Westwind 38 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Westwind 38 means looking at a George H. Stadel III cutter that entered production in 1984 and was built both by Westwind Yachts and at other yards. These 38-foot cruisers turn up in the United States market, where their beamy fiberglass hulls and moderate draft have kept them relevant to couples and cruising families alike.
Layouts on the Used Market
This Stadel-designed 37-foot-11-inch boat carries a cutter rig with fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, with a loaded draft that sits between 4.9 and 5.2 feet. Her length-to-beam ratio of 3.16 and beam near 12 feet make her more spacious than 62% of all other designs, so even boats that have not had interior reworks tend to feel open below. Tankage is consistent across the class: about 70 gallons of water and 49 gallons of diesel, with a Yanmar inboard diesel commonly part of the original specification.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, solar and autopilot are commonly fitted, reflecting a baseline for self-sufficient cruising. Often-seen upgrades include air conditioning, an inverter, wind generator, spinnaker, electric winches, hot water, bimini, hardtop, dinghy davits, cockpit shower, radar, AIS, and chartplotter. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster (solar, wind generator, inverter) determines how long you can sit at anchor without running the Yanmar, while the navigation cluster (radar, AIS, chartplotter) and the sail-handling additions (electric winches, spinnaker) speak to whether the boat is set up for short-handed or offshore use. Canvas such as a bimini or hardtop and creature comforts like hot water and a cockpit shower are frequent but secondary to the systems that affect range and effort.
What to Inspect
The available documentation centers on design metrics rather than defects, but a few points merit a close look. The hull is fiberglass and the wetted surface is about 419 square feet, so check for osmotic blistering or repair history consistent with age. With construction at multiple yards, verify the specific hull's build provenance and consistency of laminate and rigging. Confirm the cutter rig's standing and running gear — jib and genoa sheets should measure about 37.9 feet at 14 mm, mainsheet about 94.8 feet, and spinnaker sheets about 83.4 feet — and that the fin keel and skeg-hung rudder show no structural cracking at the attachments.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Westwind 38s are found in the United States. For a shopper, the checklist is short: confirm the hull builder and yard, inspect fiberglass and keel-rudder junctions, verify the Yanmar and tankage, and assess whether the common solar-autopilot baseline or the often-seen energy and navigation upgrades match your intended use.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Westwind 38. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26 | 4 | $66,500 | — |
Where they're listed
Westwind 38 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 4.
Country view
4 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $66,500 | 4 | 0 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island Packet 38 | 38' | $ 99,000 | 56 | 22 |
| Hallberg-Rassy 38 | 37.96' | $ 94,866 | 29 | 5 |
| Westwind 38You are here | — | $ 66,500 | 4 | 0 |
| Endurance 38 | 37' | $ 86,767 | 4 | 1 |