Ohlson 38 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for an Ohlson 38 means chasing a 1960s Einar Ohlson design that bridged wooden racing yachts and GRP cruising. Nearly 130 were built with first deliveries in 1967/68 and production stopping around 1980, finished by yards across the UK, Sweden, Germany and France, so a buyer meets a spread of fit-out standards rather than a single production template. The boat's racing pedigree and repeated ocean crossings make sound examples genuinely capable passage-makers.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most Ohlson 38s are masthead sloop or yawl rig with a traditional interior: deep protected cockpit, companionway with sea-going galley to one side and navigation station to the other, saloon settee berths often with pilot berths above. German and Swedish-west-coast boats may carry wooden decks and superstructure over the GRP hull, while the majority are all-GRP; later Tylers-built Tufglass 38 examples used a bolt-on cast-iron keel instead of the early built-in lead and a shortened negative transom. Joinery in German-finished hulls is often particularly fine mahogany and teak.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Autopilots and short-handed setups are commonly fitted, which suits the boat's inherent balance and single-handed credentials. Heating, solar, inverter, AIS, chartplotter and radar are often seen, along with teak decks, life raft, cockpit shower, bimini and spinnaker; many have completed a transatlantic or circumnavigation. For buyer consequence, the power-and-energy cluster (heating, solar, inverter) matters most on a narrow-beam racer with modest tankage, while navigation cluster (AIS, chartplotter, radar) confirms offshore use. A wind generator, asymmetric spinnaker or bow thruster is a less common owner upgrade.
What to Inspect
Osmotic blistering can appear if gelcoat was not maintained or the hull sat in warm water, but the thick Tyler laminate means it is rarely structural. Check the standing rigging for oversize specification and condition, since the heavy-displacement hull generates serious loads offshore. Later Tufglass 38 boats replaced built-in lead ballast with a bolted cast-iron keel on a modified hull, so confirm keel type and attachment on any later Tyler example. The long-ish keel and propeller close to the rudder produce notable prop walk; observe reverse handling during survey sea-trial.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets are the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Panama, Canada and Spain. A short checklist for the viewings: confirm deck material (wood vs GRP) and yard of finish; verify lead vs cast-iron keel and bolt security; survey gelcoat for blistering despite thick laminate; inspect oversized standing rigging; note autopilot and short-handed rigging as common aids; treat bow thruster or asymmetric spinnaker as occasional upgrades rather than standard.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Ohlson 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 | 2 | $79,000 | — |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $29,075 | -63.2% |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $30,000 | +3.2% |
| Apr 26 | 4 | $63,500 | +111.7% |
| May 26 | 4 | $76,500 | +20.5% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $74,000 | -3.3% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $44,190 | -40.3% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $99,054 | +124.2% |
Where they're listed
Ohlson 38 listings appear across 7 countries. United States has the most listings with 6 (37.5%), followed by United Kingdom and Spain.
Country view
16 listings · 7 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $79,000 | 6 | 2 | 37.5% |
| United Kingdom | $44,190 | 3 | 2 | 18.8% |
| Spain | $78,660 | 2 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Panama | $30,000 | 2 | 0 | 12.5% |
| Canada | $48,000 | 1 | 0 | 6.3% |
| Ireland | $29,075 | 1 | 0 | 6.3% |
| Netherlands | $34,844 | 1 | 0 | 6.3% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabre 38 | 37.83' | $ 49,999 | 49 | 17 |
| Hallberg-Rassy 38 | 37.96' | $ 96,811 | 30 | 7 |
| Ohlson 38You are here | — | $ 53,133 | 16 | 5 |
| Nicholson 38 | 37.83' | $ 32,632 | 13 | 4 |
| Morgan 38 | 37.67' | $ 69,000 | 5 | 1 |