Built from 1995 to 2003, with 141 hulls completed, the X-382 was among the yard’s first racer-cruiser designs. It is no longer in production.
Design and Construction
The X-382 was built to European CE certification. Its hull and deck use Divinycell foam cores over fiberglass skins, with solid laminate in high-load areas: the keel bolts, engine beds, propeller and rudder stuffing boxes, and all through-hull fittings.
The yard’s signature structural feature—a steel bilge grid introduced in 1981—appears here as a hot-dipped-galvanized framework encased in fiberglass. It provides transverse hull support, a strong foundation for the keel attachment, and a stout maststep. The antimony-hardened lead keel is secured by stainless bolts directly into this spine, a connection described as nearly bulletproof for supporting and distributing loads.
The laminated rudder blade turns on a solid aluminum stock. The hull-to-deck joint is polyester-bonded and through-bolted on 4-inch centers.
The X-382 measures 38 feet 9 inches overall, with a long 31-foot 9-inch waterline. It displaces 14,333 pounds and carries 6,174 pounds of lead ballast, giving it a 43 percent ballast-displacement ratio. A 6-foot 6-inch fin keel, narrow forefoot, and flat quarter buttocks help shape its character under way.
Rig and Handling
The sail plan is built around a keel-stepped, triple-spreader tapered aluminum spar with discontinuous stainless rod rigging. Single-pod chainplates connect to the structural grid through a stout tie rod. A permanent hydraulic backstay and runners are standard, while the babystay has a Wichard Pelican adjuster for quick adjustment.
Nearly all sail controls lead aft to banks of rope clutches on both sides of the cabintrunk, served by two Lewmar 40 AST winches. The primary winches are Lewmar 46 ASTs. Genoa tracks run well inboard along the trunkhouse, allowing the sheet leads to be adjusted under load from the cockpit. An aluminum toerail accommodates various spinnaker leads. A standard furling headstay and a boom arranged for two reef points complete the working rig.
Test sailors found the X-382 capable of topping 6 knots upwind inside 40 degrees apparent. It accelerated quickly after each tack and eased past 6.5 knots on a close reach as it found its stride.
Steering is through a Whitlock rack-and-pinion system beneath a 38-inch wheel. Double lifelines and stanchion bases mounted on the toerail frame the deck.
Accommodations
X-Yachts offered three interior plans: one classic arrangement and two modern versions.
The classic layout has a forward double berth and a conventional saloon with a drop-leaf centerline table. Aft, an expanded L-shaped galley sits to starboard, with a forward-facing nav station opposite. The nav station has a comfortable seat and backrest. The owner’s double cabin is aft to starboard, while a single spacious head is aft to port.
The modern layouts move the galley forward along the starboard side of the saloon and enlarge the table area. The athwartships nav station has a swing-out seat. Within this family, the two-cabin model has both forward and aft heads. The three-cabin charter layout instead has a single head and two side-by-side double cabins aft.
Marine-plywood bulkheads are finished with teak veneers in satin varnish. Three well-placed skylights brighten the interior, while eight opening portlights and two hatches provide ventilation. A 53-gallon freshwater tank is standard, and a hot-water system was optional.
Equipment and Power
Standard power comes from a three-cylinder, 30-horsepower Yanmar saildrive diesel with a folding propeller. In period boats, it was coupled to a Yanmar SD 20 Sail Drive. A 26-gallon stainless steel fuel tank provides a realistic motoring range of 250 to 300 miles.
The electrical system uses three 70-amp batteries, two of them dedicated to the house supply. The factory installation follows European design conventions. A sizable anchor locker is fitted forward.
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 hull with solid reinforcement in high-load areas, and all-aft sail-control layout make it a capable, confidence-inspiring coastal or mid-range cruiser that can still sail hard.
Its three interior plans let buyers choose between a traditional aft-galley cruising layout and more social modern arrangements. One compromise is in the modern two-cabin version, where some consider the second head a poor use of space.
Pros
- Nearly bulletproof keel-to-steel-grid attachment, with lead ballast at a 43 percent ratio
- Nearly all sail controls led aft, with inboard genoa tracks adjustable under load
- Strong upwind and close-reach performance in sea trials
- Three distinct interior layouts, with good light and ventilation
Cons
- Original near-seven-foot draft limits access to shallow water; a shoal version was needed in 1999
- Factory European electrical design lacks GFCI and is not fully ABYC-compatible
- Two heads in the modern two-cabin layout crowd a 38-foot interior
