Seafarer 38 Ketch Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a used Seafarer 38 means engaging with a Philip Rhodes-designed cruising monohull that Seafarer Yachts built in the United States from 1971 until the design left production, offered variously as the Rhodes 38, Seafarer 38 Ketch, and Seafarer 38C. The boat's 37.75-foot length overall, 16,500-pound displacement, and 5,500-pound lead ballast describe a moderate-displacement fiberglass cruiser with a modified long keel and keel-mounted rudder, and the used fleet will show the rig and trim variations the builder permitted.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Seafarer 38 accommodates six across a bow V-berth, a U-shaped main-cabin settee around a drop-down table, and an aft cabin with two single berths. The starboard-side galley just forward of the companionway ladder carries a three-burner stove, ice box, and double sink, with the navigation station opposite on the same side; the head sits aft of the bow cabin on port with a shower. A 150-gallon fresh water tank and 60-gallon fuel tank are standard to the design, so layout differences between boats trace mainly to rig choice rather than interior rearrangement.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A short-handed setup is commonly fitted across the used Seafarer 38 fleet, reflecting the boat's manageable 488.88 square feet of standard sail area and wheel steering at the keel-mounted rudder. The builder offered optional cutter and ketch rigs with short or tall masts and a bowsprit on the cutter, so a given boat may carry a different sail plan than the standard masthead sloop, and the engine installation may be the Perkins Engines 108 diesel or the Universal-Atomic Umimite gasoline recorded in builder spec background.
What to Inspect
Documentation places a Perkins Engines 108 diesel engine in the Seafarer 38, yet builder spec background also lists a Universal-Atomic Umimite gasoline engine, so confirm the actual installation and its fuel system condition before purchase. The hull is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, and no documented structural defects or flooding paths are recorded for the class, but the truncated construction note describes only a cutaway forefoot on the modified long keel with no further afterbody detail, so a surveyor should assess rudder-post and keel-joint integrity directly.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Seafarer 38 is typically found in the United States market. For a buyer, the practical checklist is: verify rig configuration and mast height against the optional list; confirm whether the engine is the diesel or gasoline variant and inspect accordingly; examine wood trim for rot or adhesion loss; and have a surveyor evaluate the keel-mounted rudder and cutaway forefoot junction given the incomplete construction record.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Seafarer 38 Ketch. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 3 | $ 22,000 | — |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $ 22,000 | 0.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholson 38 | 37.83' | $ 33,698 | 13 | 7 |
| Seafarer 38 KetchYou are here | — | $ 22,000 | 1 | 0 |