Of all the production yachts built in Australia, the Northshore 38 is probably the best known and most successful. Since 1983, 110 Northshore 38s and 380s have been produced, and all are still sailing.
Design and Construction
Kaufman gave the 38 a slender, easily driven hull and a relatively shallow 1.78m draft. Its lead-filled fin keel shares its pattern with the Northshore 33.
The hull-to-deck moulding join is strapped with 12-ounce FRP cloth from stem to stern. Interior moulds and bulkheads are bonded to the hull with eight-ounce cloth, and all plywood is marine grade or structural ‘A’. The keel bolts, nuts and washers are 316L stainless steel.
From 1984 onward, the hulls were moulded with vinyl ester resin in the first layer or with a full vinyl ester lay-up. This change underpins the class’s noted resistance to osmosis. Post-1995 boats were sold with a five-year warranty against blistering, while all Sydney Yachting Centre boats have epoxy primer beneath the original anti-fouling.
The cruising version has a single-spreader, 3/4-7/8 rig, a deck-stepped mast and a skeg-hung rudder. Its anodised spars came from Yachtspars in Brisbane.
The NSX38 and Northshore 380
The sporting NSX38 is rarer. It was built from the same hull moulds as the cruising 38, although the shallow skeg between the keel and rudder was blanked off during production. In place of the cruiser’s configuration, it has a keel-stepped, double-spreader mast, a slimmer-profile keel with a 2.25m draft, and a spade rudder with tiller steering.
In 1995, the moulds passed to Sydney Yachting Centre under new owners Geoff Pearson and Bob Vinks. The resulting Northshore 380 came in two forms: the cruising 380C and the 380 Sports.
The 380C is a detuned evolution of the original. It retains the deck-stepped, single-spreader rig but has a shorter mast and higher boom. It carries 59sqm of sail, displaces 5455kg and has 2190kg of ballast.
The 380 Sports retains the NSX38’s underwater profile and twin-spreader, keel-stepped mast, although its rig isn’t as tall. It carries 61sqm of sail, displaces 5680kg and has 2430kg of ballast.
Rig, Handling and Performance
In cruising trim, the standard 38 is easy to sail two-handed. Its hull and keel shapes also make it easy to steer in heavy conditions, and difficult to broach.
The taller-rigged boats were somewhat tender in stiff breezes. A shoe fitted to the keel of some examples stiffened them considerably. The NSX38, by contrast, is best left to an experienced crew.
Vinks described the 380C as more of a cruiser than its predecessor and easier for a couple to handle. The 380 Sports is also less ‘tender’ than the NSX38.
Writing in boatsales.com.au, testers described the shorter-rigged 380 as a true cruiser/racer and the more manageable boat. It handled 25kt easily under full main and a number two jib without dipping its leeward rail. With a tuck in the main and a few turns in the furling headsail, it made a comfortable passage in up to 30kt.
The design’s sea-keeping ability suits coastal hops or longer journeys. Two Northshore 38s finished among the 40 survivors from 140 entries in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart.
Accommodation and Cockpit
The original interior has a forward double vee-berth, a port dinette, a shower/head and galley, a starboard navigation station, and an aft quarter berth. Dropping the port-side quarter berth created space for a huge cockpit locker.
A full moulded headliner runs through the cabin, finished with teak-strip joining trims. Light comes through a forward deck hatch, a head hatch and two cabin windows. Later boats gained one hull prism on each side, while the 380 standardised three cabin windows.
There’s enough room below for a family of four, and the NS38 interior carried straight across to the 380. Most boats have hot and cold showers.
An optional aft double berth was offered from 1990 to 1995, but only four or five boats were built with it.
The cockpit seats six comfortably, and many boats also have stern pushpit seats for two more people, clear of sail handling. Most carry end-boom mainsheet travel just ahead of the wheel. On the 380C, cabin-top mid-boom sheeting keeps the cockpit free of that hazard.
Known Issues
The class has an unusually clean structural record for its age. Vinyl ester resin, introduced after 1984, contributes to its noted resistance to osmosis. Sydney Yachting Centre hulls also have epoxy primer beneath the anti-fouling, and post-1995 boats carried a five-year warranty against blistering.
The FRP-strapped hull-to-deck joint and cloth-bonded bulkheads have shown no structural defects in service.
The main handling caveat is the tenderness of the taller-rigged cruising boats, together with the NSX38’s need for experienced hands. The keel shoe fitted to some hulls was a field fix for tenderness, not a response to a factory defect.
Engines, Refits and Ownership
Engine installations changed over the production run:
- From 1983 to 1986: 20hp Bukh with a shaft-driven folding propeller
- In 1987: 24hp Bukh
- From 1988 to 1994: 28hp Volvo with shaft drive or saildrive
- On post-1995 380s: 29hp Yanmar or Nanni saildrive
Owners of plain-transom NS38s can order a factory infill to accommodate the post-1989 boarding-ladder stern.
All 110 boats built remain afloat, while spares and community knowledge remain practical for long-term ownership.
The Verdict
The Northshore 38 is a genuine Australian success story. Kaufman’s slender, easily driven hull proved itself from club racing to the 1998 Sydney to Hobart. Construction details—including vinyl ester from 1984, FRP-strapped joins and 316L keel hardware—have kept osmosis and structural concerns at bay.
The cruising 38 is a tractable two-handed boat for coastal or offshore sailing. The NSX38 rewards an experienced crew, while the 380 line develops the original design toward easier cruising for a couple.
Pros
- Slender, easily driven hull with a shallow 1.78m draft and a shared, lead-filled fin keel
- Vinyl ester lay-up from 1984 and epoxy primer on later hulls provide strong resistance to osmosis
- Hull-to-deck joint strapped with FRP from stem to stern, cloth-bonded bulkheads and 316L keel bolts
- Forgiving steering and resistance to broaching in heavy conditions
- Practical accommodation, with a huge cockpit locker, seating for six in the cockpit and room below for a family of four
Cons
- Taller-rigged boats and the NSX38 are tender in stiff breezes; the NSX38 also demands an experienced crew
- The aft-double-berth option is extremely rare, with only four or five built
- The NSX38’s blanked-off skeg, tiller steering and spade rudder aren’t suited to casual handlers
