Design and Construction
The S38 was drawn with an obvious sheer and high topsides that keep the decks dry, while the beam was carried further aft than on the centre-cockpit Moody 38 anchor. That aft-carried maximum beam increased form stability and opened room for a decent aft cabin, and the hull itself was slightly beamier than the 38CC despite its more streamlined profile. Beneath the waterline the boat used a lighter build, shallower bilges, fine underwater lines and a lengthy 32.5-foot waterline, all of which contributed to a moderate performance character rather than out-and-out speed. Yard options included a deep or shoal fin keel, and both versions carried a high-aspect, semi-balanced rudder supported by a sturdy half skeg. Every hull was built to Lloyd's specifications to Moody's usual standards.
Rig and Handling
The standard masthead rig gave a reasonably generous sail area, with a 130% furling genoa and a coachroof-mounted mainsheet easy to reach around the smallish wheel anchor. Single-handing was not difficult because the primaries sat well within reach of the helm, and all reefing controls and the kicker were led aft to the coachroof winches and clutches. Test sailors found her responsive and powerful yet still easy to handle hard onto the wind with 24 knots over the decks, though the steering felt positive but not the lightest until she found her groove. Off the wind she was moderately quick by modern cruising standards and held her course with few helm changes. A Sport version with a fractionally rigged, taller double-spreader mast brought extra sail area and was what it took to put her truly into the sports cruiser class. Her displacement-to-waterline ratio of 242 and sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.4 placed her in the moderate performance band, a step ahead of the older Moody 38 but carrying less sail even on the tall rig than the sportier Sweden Yachts 390 and Finngulf 38.
Accommodations
With the aft cockpit, the saloon was brought further aft than in the 38CC, and buyers could choose a large aft owner's suite or twin double cabins. The owner's layout included an emergency escape hatch out to the cockpit above the far side of the aft berth. Below, a U-shaped dinette to starboard converts to a double, opposite a straight settee 1.94m long including the trotter box, and headroom in the main cabin is a healthy 1.90m. The wrap-around galley was fitted for long-term cruising with a full-size cooker, deep twin sinks and deep fridge, while a forward-facing chart table sits to port and a smallish wet locker adjoins the engine room. Two heads in a 38-footer were a real boon to owners. The trade-off is a high bridge deck and very steep companionway steps — almost a ladder — demanding care going below.
Known Issues
Some early hulls suffered delamination, cracking and bulging on the coachroof above the forward heads compartment bulkhead, and again over the aft bulkheads where the bulkhead itself did not appear to fit properly anchor. The same early boats showed delamination or bulging around the anchor locker drain and on the topsides below the stanchion bases. These were teething problems, quickly corrected on the original boats as the production run progressed.
The Verdict
The Moody S38 succeeded as Moody's first aft-cockpit performance cruiser: Dixon gave the marque a lighter, drier, more athletic 38-footer with aft-cabin volume that earlier centre-cockpit Moodys could not match in the same hull length. She is a moderate-performance cruiser rather than a racer, easy enough to short-hand but carrying known early-build bulkhead and deck defects that were resolved mid-run.
Pros
- Aft-carried beam yields form stability and a roomy aft cabin
- Dry decks from high topsides and positive sheer
- Single-handed-friendly rig with all controls led aft
- Lloyd's-spec construction with fin-keel options
Cons
- Early hulls prone to coachroof and topside delamination at bulkheads and fittings
- Steep companionway ladder from high bridge deck
- Modest sail plan versus true sport cruisers of the era
