The vessel was built by the British yard Hurley Marine Ltd. during the final, turbulent years preceding the builder's closure in early 1974. This model represented a radical departure from Hurley’s established line of traditional, heavy-displacement pocket cruisers like the Hurley 18, 22, and 27. Instead, the Tailwind 38 was engineered around cutting-edge aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, incorporating lessons learned from six years of extensive wind tunnel and tank testing at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology. Because of the economic crises in the United Kingdom during the mid-1970s, very few of these high-end boats were built. The few that were completed—including hull number six, "Orange Peel," which Bergström finished as his personal racing boat—mostly crossed the Atlantic to the United States to compete in long-distance offshore races like the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC). Today, the Tailwind 38 stands as a rare, prized classic that marks the dawn of modern aerodynamic rig design.
Design Brief & Intent
The Tailwind 38 was designed for the yachtsman who demanded pure speed and structural sophistication without sacrificing offshore structural integrity. Sven-Olov Ridder, an aerodynamicist who served as the head of wind tunnel research at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology and designed aircraft for Saab, applied aeronautical principles to the boat's hull, keel, and rig. The result was a vessel that targeted the highly competitive IOR One Ton class, presenting a stark contrast to competing cruiser/racers of the era. While contemporaries like the Sparkman & Stephens-designed Swan 38 relied on heavy displacement and traditional masthead rigs, the Tailwind 38 prioritized a low-drag hull form, a highly efficient underbody, and a revolutionary backstayless fractional rig.
Despite its racing pedigree, the Tailwind 38 was not a stripped-out dayboat. Hurley Marine finished the interior to a high standard, utilizing robust teak joinery and traditional craftsmanship that reflected the builder’s British heritage. The cabin was designed to provide safety and security during grueling offshore passages, establishing the model as a legitimate blue-water crosser capable of keeping its crew safe in extreme weather.
Sailing Performance & Handling
On the water, the Tailwind 38 behaves like a modern sports sedan—quick to accelerate, highly responsive to helm input, and remarkably stiff. A sail area-to-displacement ratio of 17.61 indicates a powerful sail plan that excels in light-to-moderate air, allowing the boat to ghost along while heavier cruisers remain trapped under iron wind. Under full press of sail, the boat transitions smoothly into an easily driven, high-speed reacher.
Its displacement-to-length ratio of 248.65 places it in the moderate-displacement category. This gives the hull enough physical mass to punch through a heavy head chop without losing momentum, yet keeps the wetted surface low enough to prevent sluggishness. The motion in a seaway is lively but highly predictable, as evidenced by a comfort ratio of 26.05, which is typical for performance-oriented yachts of this size.
With a capsize screening ratio of 1.94, the Tailwind 38 falls safely below the traditional safety threshold of 2.0, proving its suitability for ocean passagemaking. This stability is reinforced by a high ballast-to-displacement ratio of 39.39%. The 5,824-pound cast lead fin keel keeps the center of gravity low, allowing the boat to stand up to its canvas and sail exceptionally flat. The deep-draft keel and spade rudder on a skeg provide excellent bite, virtually eliminating the risk of broaching when sailing hard on the wind. However, like many IOR-era designs with narrow tails and pinched sterns, the helm requires active participation when running downwind in large following seas to prevent rhythmic rolling.
The B&R Rig & Hull Engineering
The defining technical characteristic of the Tailwind 38 is its first-generation B&R fractional rig. This layout features double spreaders swept back at a significant angle, which eliminates the need for a permanent backstay. This engineering choice was revolutionary for 1973. Without a backstay in the way, the boat can carry a mainsail with a massive, highly efficient roach or even a modern square-top main, significantly increasing the aerodynamic drive of the sail plan. The cap shrouds are led out to the absolute maximum beam of the vessel and terminate at external, through-bolted stainless steel chainplates, forming a rigid, self-supporting tripod mast structure.
Beneath the waterline, the hydrodynamics were thoroughly optimized. The deep lead fin keel and the skeg-mounted rudder were designed to minimize drag while maximizing lift. This efficient underbody is coupled with a hull and deck constructed using a GRP balsa sandwich laminate. Using balsa wood as a core material was a cutting-edge technique in the early 1970s, providing immense structural stiffness and sound insulation while keeping overall displacement low. The hull also features a reverse-counter transom, which reduces wetted surface area when upright but extends the effective sailing waterline as the boat heels, unlocking higher theoretical hull speeds.
Interior & Configurations
Hurley Marine offered the Tailwind 38 in two distinct interior configurations: a four-berth and a five-berth layout. The four-berth layout was highly favored by cruising owners because it positioned the marine toilet in a separate, fully enclosed compartment, providing necessary privacy on extended voyages.
The interior design maximizes the use of space within the boat's 11.92-foot beam. The main salon features deep sea berths with lee cloths, a solid drop-leaf dining table, and secure overhead grab rails designed for safe movement while heeled. The galley, advertised in its day as "de luxe," features deep stainless steel sinks, a well-insulated icebox, and a gimballed stove positioned near the companionway for optimal ventilation. Abundant hanging lockers and storage compartments were integrated into the cabins to accommodate wet-weather gear and provisions for a full crew. While most Tailwind 38s were built with a center-cockpit deck layout featuring an aft companionway hatch, the deck molds were highly adaptable, and a few hulls were customized for pure racing with aft-cockpit arrangements.
Known Issues & Triage
Operating a Tailwind 38 today requires diligent maintenance, as the boat’s advanced construction materials have aged over five decades. The most critical area for structural triage is the balsa-cored GRP hull and deck. If deck hardware, stanchion bases, or chainplates were rebedded improperly, water can migrate into the balsa core, causing widespread rot and delamination. Prospective buyers must perform comprehensive moisture-meter testing and percussion sounding over the entire deck and cabin house. Soft spots will require localized skin removal, core excavation, and replacement with modern closed-cell marine foam or epoxy-saturated balsa.
The keel sump and structural floor grid also demand close inspection. Because of the high righting moment generated by the deep lead keel and the high-tension B&R rig, the fiberglass floors distributing these loads can suffer from stress cracking or secondary bonding failure. This is especially true on boats that were campaigned hard in ocean races.
The B&R rig requires precise tuning to perform safely. Because there is no backstay to control mast bend, headstay tension relies entirely on the swept-back spreaders and the tension of the shroud system. Over-tensioning can compress the mast step or fatigue the chainplate attachments, while under-tensioning can lead to mast pumping in a head sea. Riggers familiar with backstayless configurations must inspect the mast extrusion, spreader brackets, and terminal fittings for any micro-fracturing.
Modernization & Upgrades
The original auxiliary engine for the Tailwind 38 was a two-cylinder, 20-horsepower Bukh diesel. While Bukh engines are legendary for their heavy, robust, all-iron marine construction, 20 horsepower is inadequate for clawing off a lee shore in a 14,784-pound vessel against heavy wind and tide. Additionally, the Bukh DV20 operates at a very low design temperature, which makes it prone to heavy carbon and soot build-up 4. Consequently, almost all surviving Tailwind 38s have been repowered. Modern owners favor lightweight, four-cylinder diesels from Beta Marine or Nanni in the 30-to-43 horsepower range, which provide modern reliability, cleaner emissions, and double the output at a fraction of the weight.
Electrical modernization is another common upgrade. The original 12V DC wiring schemes of the 1970s are wholly inadequate for modern cruising demands. Upgrading to a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery system, complete with high-output alternators, smart external regulators, and solar arrays integrated onto a custom stern arch, allows owners to run refrigeration, modern navigation suites, and watermakers without relying on constant engine idling.
Finally, the running rigging is prime for modernization. Upgrading the old wire-to-rope halyards to high-modulus Dyneema lines dramatically improves sail shape control, which is essential for maximizing the efficiency of the backstayless B&R rig.
The Verdict
The Tailwind 38 is a historic, aerodynamically advanced cruiser/racer that offers sensational sailing performance, robust British fiberglass work, and a pedigree that connects directly to the birth of modern yacht design. For the sailor who appreciates sailing history and is willing to manage the structural demands of an aging balsa-sandwich hull, it represents an incredibly rewarding, stiff, and fast passage maker. However, its extreme rarity and complex rig mean it is best suited for experienced owners who enjoy hands-on maintenance and restoration.
- Outstanding light-air and upwind sailing performance due to the efficient hull and powerful rig.
- High ultimate stability and a stiff, upright ride provided by the heavy lead fin keel.
- Historic B&R rig design allows for massive mainsails with large, efficient roaches.
- High-quality traditional British interior joinery and offshore-ready layout.
- Excellent maneuverability in tight quarters with a deep fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder.
Cons
- Extremely rare model with very limited spare parts availability or specific owner group support.
- Balsa-cored hull and deck are highly susceptible to moisture intrusion and expensive core rot if neglected.
- The backstayless B&R rig requires specialized knowledge to tune and maintain correctly.
- Original 20-horsepower Bukh engine is underpowered and obsolete, making repowering highly likely 5.
- Narrow, IOR-style stern can make the boat squirrelly and prone to rolling when running downwind in heavy seas.
