Design Brief & Intent
Einar Ohlson designed the hull to be a seaworthy, fast racer-cruiser that could transition beautifully into the burgeoning glass-reinforced plastic era. While comparable boats of the late 1960s and early 1970s were beginning to push boundaries under the International Offshore Rule, the Tufglas 38 design retained classic lines—elegant long overhangs, a narrow beam, a deep bilge, and a beautiful sheer—showing a strong lineage to the preceding Cruising Club of America aesthetic.
Built on a robust, solid fiberglass hull moulded by the renowned Tyler Boat Company using their trademarked, high-standard "Tufglas" process, these boats were finished either as amateur-builder kit completions or sent to premier European yards. Because of this dual pathway, the interior finish ranges from Spartan, owner-built plywood configurations to breathtaking, high-end teak, mahogany, and Iroko joinery completed by elite yards like Malö. Across all layouts, the priority remains offshore safety: secure sea-berths, deep and narrow saloons, a dedicated navigation station, and compact, sea-kindly galleys where a cook can brace themselves easily in a heavy seaway.
Variations & Configurations
The Tufglas 38 was offered in several configurations to accommodate both competitive ocean racers and long-distance cruisers. The standard rig is a masthead sloop, but Einar Ohlson also drew a highly attractive yawl configuration that found immense popularity in the North American market, offering sail-area versatility and easy balance under jib and mizen. Below the waterline, the boat features a moderate fin keel with encapsulated lead ballast and a skeg-hung rudder, a design choice that significantly reduced wetted surface area compared to full-keel contemporaries while retaining excellent tracking.
A key distinction of the Tufglas 38, compared to its yard-finished sibling, the Ohlson 38, is the degree of variation in interior layouts and decks. Tyler Boat Company supplied these boats as hulls with optional fiberglass decks, but some owners chose to build timber decks or custom coachroofs. While most hulls were completed with the standard long coachroof, custom short-coachroof versions were built with long, clear foredecks. Steering configurations are equally varied; while designed for a highly responsive tiller, many hulls have been retrofitted with pedestal wheel steering. This wheel conversion has been a topic of debate among owners, as moving the weight of the helmsman farther aft can affect the delicate fore-and-aft trim of this sensitive hull.
Sailing Performance & Handling
With a displacement of 14,900 pounds and a length overall of 37.06 feet, the Tufglas 38 is a quintessential heavy-displacement cruiser of its era. This is clearly reflected in its performance metrics. The boat’s displacement-to-length ratio of 317.07 firmly places it in the heavy-displacement category, yielding a deeply reassuring, sea-kindly motion. When punching through a head sea, the hull does not slam or hobby-horse; rather, it tracks with authority, slicing through chop with minimal loss of momentum. This traditional behavior is supported by a comfort ratio of 35.01, ensuring that the crew experiences far lower physical fatigue on long offshore passages compared to modern, flatter-bottomed designs.
Under sail, the masthead sloop rig has a sail area-to-displacement ratio of 15.46. This indicates a boat that is moderately powered, and it can lean toward being sluggish in light, local air unless flying a large overlapping genoa. The physical demands of trimming a massive headsail mean that short-handed crews often prefer to reef early or rely on modern mechanical assistance. However, once the breeze fills in, the Tufglas 38 thrives. Its capsize screening ratio of 1.63 is exceptionally low, well beneath the ocean-racing limit of 2.0, providing absolute peace of mind regarding the vessel's ultimate stability and self-righting capability. Handled properly, she is a fast, powerful, and dry yacht that comes alive on a reach.
Known Issues & Triage
As with any glass-reinforced plastic yacht from the late 1960s and 1970s, the Tufglas 38 presents a distinct set of age-related maintenance challenges that prospective buyers must address. While Tyler Boat Company utilized exceptionally robust, thick polyester laminates, early resin systems are highly susceptible to osmotic blistering. Hulls must be thoroughly surveyed for moisture content; fortunately, the laminate is thick enough to easily tolerate deep peeling and an epoxy barrier coat treatment if necessary.
The most critical structural area to inspect is the deck and hull-to-deck joint. If the boat was completed with a cored fiberglass deck, it likely utilizes balsa or foam. Water ingress around older stanchion bases, handrails, or the chainplate slots can cause localized core rot and spongy sections. Furthermore, because many Tufglas 38s were sold as amateur-finished kits, the quality of structural bulkhead bonding and internal joinery can vary wildly. A careful inspection must be made of the chainplate anchors—which are typically bolted to internal fiberglass knees—and the hull-to-deck joint to ensure the integrity of the original assembly has not been compromised by flexing or historical leaks.
Modernization & Upgrades
Veterans of the Tufglas 38 and Ohlson 38 fleet are actively modernizing these hulls for the demands of short-handed cruising. The original auxiliary engines—typically older Bukh, Volvo Penta, or BMC diesels—are frequently replaced with modern, reliable Beta Marine or Yanmar units. However, repowering can be structurally challenging due to the narrow configuration of the original engine beds, often requiring custom bracket fabrication and careful alignment.
On deck, modernizing the sail-handling systems is a priority. Upgrading to self-tailing winches and installing a high-quality headsail furling system greatly reduces the physical labor of managing the large foretriangle. Many owners also install a removable carbon-fiber bowsprit to carry asymmetrical spinnakers, enhancing the boat’s performance in light downwind conditions. Below decks, the electrical systems are prime candidates for complete overhauls. Installing modern lithium iron phosphate battery banks allows owners to support refrigeration and navigation electronics without the weight penalty of traditional lead-acid batteries, though careful placement is required to keep weight out of the narrow bow and stern.
Market Snapshot & Economics
On the brokerage market, the Tufglas 38 occupies a unique niche, trading at a relative value compared to its highly prized, yard-finished sibling, the Ohlson 38. Because the Tufglas name is historically associated with amateur kit completions, these boats do not command the same automatic premium as vessels bearing the nameplates of elite yards. This makes the Tufglas 38 a hidden gem for the discerning buyer who can look past cosmetic inconsistencies and recognize the underlying structural integrity of a Tyler-molded hull.
However, buyers must approach the economics of a purchase with realistic expectations. A neglected Tufglas 38 will quickly absorb refit costs that exceed its market value, particularly if a full deck reconstruction, professional repower, or complete paint job is required. The most successful owners are skilled do-it-yourselfers capable of executing wood restoration, rewiring, and mechanical maintenance over a long-term refit. For those willing to invest the time, the Tufglas 38 offers a level of heavy-weather capability and timeless beauty that simply cannot be bought in a modern production boat.
The Verdict
The Tufglas 38 is an outstanding classic cruiser-racer that offers the legendary lines of Einar Ohlson combined with the bulletproof construction of the Tyler Boat Company. While it lacks the interior volume and dockside convenience of modern wide-beam yachts, its exceptional motion comfort, structural integrity, and pedigree make it a premier choice for traditionalists seeking a true blue-water voyager. Prospective owners must simply be prepared to thoroughly inspect individual hull finishes and invest in modernizing the rig and mechanical systems.
Pros
- Outstanding seakeeping and motion comfort in heavy weather
- Bulletproof, overbuilt solid fiberglass hull from a legendary builder
- Timeless, beautiful classic lines that turn heads in any harbor
- Exceptional safety margin with a very low capsize screening ratio
- Narrow beam yields significantly less interior and storage volume than modern designs
- Large headsails and classic rig require considerable physical effort to trim
- High variance in interior fit-out quality due to owner-completed kit histories
- Narrow engine bed limits modern repowering options and access
