Wauquiez Hood 38 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Wauquiez Hood 38 means weighing a Ted Hood-designed centerboard cruiser built from 1978 to 1989, 179 of them afloat, against the particularities of a 38-foot boat whose hull never changed between its Mk I and Mk II interior versions. She is the only ballasted centerboarder the French yard produced, with a draft that swings from 1.20 to 3.30 meters as the board moves, and a solid fiberglass hull carrying lead ballast near 11,000 pounds. The used fleet spans two interior generations but one identical underwater body, so a buyer's real choice is arrangement, equipment, and condition rather than hull evolution.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every Hood 38 on the market shares the same carène and the same lifting centerboard that gives her shoal-draft cruising from cove to cove. The Mk I and Mk II differ only in interior accommodations, and the builder regards the cabin volume as likely the biggest among all boats of this type, with teak used extensively for a refined luxury feel. Expect the 106-gallon water and 37-gallon diesel capacities as background to whichever berth-and-salon plan the specific boat carries; the deck measures 11.60 meters with a steering wheel helm.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used fleet, solar, autopilot, chartplotter, bimini, radar, heating, wind generator, AIS, and life raft are commonly fitted, meaning a buyer can usually assume baseline offshore readiness. Often-seen additions include air conditioning, spinnaker, and dodger. Less common owner upgrades run to watermaker, inverter, asymmetric spinnaker, hot water, and EPIRB. For consequence, the power-and-energy cluster — solar, wind generator, and sometimes an inverter — determines whether a boat supports unattended anchoring; the canvas-and-safety cluster of bimini, dodger, radar, AIS, and life raft speaks directly to passage-making legality and comfort. A simple heading-based autopilot with nothing networked, as seen on one example, is enough for long offshore miles if the drive fuse is sized correctly.
What to Inspect
The one documented anomaly in the class comes from a refit of a Hood 38 named Sojourner, whose autopilot blew a fuse when overpowered off the wind in big seas before the owner raised the in-line fuse amperage at the drive unit per the manual. During that same refit the thru-hulls were thoroughly inspected but not replaced, a posture a surveyor should verify on any candidate. Otherwise the available record shows no structural defects across the 179 boats, so a buyer's survey should center on through-hull condition and autopilot drive sizing rather than hull integrity.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical markets for the Hood 38 are the United States, United Kingdom, France, Greece, Spain, and Germany. For a shopper, the checklist is short: confirm which interior version suits you since the hull is identical; verify thru-hull condition from the inspection posture above; check that any autopilot is fused per drive-unit guidance; and assess whether the commonly fitted power, canvas, and safety cluster meets your cruising plan. She is a fast, voluminous centerboarder with a refined teak interior — a distinctive used buy for the sailor who values shallow draft and passage-making capability.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Wauquiez Hood 38. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | 2 | $62,400 | — |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $69,817 | +11.9% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $67,602 | -3.2% |
| Dec 25 | 2 | $42,000 | -37.9% |
| Apr 26 | 6 | $51,910 | +23.6% |
| May 26 | 1 | $75,000 | +44.5% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $69,933 | -6.8% |
| Aug 26 | 3 | $57,171 | -18.2% |
Where they're listed
Wauquiez Hood 38 listings appear across 7 countries. United States has the most listings with 8 (47.1%), followed by France and United Kingdom.
Country view
17 listings · 7 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $45,750 | 8 | 1 | 47.1% |
| France | $69,372 | 2 | 1 | 11.8% |
| United Kingdom | $64,518 | 2 | 0 | 11.8% |
| Greece | $65,271 | 2 | 1 | 11.8% |
| Germany | $34,967 | 1 | 0 | 5.9% |
| Spain | $67,602 | 1 | 0 | 5.9% |
| Netherlands | $57,171 | 1 | 1 | 5.9% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siltala 38 | 37.5' | $ 110,728 | 59 | 17 |
| Wauquiez Hood 38You are here | — | $ 57,171 | 17 | 4 |
| Bristol 38.8 | 38.25' | $ 62,900 | 16 | 1 |
| Nicholson 38 | 37.83' | $ 32,633 | 13 | 4 |