perkins 4108 or, on some, a Westerbeke of similar 50-horsepower rating; the seawater-cooled Perkins will almost certainly need replacement, so confirm what sits in the bay. Water is stored in a bladder under the quarterberth, and the large external chain locker handles serious ground tackle. Ventilation is only just adequate via two opening hatches, so buyers should weigh additions. The Isomat mast stepped on the deck is original on most, and the mainsheet and traveler run across the cockpit bridgedeck — a layout that, with primary winches set well back from the helm, argues for a self-tailing or cockpit-led upgrade if short-handed sailing is intended.

What to Inspect

The main bulkhead may have signs of delamination and should be carefully sounded. Keel bolts are slathered in fiberglass in the bilge and inaccessible, so they should be inspected or better yet X-rayed. Look for rudder water intrusion or layup separation, and the factory nylon rudder bearings were prone to swelling after extended out-of-water storage. Fine crazing can appear at the base of the original deck-stepped Isomat mast, and the cabintop may be depressed at the maststep. Hull blisters are random — some boats show them, others never. The interior fabric on headliners and locker faces does not hold up well, and original floorboards were glassed-over plywood with carpeting above.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

For a buyer, the checklist is short and structural:

• Sound the main bulkhead for delamination
• X-ray or at minimum inspect the encapsulated keel bolts
• Check rudder for water ingress and original bearing swell
• Examine maststep and cabintop depression at the Isomat base
• Confirm engine status — assume Perkins 4108 is spent
• Budget for interior fabric and floorboard refresh