Hey folks,
I just purchased an Oceanis 38--in fact it's the unit in the earlier thread
photo being sailed in 25
knot winds at about a 30 degree heel. The gentleman on the port side is Barrett C., the owner of South Coast Yachts here in
San Diego. Here's a link to the video that was shot along with that still of them doing a solid 9+ knots and reaching 10.3 knots during that sail:
Long story short: The sail performance is phenomenal. The full length chine creates a "mode switch" heel situation
I'm a
family man with a wife and three
kids aged 10, 12, and 14. This is our third
sloop, and I'd been following the boat since its
introduction. I've lived aboard ship for four years and I've crossed the Pacific from
San Diego to the Persian Gulf four times (not by sail), so I have some familiarity with what matters at sea.
Our primary criteria for
buying the '38 was its ability to easily evolve to meet our changing needs as the
kids grow up and move out and my wife and I go from primarily
day sailing and weekending to
extended cruising. I don't want to continue
buying boats for every phase of our life, because that's been unnecessarily expensive thus far. Being able to open or close the master's
cabin from the
salon as we please is actually a really big deal for us. Seeming "nautical style" isn't a concern at all, as we don't have that many brass accoutrements to bring aboard anyway.
So you know, it takes about an hour to install or remove the bulkhead, and no, there is no good place to stow them aboard except one of the aft cabins. I'm considering options to secure them under the master's berth and I'll post a thread when and if I find a good way to do it.
To speak to some of the criticisms about the boat in this thread, it's not perfect. I've yet to find a boat that isn't a compromise; if you find one, please let me know. I find it to be the best set of compromises for our situation that I've found.
Actual complaints:
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While there aren't so many sharp corners as one might fear, there are certainly some, and there shouldn't be. Foam corners are going in.
The
fiberglass lip around the
companionway sliding
hatch protrudes down 2cm below the cabin
headliner, right into my forehead area. Requires foam padding.
The arch is right at my eyeline at the
helm (I'm 6'5"), which is seriously annoying. I have to either stretch to see above it or slouch to see below it.
The two aft cabins aren't as equal as claimed. There's a lazarette on the starboard side cockpit that impinges pretty seriously into the starboard cabin, which is why it's the "storage area" in the two-cabin version. This causes no end of fights between teenagers as to whom berths where.
There's a definite lack of
storage; it's not suitable for long-term cruising unless you can use both aft cabins as storage space. If you order the boat, order it with all possible storage options. And no, I don't consider the Longchamps hanging luggage to be a serious option. Fortunately, anything from IKEA is a style fit, so it won't be expensive to remediate
The inflatable pool is just as silly as it looks. Our boat came with it as the demo, we will be craigslisting it.
Complaints mentioned in this thread that aren't really justified:
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Handholds are not something that should be built into a boat in my opinion. I have less than an inch of
headroom on this boat and no
headroom on most. What's a handhold for you is often a bruised
head for me. Handholds should be installed by owners who know their boats. They're inexpensive, easily installed, and easily dismissed as a serious criticism. The cockpit has grab-rails aplenty and a very convenient footboard to make standing at the windward
helm on a significant heel easy.
The
galley is gimbaled as one would expect; I'm not sure what would be more dangerous about it than any other
galley. The microwave is considerably safer than any
stove and can be used whenever seas don't
permit the use of the
stove.
All the modules are bolted in and secure; there's no need to worry about fasteners.
If anyone has any questions about the boat or would like to see photos of something, let me know; I'd be happy to post a picture or answer any questions you have.