Hi, I put about 10,000 miles on a Tiburon 36 (same
hull as the 38-but older and a center cockpit). These are excellent
offshore boats. I found mine to be very mannerly sailing off the
wind, the pilot never had a problem even in force 9 and 20 footers. Highly recommended.
A couple of things-one general, and one specific to the boat.
First- the
teak decks are a big problem. Try to find a boat with them removed. All the older boats used conventional fasteners, and this channeled
water into the
core of the
deck. This isn't necessarily a structural problem, since the boats are so damn strong, but eventually it'll lead to
leaks and soft decks.
Take a close look at the
hull to
deck joint. Check for any signs of leaking. I had a failure in mine. I think that the fasteners might be spaced a little bit too far apart. It's possible that prior to my owning the boat, she had this failure due to some heavy
weather, but all the same, take a close look everywhere you can. I was very surprised to have this happen, with the quality of the build in general.
Also, there is some coring in the hulls on these. Have the
surveyor sound above the waterline too.
All in all, I think that for the
money the C38's are an excellent value and a good cruising platform. Don't forget that there are some Tiburon 36's around too, which are essentially the same boat, with the bonus of an aft
cabin. If the accommodations suit you, I think that the functionality is excellent.
Hope that helps a bit.
TJ