Design and Construction
The Voyager 38 has a solid fiberglass hull and a fin keel. Draft varies from roughly 5 to 5.3 feet, depending on load.
She carries 13 feet of beam over her 38-foot length, giving a length-to-beam ratio of 2.92 and making her moderately beamy. Her displacement of 16,800 pounds includes 6,520 pounds of iron ballast. A 39 percent ballast ratio and a displacement-to-ballast figure of 38.81 point to a boat weighted for steadiness rather than speed.
The Motion Comfort Ratio is 25.4, while the capsize screening value is 2.03. Together, these figures place her among predictable, seakindly cruisers of her size.
Rig and Handling
The Voyager 38 carries a ketch rig, splitting the sail plan into more manageable sections for single-handed sailing while offering balanced performance downwind.
Rigging dimensions are well documented. The jib and genoa sheets each run 11.6 meters at 14 mm diameter, the 14 mm mainsheet is 28.9 meters long, and the spinnaker sheet measures 25.5 meters. Those published dimensions make it easier to specify replacement running rigging.
The hull bottom has about 419 square feet of wetted surface. An immersion rate of 1,418 pounds per inch describes a hull that settles deliberately as load increases. Calculated maximum speed is about 6.6 knots, below the theoretical 7.5-knot ceiling for a displacement hull of her length.
Accommodations and Cruising Role
The Voyager 38’s underlying ratios suggest a cruiser capable of serving as a liveaboard. She carries 100 gallons of water and 60 gallons of fuel, and her auxiliary power comes from a 42-horsepower Mercedes 363 diesel. That combination supports extended coastal and offshore passages rather than weekend racing.
Her ketch rig lends itself to short-handed management, while the moderate draft keeps her accessible to most marina basins.
Verdict
The Trident Voyager 38 is a Primrose-designed cruiser with a sober, well-documented character. Her numbers describe a boat built for comfort and range rather than speed. The ketch rig suits short-handed sailing, while the moderate draft opens up shallower anchorages. Overall, she is a straightforward fiberglass cruiser whose main strengths are steadiness and practicality.
Pros
- Documented solid fiberglass hull and fin keel with moderate, load-dependent draft
- Ketch rig with published sheet dimensions that simplify running-rigging replacement
- Comfort-oriented ratios: Motion Comfort Ratio of 25.4 and capsize screening value of 2.03
Cons
- Calculated maximum speed of 6.6 knots is well below the theoretical 7.5-knot hull-speed ceiling
