Pacific 38 Buyer's Guide
The used Pacific 38 is a 38-foot class sloop of 11.6 m length overall, designed by Allen Smith and built at his Whangarei River yard, with 45 New Zealand hulls and another 50 Australian Compass 38s from an exported mould. A small run of seven taller “Mark II” boats and one centreboard-yawl outlier round out a modest global fleet. For a shopper, the appeal is a hand-laid solid-glass cruiser-racer with serious offshore credentials and a wide beam that makes the interior live larger than the length suggests.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most boats are masthead sloops with tiller steering, while the Australian Compass 38s carry wheel steering instead. The seven Mark II boats have 12 inches more topside height at the bow and eight amidships, timber decks, and usually a doghouse added by the builder or owner; Smith kept that run tiny to protect quality, and all were finished well. Standard layout sleeps five with 60-gallon fibreglass water tanks under the settee berths amidships. The last mould hull, Django, is a centreboard yawl and should be assessed as a unique configuration.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Buyers will commonly find a freezer, bimini, dodger and autopilot already fitted, which together cover cold storage, helm shelter and short-handed passage making. Beyond those, the one mechanical item to note is the engine: the original 20hp Bukh diesel was often replaced with a more powerful unit, so confirm what sits in the bay. No other gear clusters are prevalent enough in the fleet to treat as expected.
What to Inspect
The laminate is solid hand-laid glass taken beyond Lloyd’s specs and very resin-rich, but minor osmosis has appeared on some hulls, though the type is not seen as particularly blister-prone. Check the topsides and bilge for early gelcoat rash and sound the encapsulated keel and skeg for voids. On Mark II boats, the timber decks need the usual rot and fastening survey that glass decks would not.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these yachts is New Zealand. For a buyer there, the short checklist is: confirm original Bukh or verify the re-power; inspect timber decks on any Mark II; survey for minor osmosis despite the low blister reputation; and decide between tiller (New Zealand) and wheel (Compass 38) steering. The fleet is small, so viewings reward patience and a pre-agreed survey scope.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Pacific 38. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26 | 1 | $39,275 | — |
| Sep 26 | 1 | $35,602 | -9.4% |
Where they're listed
Pacific 38 listings appear across 1 country. New Zealand has the most listings with 2.
Country view
2 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | $37,438 | 2 | 1 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabre 38 | 37.83' | $ 49,999 | 48 | 21 |
| Beneteau First 38 | 40.2' | $ 34,027 | 32 | 6 |
| Northshore 38 | 37.99' | $ 50,653 | 11 | 5 |
| Hinckley Yachts 38 | 37.5' | $ 73,750 | 10 | 4 |
| Ericson 38 | 37.67' | $ 43,658 | 10 | 1 |
| Seaquest Yachts 38 | 38.06' | $ 79,335 | 9 | 3 |
| Pacific 38You are here | — | $ 37,457 | 2 | 1 |