MC38 OD Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

This is a stripped-out inshore racer with no pretense of cruising comfort. Its carbon/E-glass and CoreCell composite hull weighs roughly 3,200 kilograms, yet the boat carries the sail area of a much larger racer. The details reward a close look.

Design and Construction

The MC38’s structure is uncompromisingly racing-grade. Built in CNC female tooling, the hull combines carbon fiber and E-glass over a CoreCell foam core, using resin-infused epoxy vinylester and elevated-temperature post-curing. It also has autoclaved carbon foils, including a carbon keel fin.

The keel is a prepreg carbon fin carrying a 1,600-kilogram lead bulb, while the rudder and stock are also made from autoclaved prepreg carbon. The deep carbon keel foil and bulb account for about half the boat’s total displacement, providing stability for a boat with a ballast ratio near fifty percent.

Inside, a clear-coated finish leaves the carbon work visible. The complete package is built to ISO 12215 Category A under ISAF offshore special regulations.

Rig, Sail Plan, and Deck Gear

The MC38 carries a carbon mast and boom from an America’s Cup mast engineer, along with an autoclaved carbon bow pole and PBO composite rigging. Most sail controls and the spinnaker sheets run under the deck before exiting through the cockpit walls, keeping crew movement unobstructed.

A spinnaker string-takedown system and pneumatic foredeck-hatch seal complete the racing deck gear, and Harken hardware is standard.

The removable carbon keel fin and lifting 9-foot fin make the boat specifically designed for easier road transport—a practical 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. They described it as easy to drive to 8 knots, light on its lines, quick to accelerate, and agile through turns. Downwind, it “will really rip.”

The Best Boats 2013 review described the MC38 as built to plane early, foot fast, and steer with a feather touch on and off the wind. Dunning’s design brief omitted the head, galley, and berths so that every resource could go into sail-handling systems and straight-line speed. The result is a boat whose strongest attributes are precisely those systems and its build quality.

Accommodations and Crew

Here, the OD label means exactly what it says. Dunning’s brief eliminated all unnecessary interior extras: there’s no galley, no head, and no berths. The MC38 is an elegantly Spartan sloop intended for a recommended race crew of seven.

The clear-coated interior is a visible expression of the construction philosophy rather than a living space. The specification record lists a designed crew weight of around 600 kilograms, while the engineering team targeted roughly 1,300 pounds as ideal. Both figures show how lightly the boat is intended to be loaded.

Crew Demands

The MC38’s speed doesn’t come without demands. Reviewers noted that a few seasoned sailors are needed to move the boat around a course well in fresh conditions, with three or four knowledgeable hands required. When it’s blowing 25, things will happen fast.

That’s a handling caveat rather than a structural defect, but it clearly defines the likely owner: this is a boat for committed grand-prix teams, not casual club sailors.

The Verdict

The MC38 OD is a focused racing machine: a Category A–rated, autoclaved-carbon one-design with America’s Cup pedigree throughout, built to plane early and rip downwind. Its road-transportable hull and elite sail-handling systems distinguish it in the modern grand-prix fleet, but it suits owners who can bring a trained speed crew.

Pros

Autoclaved carbon foils and keel fin, with a lead bulb accounting for about half the boat’s displacement
PBO rigging, carbon mast, under-deck sail controls, and spinnaker string-takedown system
Removable lifting keel fin for road transport
Early planing, easy 8-knot speeds, and agile turns, according to Sailing World’s testers

Cons