Maybe the 10 foot-itis is setting in, I dunno....

Lately been looking at Express Cruisers etc., but would still really rather have a scaled up version of my 272 with more amenities... so of course 38 Specials come to mind.

How is the head for spaciousness for taller people? I would love to have a real bathroom that I could fit in (I'm 6'3"). Pull out or real shower?

Is the galley relatively useable?

Fuel burn - obviously not great, but any idea of what to expect with 496 HOs? Realistically, we do spend most of our time putting and floating....

What do they weigh? Going to search online for one of the old brochures....

Generator mandatory for overnighting?

How is the engine access for servicing? In photos I've seen, they look pretty tight.


Thanks!

When we purchased our 38, we were faced with the same dilemma. We had a 24' Sea Ray cuddy and were looking to move into a 34-36' express. A friend of ours mentioned the 38 as it would have what we were looking for and still be trailerable. To answer you questions

Head room is not bad - I am 5'11" and can stand up around the galley area pretty well. The head is pretty small and has a pull out shower. Serves it's purpose. The galley is small but useful. Ours has a Norcold, a microwave, and one burner. Ours is equipped with a 5KW Kohler genset which is essential for family overnighting in the Texas heat. Plus it allows us to use the A/C and microwave when on the buoy. Figure on it weighing around 10,500 loaded up. Ours is equipped with supercharged 540's so fuel burn is what it is. Pretty decent access for servicing. PM me if you would like to discuss further. Juan

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We got a 2001 .38 Special. For a go fast, it's got a huge amount of space, but it is not a cruiser by any means. If space is needed, a 280 Sea Ray Sundancer has more room to offer. For what it is though, we're happier with it than originally anticipated. The galley is functional, the bathroom is better than what I've seen in hardly any go fast boat. Vacuflush, hot and cold water, fully fiberglassed etc. I'm 6 ft and the headroom is very good, no need to crawl in and I can almost stand straight. We've got the wet bar - U lounge option in the cockpit and it's very functional in my opinion. V birth is of good size and offers decent space for two adults. Originally all the exterior upholstery (Mc Leod bolsters excluded) was built on plywood, which tends to rot. We redid ours completely and replaced all the wood with plastic, all foam with dry fast etc. With older boats in need of upholstery work, prepare for more work than you'd think! Original wiring is so-so on some boats, we replaced a lot on ours. The boat handles very well on all conditions and is very predictable. Engine room is tight and the generator is almost out of reach. A generator adds a lot, so I'd say it's an option worth extra $$, but for any major service work, prepare to remove the back seat assembly. I own a boat refit business, so we've probably taken ours more apart than most and upgraded a lot more than an average boater would, but I still think that a 38 Special is a very nice hybrid between a regular cruiser and a 100% go fast boat. I can't really say much about the fuel burn with 496 HO"s, as ours is one of the rare ones with Yanmar diesels. For someone doing long distances, you can't beat the Yanmars. We get a combined 10 gph at a low cruise of 30-32 mph and with 45 mph cruise the fuel burn is about 18-20 gph. Going back to my comment about the generator serviceability, ours is probably worse than in a big block boat as the 6 cyl Yanmars are a lot longer than Merc 496's, (The generator is in front of the motors in the middle). I like the boat and if you can find one in good condition, it's probably worth some extra $$ as repairs and upgrades are never cheap...

That's about the cheapest I've seen for a 38S, that's for sure. E-mailed him regarding hours, etc.

WOW that IS the lowest price I have seen a 38S... Now comes the question.Why? Whats wrong?

Must have been re-powered with the Horizon engines. I dont think they were out in 96. IIRC 380 hp, take out for drive loss, so maybe 330 prop HP each. Dam If I was in the market I would have to to take a serious look at that one.

You can't go wrong with a 38 Special.
I'm 6'2" and have to slightly bend down in the head and galley.
This boat had way way more elbow room and celing height inside the salon than the other mfg's I looked at.
Avoid the 525SC''s for your power. I'm incredibly jealous of NYW's fuel consumption, I think I burn more at idle in a no wake zone than he does cruising around 30mph.
Don't expect it to be a speed demon because they ain't. I'd guess 4986HO's would be pretty fair on GPH as long as you kept the rpm's reasonably low while cruising.

See ya,
Kelly

I also went from a 272 to a 38 Special,,,,,, I owned it for exactly two weeks before getting a 36 Outlaw.

Not knocking it,,,,but drive one first,,,,, it wasn't the feel I was looking for,,,, drove a little to cruiser like to me.

Take a look at the Baja 405. Not sure if it is in your budget or not. Tons of room and nice layout. No speedster unless you find one with 525's in it.

I'll second this reply

She's a jack off all trades
I'd say mine's the slowest boat in the fast boat crowd and the fast one in the slow boat crowd
It does draw attention though mostly with the weekenders, and unfortunately some negativity with the. fast boat crowd.
For the price I'd say that's an awesome boat at the asking price if it surveys well.
I'd guess 55 for a top speed with all the amenities of a travel trailer and most likely decent fuel consumption.
Trust me on this, I'd give up a 73 top speed for mid 50's if I could get the gph nyw enjoys.
If it fits your needs, go for it!!!

See ya,
Kelly