Looking at a 38 Irwin MK II

[PuttingDoctor]

Originally Posted by 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

I scrolled up to see in fact I replied in 2016 to the original poster. As things work out I am now the “gatekeeper” of our 1650 member FaceBook Group.
My original Irwin was a 1987 38’ with the aft inline queen. My new to me is now a 1981 46’ ketch with athwart ship queen.
I would sail either boat anywhere. The keys to look for are soft decks, chainplate moisture invasion, port leaks and rigging age.
The keels aren’t bolt on but encapsulated, so surveying for retained moisture is a must.
A professional survey will give you your insurance value, and a list of items in need of attention.
Good luck with this Irwin or any other you find.

[Gregg927]

I’m an owner of an Irwin 43 ketch. I looked at many boats before finding this one, the first that my wife liked; that’s another story as I’m singlehanded most of the time. To your points, the shallow keel is a big plus as you can get much closer in to cover when needed and the Bahamas present quite a few skinny water situations. I was fortunate in that my boat has a newer engine, a Yanmar; to have a well running, reliable, easy starting motor is one of the most important aspects. It does cost a bit to be cruising but, in my experience, my monthly expenses run about half of those while living the on land. You are from OKC, I’m from west Texas, you are about to embark on one of your life’s finest adventures; more fun, terror, tall tales and sleepless nights than tornado season - you’re going to love it!

[Live2Dream]

RMFP13,
I saw your recent post about the Irwin 38 CC in FL. We are seriously considering one in CA to use as a live a board as well. I wanted to see if you moved forward with buying the boat, and what your experience has been. My hope is that you are on the water and loving it! I lived on a small sailboat in the Saint Petersburg Marina in FL for 2 years and really enjoyed it! Have been trying to get back to live a board life ever since.
Kind Regards-