Sweden 38 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Sweden Yachts 38 means looking at a Norlin-designed 38-foot cruiser built from 1983 to 1990, with 85 hulls produced. Most used examples trace to charter service, and the four-cabin charter layout is the more common one afloat, though both layouts appear. Charter examples are common, so wear from heavy turnover should be expected and evaluated on their own merits.
Layouts on the Used Market
The prevalent used configuration is the charter-oriented four-cabin interior, but two layout types exist and both can be found. Because charter units are common, a buyer should look closely at how the mahogany interior has survived repeated seasonal use rather than assuming private-owner condition. The fiberglass sandwich hull and deck are shared across all layouts, and the boat's 12-foot-8-inch beam gives the cabins reasonable width for the length.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, heating, spinnaker, radar, autopilot, chartplotter, teak decks, AIS, and life raft are commonly fitted. For a buyer, the meaningful clusters are safety and navigation — radar, AIS, life raft, and autopilot together define a boat ready for offshore passage — and comfort and climate, where heating and teak decks point to a usable northern-season interior. Less common owner upgrades sometimes include solar, inverter, self-tacking jib, gennaker, asymmetric spinnaker, bow thruster, hot water, and cockpit shower; these are not standard and should be treated as value-adds on individual boats.
What to Inspect
The Sweden Yachts 38 was built with different keel alternatives, including a lead fin keel and an iron wing keel. The wing keel's iron construction is the one to scrutinize for corrosion at the hull joint and within the keel structure, since iron keels are prone to internal rust where water intrudes. The saildrive transmission should be inspected for seal condition and diaphragm age, as saildrives concentrate underwater drivetrain risk at the hull penetration.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are typically found in the United States, Finland, Canada, and Portugal. For a shopper, the practical checklist is: confirm which keel is fitted and assess iron-wing corrosion if applicable; service-check the saildrive; verify the charter history on four-cabin examples; and treat commonly fitted heating, radar, AIS, and autopilot as baseline rather than bonus. The Sweden 38 rewards a careful survey with a capable Norlin cruiser in either keel format.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Sweden 38. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $35,900 | — |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $100 | -99.7% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $22,146 | +22046.0% |
| May 26 | 2 | $70,573 | +218.7% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $94,978 | +34.6% |
Where they're listed
Sweden 38 listings appear across 4 countries. United States has the most listings with 3 (50.0%), followed by Canada and Finland.
Country view
6 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $35,900 | 3 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Canada | $97,295 | 1 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Finland | $92,662 | 1 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Portugal | $22,146 | 1 | 0 | 16.7% |
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 | 46 | 17 |
| Hallberg-Rassy 38 | 37.96' | $ 96,811 | 30 | 7 |
| Swanson 38 S&S | 38.25' | $ 79,464 | 18 | 6 |
| Ohlson 38 | 37.06' | $ 53,133 | 16 | 5 |
| Sweden Yachts 36 | 36.1' | $ 72,500 | 9 | 5 |
| Baltic 38 DP | 38.08' | $ 108,000 | 9 | 3 |
| Sweden Yachts 38You are here | — | $ 35,900 | 7 | 2 |