Looking at a 38 Irwin MK II

[Captainjohn1975]

Does anyone have any good information on Irwins. We are looking at a 1984 Irwin MK II. Asking price is $25,000. It would be for a family of four. We intend to cruise the caribbean with it for month to a year....
I'm brand new to sailboat ownership/ Cruising and any advice would be much appreciated

[RKO]

I've sailed a few Irwins but never owned one. Consensus seems to be that they were fairly modestly built and not that robust. However, quite a few are still around. I once looked at a 37 CC but never got past kicking the tires. I later found out that there was a contract offered in it but the survey showed severe structural damage to the hull and bulkheads.
Get a good surveyor and look closely.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Welcome Aboard CF!

Here is some reading for you from the CF Archives, about the Irwin 38. If you will read through the various threads I am sure you will find some good info. Be aware the content about the Irwin 38 may be found in a topic by another name.

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=011403...038&gsc.page=1

Good luck on your boat search!

[Steadman Uhlich]

Also, while I don't usually link to another sailing forum, I found something in my notes about the Irwin 38 that I suggest you read. But rather than my notes, it will be better if you read the comments from owners in this thread:

Irwin - Bluewater Capable??? - Page 2 - SailNet Community

Good luck!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, John.

[malyea]

Probably best to check with actual owners -

https://m.facebook.com/groups/125214...?ref=bookmarks

[vlathom]

We owned an Irwin 43 for a decade. It did very well going from Florida to Bahamas and up the outside to Maine. I felt completely comfortable in that boat. We have a neighbor who has an Irwin 50 that he takes all the way outside to the Bahamas from Annapolis, Md., regularly.

[Scout 30]

Get a good structural survey. Some of the hulls suffered from oil canning. A guy who's done some work for me worked at their factory & said they sometimes pulled the hulls while they were still green which led to some deformation. I saw one hauled when I was doing a bottom job & it had big indentations in the hull, several feet across. I think these were built to a price & mostly sold to the charter industry which explains the 2 cabin 2 head layout.

[PuttingDoctor]

The price is on the lower side for an average Irwin 38 of that vintage. It might be a very nice buy if.... IF... you have a thorough survey and Sea trial done, prior to making any financial commitment. A separate rigging survey is also in order.

Join us on the Facebook Irwin Sailboats group for more info.

[Capt.andiamo]

My wife and I have lived and sailed our Irwin 38 for the last four years. After a long search we decided on the Irwin because of the layout, storage and headroom. The advise above is spot on; get a good survey and have a sea trial that really putting the boat through its paces. The Irwin owners site is great and you can meet us all there.

[denverd0n]

You'll hear some criticism of the quality of Irwin boats. Mainly that the quality was very inconsistent. Here's my thinking on the matter...

At this point they are all old enough that they will either have fallen apart, or they will have had most of their issues addressed. Of course, you absolutely must get a survey done, but if it doesn't turn up any deal-breakers then I would not be afraid to buy an older Irwin.

They had some very nice layouts that should work well for a family. I probably wouldn't try to sail one across an ocean, but for cruising up and down the Caribbean one should work very nicely.

Good luck.

[Gregg927]

Welcome to this great forum, you will learn much here. I now own the Irwin 43 that vlathom mentioned earlier, it will be two years come February. I love this boat. We are now on our second run down the east coast, headed for the Bahamas, and possibly beyond. This boat has been in some quite pounding situations and has done well. She is a 1973 ketch. She handles sweetly, has the expected maintenance and repair issues, yet, a pleasure at every memory. I do try to keep my exposures limited to tolerable conditions (5 feet and 20 knots for me) but have been in heavier rides; she is heavy and chugs on along solidly. I love the layout and headroom. My buddy boaters rave about her beauty and roomyness (of course, their babies are pretty nice in their ways too). I hope this isn't too much about my boat for you but I would certainly give the Irwin a good look.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Captainjohn1975

Does anyone have any good information on Irwins. We are looking at a 1984 Irwin MK II. Asking price is $25,000. It would be for a family of four. We intend to cruise the caribbean with it for month to a year....
I'm brand new to sailboat ownership/ Cruising and any advice would be much appreciated

As mentioned, that price is at the lower end of the scale for that boat. That could be a function of a stressed owner desperate to sell, a boat that is lean on equipment, a boat that has been poorly maintained, or all three.

Being new to sailboat ownership you have a LOT to learn, and not just about the particular make/model of the boat you're looking for, to ensure that you don't buy a dog, even with the benefit of a survey. A $25k Irwin 38 could easily need $25k of work to make her safe and suitable for your intended purpose, or she could be very sound. It's up to you to learn how to tell the difference.

There are TONS of threads on this forum by new-to-sailing buyers looking for advice on how to not end up buying a nightmare with lots of good advice. Start reading.

A specific warning; virtually everyone new to big boat ownership dramatically underestimates the cost of maintaining, repairing, and outfitting a boat. Need new chainplates? $2000 and up. New standing rigging? $5000 and up. New refrigeration? $3000 and up. New batteries? $2000. It goes on and on. Not trying to scare you off, just pointing out a fact that ends up shocking lots of new owners and killing more than a few dreams.

[Aird]

I have a 37ft Irwin ketch and I have read the beliefs of others but these boats are found all over the world and I doubt that they were all shipped to these distant ports. This was posted in the Irwin group facebook page.



"I have finally managed to put together a photo book of my crossing from America to Australia. ( should look good on the coffee table)
Anyone interested can view it online at this link.
Boat is 38mk11 centre cockpit,"Splice of Heaven"

[RMFP13]

I am in the same boat, pun intended lol, literally, I just joined this, because I am looking at a 1984 Irwin 38 cc, it has the aft bed laid sideways across the beam, the one we’re looking at is in Fort Lauderdale Florida, for a bit more, and I am looking to get firsthand knowledge of their quality or lack of, we absolutely love the layout and want it bad, but scared to death because we’ve never done this and it will be our home, we just sold our house here in Oklahoma City and will be moving to Florida soon and we will be homeless so to speak, but very excited about the whole deal along with the fear, I am mainly scared of spending what little money I have and getting a lemon, but OMG I love the boat, I am trying to get on a owners forum and think I registered correctly, but I read your post and it’s very similar to our path, I believe I read your in the California area, and I have questions about the bolt on keel, the one we’re looking at is a shallow draft 4.5 and I was under the impression it’s incapsulated, I realize that out west is usually deeper keels, but anyway, good luck my friend