Nicholson 38 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Nicholson 38 means taking on a 1966–1975 Camper & Nicholsons ketch whose 134-hull production left a global spread of ageing but fundamentally sound cruisers. Built as a heavy-displacement, long-keel centre-cockpit motorsailer with a semi-enclosed wheelhouse, she was developed from the Alden Mistral lineage and finished with Halmatic-moulded hulls. The used fleet rewards buyers who understand her wear points more than her cosmetics.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common layout seen for sale, though both owner and ex-charter versions appear with regularity. The standard plan keeps a forward cabin, compact saloon, amidships galley and heads, and a separate aft cabin reached from the cockpit, under a centre cockpit and wheelhouse built for sheltered working. Ex-charter examples are common enough that a buyer should expect higher interior wear and a closer look at systems than a privately maintained boat would warrant.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, heating, radar, chartplotter, autopilot, watermaker and solar are commonly fitted, speaking to boats already set up for liveaboard or offshore use. Often-seen additions include life raft, a circumnavigation-grade rigging package, hot water, cockpit shower and a short-handed sail-handling setup. Less common owner upgrades run to wind generator, bimini, dodger, dinghy davits and evidence of a completed transatlantic passage. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster—watermaker, solar, sometimes wind generator—determines independence at anchor, while the canvas-and-handling cluster—short-handed setup, bimini, dodger—shapes day-to-day comfort and solo crewability.
What to Inspect
A survey should anticipate ageing problems around the glazing, chainplates and rudder assembly. Owners often report corrosion in the aluminium portlight frames and fasteners, which are mechanically fastened through the GRP. Several owners have found crevice corrosion or cracked chainplate nuts hidden behind interior mouldings, and some have reported age-related issues with the rudder stock and internal structure. These are the points where a surveyor's close look protects against silent interior decay.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Nicholson 38 are the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Spain, Greece, Canada and Croatia. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm the portlight frames and fasteners for corrosion, open the interior mouldings to view chainplate nuts and knees, inspect the rudder stock and internal structure, and verify whether the boat carries the commonly fitted offshore equipment or only often-seen upgrades. A well-kept example remains a steady, sheltered long-keel cruiser rather than a marina showpiece.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Nicholson 38. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | 1 | $20,383 | — |
| Feb 26 | 2 | $27,517 | +35.0% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $58,261 | +111.7% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $29,888 | -48.7% |
| May 26 | 1 | $39,979 | +33.8% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $55,127 | +37.9% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $75,185 | +36.4% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $68,509 | -8.9% |
Where they're listed
Nicholson 38 listings appear across 4 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 6 (50.0%), followed by New Zealand and Spain.
Country view
12 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $30,571 | 6 | 1 | 50.0% |
| New Zealand | $78,174 | 4 | 2 | 33.3% |
| Spain | $28,197 | 1 | 0 | 8.3% |
| Greece | $20,383 | 1 | 0 | 8.3% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siltala 38 | 37.5' | $ 110,664 | 59 | 17 |
| Ohlson 38 | 37.06' | $ 53,122 | 16 | 5 |
| Nicholson 38You are here | — | $ 32,613 | 13 | 4 |
| Shannon 38 | 37.75' | $ 73,674 | 12 | 1 |
| Laurent Giles 38 | 38.83' | $ 51,139 | 11 | 4 |
| Nicholson Nicholson 35 | 35.25' | $ 39,410 | 10 | 2 |
| Nicholson 39 | 39' | $ 101,915 | 8 | 3 |
| Endurance 38 | 37' | $ 87,367 | 4 | 0 |