Design and Construction
Beneath the waterline the Salona 38 is built as a handlaid FRP monolithic and sandwich hull with sandwich deck above, and clear gelcoat is applied below the waterline so the laminate can be visually inspected. A stainless steel lattice runs the length of the saloon and spans the shroud base, tying the keel, mast step, and shrouds into the hull inner moulding, with massive keel bolts anchoring the appendage. The builder added carbon-fibre panels at hull stress points and claimed the layup exceeds Germanise-Lloyd specifications, in some criteria to twice the required margin. The single-skin slamming zone below the bow avoids core shear under heavy loads, and the boat carries integrated forward and aft watertight collision bulkheads.
Rig and Handling
The 38 carries a triple-spreader fractional rig with spreaders swept 20 degrees, preserving the 37’s proportions but with a slight increase in mast height and sail area; a narrow shroud base permits tight headsail sheeting and free choice of overlap. A German mainsheet layout sends the sheets under the sidedecks to emerge just forward of the coaming winches, an angle the test boat showed should prevent winch-drum overrides, while the traveler itself spans the cockpit sole and can be moved to the cabintop per the builder’s brochure. A below-deck furling drum on the jib keeps the foredeck clean. On the water, a 30 hp Yanmar saildrive pushed the test boat at better than 7 knots with little noise and almost no vibration, maneuvered responsively without prop walk, and the deep rudder answered a two-finger wheel input instantly; she sat happily at 28 to 30 degrees apparent to windward at 5-plus knots and accelerated briskly past 7 knots on a tight reach.
Deck and Cockpit
The deck shows a relatively narrow coach house with wide sidedecks and strip windows along each side, the more vertical stern adding cockpit length and width for an improved twin-wheel layout. Twin wheels are notched into the coamings so the helmsperson can sit on the sidedeck seats and steer without stretching, with fold-down sole wedges for foot braces and flush-folding helmsman chocks. The big transom-open cockpit carries a teak cover panel over the sole-mounted traveler and a teak-faced transom beam that removes for racing or anchor access; forward, teak toerails on the deck sections help crew stay aboard.
Accommodations
Three interior layouts were offered: three staterooms with a single forward head, two staterooms with heads fore and aft, or two staterooms with a single aft head. The short cabintrunk trims headroom forward and at the saloon beam ends, but the interior is a light, horizontal-grain wood space virtually carried over from the 37. The portside galley holds a gimballed three-burner stove with oven and a foldaway panel to extend counter space, backed by an 80-litre top-load freezer and a 50-litre day fridge under the double sink. Opposite sits a full nav station with chart table and electronics center; the saloon seats six around a drop-side table and the settee backs lift Pullman-style into crew bunks. The forward vee-berth lifts on gas struts for sail storage under a large deck hatch, with an optional forward head beneath a second port hatch, and the main head aft of the nav station includes a shower and wet locker.
The Verdict
The Salona 38 is a thoughtfully evolved performance cruiser that trades a little forward headroom for a strong, well-braced hull and a cockpit engineered for both short-handed cruising and IRC competition. Its structural grid, watertight bulkheads, and clean deck plan make it a serious offshore candidate, while the interchangeable layouts let a buyer choose cruising comfort or charter-style capacity.
Pros
- Stainless steel saloon-long lattice ties keel, mast, and shrouds with massive keel bolts anchor
- Watertight forward and aft collision bulkheads
- German mainsheet routing that should avoid winch overrides anchor
- Responsive deep rudder with light helm and minimal prop walk under a 30 hp Yanmar anchor
- Three interchangeable cabin layouts including a three-cabin charter option
Cons
- Short cabintrunk reduces headroom forward and at saloon beam ends anchor
- Variable panel fit noted on test boat despite oversized hardware anchor
