Design and Construction
X-Yachts built the X-382 to European CE certification, and the hull and deck are cored with Divinycell foam over fiberglass skins, with solid laminate reserved for the high-load zones: keel bolts, engine beds, propeller, rudder stuffing boxes, and all through-hull fittings. The yard's signature structural idea, a steel bilge grid introduced in 1981, carries into this model as a hot-dipped-galvanized framework encased in fiberglass that provides transverse hull support, a strong base for keel attachment, and a stout maststep. The antimony-hardened lead keel is drawn up with stainless bolts directly into that spine, a connection described as nearly bulletproof for supporting and distributing loads. Above, the laminated rudder blade turns on a solid aluminum stock, and the hull-to-deck joint is polyester-bonded and through-bolted on 4-inch centers. With a 38-foot 9-inch overall length and a long 31-foot 9-inch waterline, the 382 carries 14,333 pounds of displacement and 6,174 pounds of lead ballast for a 43 percent ballast-displacement ratio, paired to a 6-foot 6-inch fin keel and a narrow forefoot with flat quarter buttocks that shape its underway character.
Rig and Handling
The 382's sail plan is built around a triple-spreader, tapered aluminum spar that is keel-stepped and supported by discontinuous stainless rod rigging, with single-pod chainplates tied into the structural grid by a stout tie rod. A permanent hydraulic backstay and runners are standard, and the babystay carries a Wichard Pelican adjuster for quick adjustment. Nearly all sail controls are led aft to banks of rope clutches on both sides of the cabintrunk, served by two Lewmar 40 AST winches, while the primaries are Lewmar 46 ASTs. The genoa tracks sit well inboard along the trunkhouse so the sheet leads can be adjusted under load from the cockpit, and an aluminum toerail handles various spinnaker leads. A standard furling headstay and a boom set up for two reef points round out the working rig. Test sailors found her capable of topping 6 knots upwind inside 40 degrees apparent, accelerating rapidly after each tack, and easing past 6.5 knots on a close reach as she found her stride. Steering runs through Whitlock's rack-and-pinion system under a 38-inch wheel, and double lifelines with stanchion bases on the toerail frame the deck.
Accommodations
Three interior plans were offered. The classic layout places a forward double berth and a conventional saloon with a drop-leaf centerline table, then an aft galley to starboard with the nav station opposite and the owner's double cabin to starboard, leaving a single spacious head aft to port; its galley is an expanded L-shape and the nav station is forward-facing with a comfortable seat and backrest. The modern versions move the galley forward along the starboard saloon side and expand the table area, with the nav station turned athwartships and given a swing-out seat. Within that modern family, the two-cabin model carries a head forward and aft, while the three-cabin charter layout has a single head and two side-by-side doubles aft. Bulkheads are marine plywood with teak veneers in satin varnish, and the belowdecks environment is brightened by three well-placed skylights plus eight opening portlights and two hatches for ventilation. A 53-gallon freshwater tank is standard, with a hot-water system optional.
Equipment and Power
The standard power plant is a three-cylinder Yanmar saildrive diesel of 30 horsepower with a folding prop, coupled in period boats to a Yanmar SD 20 Sail Drive, and fed by a 26-gallon stainless steel fuel tank for a realistic motoring range of 250 to 300 miles. The electrical heart is three 70-amp batteries, two dedicated to the house supply. A sizable anchor locker sits forward, and the factory electrical system follows European design conventions.
The Verdict
The X-382 distills X-Yachts' early racer-cruiser philosophy into a 38-footer with a genuinely race-bred hull and a thoroughly engineered structure. Its steel-grid keel attachment, foam-cored yet solid-reinforced hull, and all-aft sail control layout make it a capable and confidence-inspiring coastal or mid-range cruiser that can still sail hard. The variety of interior plans lets a buyer choose between a traditional aft-galley cruising layout and more social modern arrangements, though the modern two-cabin's second head strikes some as a poor use of space.
Pros
- Bulletproof keel-to-steel-grid attachment with lead ballast at a 43 percent ratio
- All sail controls led aft with inboard genoa tracks adjustable under load
- Strong upwind and close-reach performance per sea trials
- Three distinct interior layouts with good light and ventilation
Cons
- Original near-seven-foot draft limits shallow access; later 1999 shoal version needed
- Factory European electrical design lacks GFCI and is not fully ABYC-compatible
- Modern two-cabin layout's two heads crowd a 38-foot interior
