Design and Construction
The MC38's structure is unapologetically racing-grade. The hull pairs carbon fiber and E-glass over a CoreCell foam core using resin-infused epoxy vinylester, produced from CNC female tooling with elevated-temperature post-curing autoclaved carbon foils including a carbon keel fin. The keel itself is a prepreg carbon fin carrying a 1,600-kilogram lead bulb, while the rudder and stock are likewise autoclaved prepreg carbon. That deep carbon keel foil and bulb make up about half the total displacement, which seals the stability deal for a boat whose ballast ratio sits near fifty percent. A clear-coated interior reveals the carbon work, and the whole package is built to ISO 12215 Category A under ISAF offshore special regulations.
Rig and Sail Plan
Above the deck, the MC38 carries a carbon mast and boom from an America's Cup mast engineer, with an autoclaved carbon bow pole and PBO composite rigging most sail controls and the spinnaker sheets led under the deck, exiting from the cockpit walls for clean crew movement. A spinnaker string-takedown system and pneumatic foredeck hatch seal round out the go-fast deck gear, and Harken hardware is standard. The removable carbon keel-fin and lifting 9-foot fin make the boat specifically designed for ease of road transport, a real advantage for a one-design that travels to regattas.
Handling and Performance
Sailing World's testers found the MC38 really stable and pretty darn fast for a 38-footer, easy to drive to 8 knots and light on its lines, quick to accelerate, and agile through the turns downwind will really rip. The Best Boats 2013 review described it as built to plane early, foot fast, and steer with a feather touch on and off the wind. The design brief stripped out head, galley, and berths to pour every resource into sail-handling systems and straight-line speed, and the result is a boat whose best attributes are exactly those systems and that build quality.
Accommodations
This is where the OD label means what it says. Dunning's brief left out all unnecessary interior extras — there is no galley, no head, no berths — so the boat is an elegantly Spartan sloop built for seven recommended race crew. The clear-coated interior is visual proof of the construction philosophy rather than a living space, and the designed crew weight of around 600 kilograms in the spec record (with the engineering team targeting roughly 1,300 pounds ideal) shows how lightly the boat is meant to be loaded.
Known Issues and Crew Demands
The MC38's speed is not free. Reviewers note a few seasoned sailors are needed when it's blowing 25, things will happen fast to move the boat around a course well in fresh conditions, and three or four knowledgeable hands are required. That is a handling caveat, not a structural defect, but it defines the owner profile: this is a boat for committed grand-prix teams, not casual club sailors.
The Verdict
The MC38 OD is a focused weapon: a Category A–rated, autoclaved-carbon one-design with America's Cup pedigree in every line, built to plane early and rip downwind. Its road-transportable hull and elite sail-handling systems make it a standout in the modern grand-prix fleet, but only for owners who bring trained speed crews.
Pros
- Autoclaved carbon foils and keel fin with lead bulb at ~half displacement
- PBO rigging, carbon mast, under-deck sail controls, string takedown
- Removable lifting keel fin for road transport
- Early planing, 8-knot ease, agile turns per Sailing World testers
Cons
- No interior accommodations by design
- Needs experienced crew, especially in 25-knot breeze
