This heavily built, traditional offshore cruiser is far removed from cutting-edge design. Its full keel, heavy displacement, and ketch rig favor sea-kindly behavior over outright speed.
Design and Construction
The Shannon 38 displaces 18,500 pounds on a 30-foot-11-inch waterline. It carries 6,500 pounds of lead ballast encapsulated inside a traditional full keel. Its 11-foot-6 beam doesn’t carry as far aft as it would on a modern coastal cruiser, reducing interior volume in the stern.
Practical Sailor’s survey found that the decks’ diamond-patterned fiberglass provides excellent nonskid and reflects an emphasis on offshore safety. Below the waterline, Shannon fitted bronze through-hulls and seacocks, though many fittings elsewhere above the waterline are PVC or nylon.
The deck hardware, fuel and water tanks, and electrical conduit are accessible, although several teak trim pieces may have to come off first. Even the headliner was designed for removal without damage. The boat’s marine-quality tinned wiring is color-coded by function.
Rig, Sailing, and Motoring
The broader type is commonly a ketch, and 60 of the fleet are cutter-rigged ketches. These boats carry a staysail on an inner forestay and have two parallel headstays. The self-tacking staysail is on a club, which makes tacking easier but limits sail size.
The parallel headstay arrangement causes considerable chafe on the furling sail at certain wind angles. The stresses on the masthead crane from the two headstays can also crack masthead welds.
Under sail, the traditional underbody makes the boat simple to heave to. The Shannon 38 performs well from a dead run to a close reach, but its performance falls off markedly as the apparent wind shifts forward. The cutter-rigged version does slightly better to windward than the ketch.
Owners Bob Burns and Judi Nester reported that their ketch-rigged 38 tacked through a minimum of 110 degrees offshore. During a 14-year circumnavigation, they averaged roughly 120 miles per day. The type is optimized for downwind tradewind sailing.
The propeller sits in a small aperture between the skeg and rudder. This protects it from lines and logs but reduces motoring efficiency. Like most boats with traditional underbodies, the 38 doesn’t like backing.
Accommodations and Cockpit
Most Shannon 38s came with one of two interior layouts, with only minor variations. Older boats have interiors finished in high-quality matched teak, and a solid teak-and-holly sole was standard. That sole also provides good nonskid under wet conditions.
Because the beam is concentrated forward, the stern loses some interior volume. The galley sinks, however, are deep enough to hold water when the boat is heeled 30 degrees. They’re also close enough to the centerline that they rarely backfill.
The settee berths conceal the fresh-water tanks, while the fuel tank sits beneath the quarterberth. Generous inspection ports allow steam cleaning, and most tankage is below the waterline.
The cockpit works comfortably for sailing, watchkeeping, or relaxing. The helm seat is humped, and the deck behind the wheel is angled for comfort whether the helmsperson is sitting or standing. The seats are long enough for napping.
Depending on the layout, large lockers sit beneath one or both cockpit seats. The bridgedeck is high enough for crew to leave the cabin without first installing the hatchboards in heavy weather.
Deck Gear and Ventilation
Deck gear is robust. The boat has wide side decks, an adequate teak toerail, solid teak coachroof handgrips, high lifelines, and solid pulpits. Through-bolted stainless-steel cleats are fitted at the bow, stern, and amidships. Bronze or stainless-steel fairleads are set into the toerail, and twin bow rollers are provided.
Ventilation is ample, with two opening hatches, six dorades, and eight opening portlights.
Engines and Service Access
Early Shannon 38s carried a 40-horsepower Westerbeke or Perkins engine. Later models moved to 44–50 horsepower Yanmars. For owners who don’t need shoal draft, the 38’s full keel involves less hassle than the Shannon 37’s centerboard.
Inspection ports in the fuel and water tanks, along with the removable headliner, simplify servicing. Engine access is less convenient: it requires removing three cumbersome teak pieces, with additional access from the rear through the cockpit locker.
The fuel tank sump collects contaminants, but these can’t be drained from below. Instead, they must be pumped out through the inspection hatch.
Known Issues
The handsome teak-and-frosted-Plexiglas hatches suit the boat’s traditional styling, but they eventually weep as they age. The sea hood also leaks on older boats and needs rebuilding with additional gasketing to make it watertight.
The solid-teak toerail traps water on deck while the side-deck scuppers struggle to clear it quickly in a big sea or heavy rain. The large cockpit could also use better drainage for clearing green water.
On some boats, the diesel-tank breather exits through a fitting in the side of a cockpit seat. This leaves it vulnerable to flooding if the cockpit is pooped. The cockpit lockers have drainage channels and hollow-tubing gaskets, but they can still admit water.
Above-waterline through-hulls for the deck scuppers are PVC or nylon and become brittle with age.
The Verdict
The Shannon 38 is a thoughtfully detailed offshore cruiser built around a traditional, full-keel philosophy. It favors sea-kindly, low-stress passagemaking over speed. Its construction and deck gear show a consistent emphasis on safety and serviceability, though age-related leaks and limited drainage need a buyer’s attention.
Pros
- Proven circumnavigation pedigree and semi-custom interior finish
- Excellent nonskid deck pattern and robust, through-bolted deck hardware
- Simple heaving-to behavior and a protected propeller aperture
- Accessible tanks and conduit, plus a headliner designed for damage-free removal
Cons
- Aging teak hatches and sea hood can leak; the toerail traps water, and scupper drainage is limited
- Parallel headstays chafe sails and place stress on masthead welds
- PVC and nylon above-water fittings become brittle with age; some cockpit breather installations are vulnerable to flooding
- Cumbersome engine access and reduced performance to windward of a close reach
