Southern Cross 39 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Southern Cross 39 means looking at a Thomas Gillmer-designed, C. E. Ryder-built cutter that was built in the United States between 1981 and 1990. She is a 39-foot, 21,000-pound cruiser with a skeg-hung rudder and fin keel, planned for ocean distances rather than dock-side posing. The used fleet splits between factory-finished and owner-completed hulls, and that provenance shapes what you inspect.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The first 13 hulls were factory-built by Ryder, while subsequent boats were kits for owner completion, some later badged as Gilmer models to distinguish them from factory yachts. A buyer should establish early which lineage a listing represents, since finish quality and documentation can differ between a Ryder-completed boat and an owner-finished one.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Solar panels and Starlink are commonly fitted to today's used Southern Cross 39s, and a swim platform is also a common addition. Often-seen upgrades that matter to a cruiser include a watermaker, lithium batteries, an inverter, a washing machine, a bimini, AIS, and a chartplotter—together they signal a boat set up for independent, connected living aboard. Less common but consequential owner upgrades sometimes seen are wind generators, gennakers or asymmetrics for downwind passage, electric winches, a freezer, hot water, a dodger, cockpit shower, radar, autopilot, and an EPIRB. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster (solar, lithium, inverter, watermaker) is the real test of whether the boat can stay off-grid; the canvas-and-sail-handling cluster (bimini, dodger, gennaker) speaks to crew comfort and trade-wind speed.
What to Inspect
The principal mechanical distinction is the propeller. Early models featured a V-drive transmission with an exposed propeller, while later versions moved the propeller to an aperture in the rudder for better protection. Confirm which arrangement your candidate carries and check the early exposed prop for impact or abrasion damage. Beyond that, verify the kit-built history on any owner-finished hull, since the first 13 were factory-built and the rest were available as kits for owner completion.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Southern Cross 39s are found in the United States market. When you go aboard, check: which hull number and whether factory or owner-finished; early exposed prop versus later rudder-aperture prop; presence of the often-seen cruising upgrades (lithium, watermaker, chartplotter); and condition of three-cabin ex-charter interiors if that is the layout offered. She remains a steady, heavy bluewater cutter whose used-market value lies in her tankage, her ballast, and a clear understanding of her two-build heritage.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Southern Cross 39. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | 1 | $50,000 | — |
| Jul 25 | 2 | $64,900 | +29.8% |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $79,900 | +23.1% |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $79,900 | 0.0% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $79,900 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Southern Cross 39 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 7.
Country view
7 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $79,900 | 7 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oyster Yachts 39 | 40.68' | $ 52,420 | 9 | 3 |
| Southern Cross 39You are here | — | $ 79,900 | 8 | 0 |
| Nicholson 39 | 39' | $ 101,915 | 8 | 3 |