38' Custom Steel Cruising Boat - boats - by owner - marine sale - craigslist (2024)

** I have many more pictures. Please email for more photos or information. I am happy to answer any specific questions you may have. **

Boat Description:
Custom Steel Cruising Sailboat, 38 ft in good condition. This boat was designed by Marcel Subrero for the previous owner. Marcel Subrero is well known for his steel cruising boat designs. The hull was welded at the famous Plataret shipyard in France, then the boat was finished in Geneva, Switzerland by some extremely talented craftsmen and engineers. The boat is excellently constructed. It was launched in 1988 in the French Mediterranean and cruised the world for 30+ years before we bought it in Port Townsend, Washington in 2020.
We are in the final stages of a very extensive refit and for personal life reasons need to sell the boat. We are currently still painting and installing parts of the interior. Below please find information on all the jobs that we have recently finished and jobs that are still on the to-do list.
Boat Walkthrough:
Starting aft, large double quarter berth to starboard (over 6 foot 6 inches long), single quarter berth to port. Galley to port with refrigerator and double sink, full-size chart table to starboard. Large L-shaped settee to port, linear settee to starboard. Forward of the settee to starboard is the Refleks heater. Forward of the salon on the port side is a spacious double Pullman berth (6 foot 6 inches long). Hanging locker and storage to starboard. The head (composting head) and very large storage area (for sails etc.) are forward. Standing headroom in the main areas of the boat is 6’ 0”. Forward of the salon in the forepeak standing headroom lowers to 5’ 9” – 5’ 10” due to the flush decks.

The hull plating thickness is 4mm, the keel is 6mm, and the forward edge of the keel is an 8mm steel tube section designed as a crush zone to absorb damage without sinking the boat. The bottom of the keel is approx. 18-20mm thick steel plate. The skeg-hung rudder is comprised of a massive box-section skeg and a stainless-steel shoe attached with 3 large titanium bolts. The thing will outlast us all. The mast is deck-stepped with a burly mast step welded on the deck and an overbuilt polished stainless steel compression post.
Here is a list of recently completed projects:

--New Standing Rigging:
All new standing rigging using 1x19 Stainless Steel wire and Hayn Hi-MOD fittings. Hayn Hi-MODs are a next-generation reusable compression fitting (better than Sta-Lock or Norseman). All new Hayn turnbuckles as well. We did much of the work ourselves with formal instruction, consulting, final inspection, and tuning of the rig by Brion Toss Yacht Riggers of Port Townsend, WA.
--New Sails custom built for the boat in 2021 & 2022:
All new sails by Schattauer Sails in Seattle, WA. Many offshore cruisers and racers consider Schattauer Sails to be the best in the business. We have found their sails and support to be second to none. All the sails have every offshore option that Schattauer sails offer. Harken mast cars and the highest quality Rutgerson batten cars raise and drop the main with ease. Carbon fiber battens in the main.
(New in 2021) Mainsail with all Schattauer Offshore options, 3 reefs, Rutgerson batten cars (4 tapered battens). Very low hours on the main.
(New in 2021) 125% Genoa with all Schattauer Offshore options, on a Profurl furler. Profurl furler has been rebuilt with all new seals and bearings. Very low hours on the Genoa.
(New in 2022) Hank on Staysail with all Schattauer Offshore options. The inner stay incorporates an adjustable/removable turnbuckle at the deck. Very low hours on the staysail.
--Hull Condition and Painting:
We have a professional ultrasound report of the hull plating from 2018 which determined that the steel hull plating is still the original thickness. Inspection of the original barrier coat also confirmed the excellent condition of the steel.
We removed 30 years of bottom paint and inspected the original barrier coat (which was still in excellent condition). Applied 7 coats of Interlux 2000e and then 4 coats of Micron CSC bottom paint. Added a boot stripe in Interlux Perfection.
Topsides: We sanded, primed, and painted topsides with Epiphanes two-part polyurethane topside paint.
Inside the boat, we removed all insulation and inspected the paint/ steel, which proved to be in excellent condition. In the bilge areas (and many other areas) we added an extra layer of paint (Interlux Bilgekote) and then re-insulated with foil-covered rigid foam insulation (1” thick on the hull and 1.5” thick for the deck). All seams are sealed with adhesive-backed foam tape insulation and UL-listed foil tape for sealing HVAC ducting.
--Mast work:
Completely re-wired mast with the highest quality multi-strand tinned Ancor brand marine wire.
New B&G wind instrument
New Lunasea LED Tri-color masthead light
New LED Deck light and Steaming light
Brand new Shakespeare “Squatty” antenna for VHF and AIS.
--New Lifelines:
All new synthetic Dyneema lifelines and Colligo Marine line terminators and fittings.
--PT 11 nesting Dinghy:
I built a PT11 nesting dinghy which is in excellent condition. The dinghy is currently for sale separately for $12K. This dinghy is sold only as a kit (that takes advanced epoxy skills and months to build). To buy the kit new with all of the options which we purchased costs approximately $7500, and then you still have to build it. If you want the big boat and the dinghy together, I’m sure we can come to an agreement on a fair price for both. I am separating out the dinghy because not everyone wants a hard dinghy with no outboard, so in that case, it makes more sense for me to find a separate home for it. The PT11 dinghy is widely regarded as the finest sailing and rowing dinghy on the market. For more info on this exceptional dinghy please reference PTWatercraft.com .
--Engine:
Our Perkins 4108 has approximately 2500 hours and runs great. The previous owner kept up with all maintenance thoroughly and on time and we have done the same, including the following maintenance and upgrades:
We had the high-pressure fuel pump completely rebuilt, the injectors serviced, and we replaced and upgraded much of the wet exhaust including the mixing elbow.
We installed a serpentine belt on the engine.
Installed 2 Racor prefilters (30 microns and 10 microns).
Installed a bronze 3-way valve for fuel polishing the entire tank down to 2 microns.
Rebuilt sea chest and raw water pump. The raw water pump cover plate was replaced with a titanium plate that uses a reusable O-ring seal rather than a disposable paper gasket. Brand new impeller.
Upgraded all the cooling hoses and cleaned, flushed, and pickled the Bowman heat exchanger tube stack.
Newly serviced Leece-Neville high output alternator, 160 Amp.
--New Hot Water Heater:
We installed a brand new 11-gallon Isotherm hot water heater.
--New Ground Tackle:
Primary anchor — brand new 47 lb. Sarca Excel #5 on 50 meters of 10mm chain.
Brand New Mantus anchor swivel. Brand new Mantus chain hook. 100 feet of Sampson Rope 5/8” triple braid nylon rode.
Secondary Anchor — Genuine 35lb CQR Third Anchor — 25 lb. Danforth Horizontal Lofrans Tigres windlass.
--New Bilge Pumps:
We installed two brand-new bilge pumps. The primary bilge pump is a Whale Orca 2000.
The secondary bilge pump is a Whale Gulper.
Both pumps are wired to automatic switches and plumbed to outlets at the transom.
Finally, there is a hand-operated Whale manual bilge pump at the base of the companionway.
--Windpilot Pacific Self Steering Wind Vane:
German-made, in excellent condition, and performs very well under various conditions. Comes with several wind vanes for conditions ranging from light to strong winds.
Importantly, there are provisions for attaching an autopilot to the wind vane. This would greatly reduce the electricity needs compared to the traditional rudder shaft-mounted autopilot.
--All New Electrical System:
The entire boat has been professionally rewired using high-quality Ancor tinned wire and cable.
400 AH Lithium-Ion battery bank consisting of four 100AH 12V Battle Born batteries (excellent quality batteries and excellent customer support).
Brand New Interstate 180 AH starter battery for the Perkins Diesel engine.
Victron Multi-plus II 2x120, 3000 Watts.
Victron Isolation Transformer.
Two Victron Lynx distributors.
Two Orion DC - DC smart chargers 30 amp & 18 amp, isolated. 210 Watts of Solar panels on the aft solar arch.
Victron Blue Solar MPPT charge controller 75/15.
All New Blue Sea distribution panels for both AC and DC.
Victron BMV - 6025 battery monitor.
All new heavy-duty Blue Sea switches and fuse holders. 210 watts of solar on the aft arch.
--Newly Serviced Watermaker:
SLCE Aquabase model XD-121, 12v, 31amp, 30l/hr water maker with brand new membranes and all new seals in pressure chambers.
Brand new prefilter housing and filter. Brand new charcoal housing and filter.
--Freshwater Tanks:
One stainless steel 40-gallon tank under the starboard settee in the salon.
One Plastimo 31-gallon flexible water tank is located forward (needs to be installed).
--New Refleks Diesel Heater and Day Tank:
Excellent quality Refleks diesel heater. Combined with completely new insulation throughout the boat, the heater keeps the boat toasty and dry even on the coldest days.
Brand new high-quality stainless stormproof “H” style chimney top. Brand new 5-gallon stainless steel day tank.
Brand new high-quality Marco transfer pump for filling the day tank from the main diesel tank.
--Completely Refurbished Diesel Tank, 180 Gallons (integral to the keel):
We completely emptied and cleaned the diesel tank and installed a Racor filter polishing system. We always polish new diesel down to 2 microns as well as add a biocide (Bio-bor) with each diesel purchase.
--B&G Zeus2 Chart plotter and Hercules Autopilot:
Extremely rugged autopilot mounted to the rudder shaft in the aft lazarette. Autopilot is not currently working (needs a new computer.)
There are Two B&G Triton 2 displays in the co*ckpit.
--Furuno Radar: model 1623
--VHF Radios:
Brand new Standard Horizon GX 1850 VHF. Two Standard Horizon handheld VHF radios.
--Brand New Airmar “Triducer” for depth, temp, and speed.
The Airmar instrument is wired to the NMEA 2000 backbone, B&G Chart plotter, and B&G repeaters in the co*ckpit.
--Brand New Custom Rudder Shaft seals:
We had brand new rudder shaft seals custom made, and had another set made as well so the spares are aboard when the seals need replacement in another 30 years.
--New Upholstery:
We had all new cushions for the salon and all the berths made by a custom marine upholstery shop in Port Townsend, WA.
Here is a list of work the boat still needs:
The water maker needs final installation. I completely rebuilt the water maker with all new seals and membranes, filter housings, and filters. All the parts are there but need final mounting and running some water hoses to complete the installation.
There is a place for a windlass battery and the wiring is already run, but the battery needs to be purchased and installed.
We removed the old macerating toilet and are replacing it with a composting toilet in the forepeak. The job isn’t finished yet. Someone could also install a traditional marine toilet with some carpentry and installing a holding tank. There is an area underneath the port double berth with space for a large holding tank. There is a large nearby through hull for discharge.
There were some abandoned fasteners in the deck which we removed and had welded shut. I sealed those locations with epoxy and filler to prevent rust, but ideally, they should be covered with small patches of nonskid to visually conform to the rest of the deck. This is a cosmetic issue. The original nonskid on deck is Treadmaster and you can still buy the exact same material.

Because we had to do some grinding/sanding preparation on the deck prior to welding, tiny flecks of steel immediately flash-rusted into the paint on the deck in various places. The deck should be scuff-sanded and repainted to look “yachty” again. This is a cosmetic issue.
We removed the old freshwater lines in the boat because they were 30 years old. We are still reinstalling the new freshwater lines to the galley sink and the forward water tank (31-gallon flexible Plastimo tank), which also still needs to be installed and plumbed into the freshwater system. The original 40-gallon stainless steel freshwater tank is in good condition and is plumbed into the galley sink foot pumps. We have the freshwater pressure pump and accumulator tank but they need hoses attached to get pressure water to the galley sink.
The 11-gallon hot water tank is plumbed to the engine cooling system and needs to be plumbed to the freshwater pressure system.
There are also some lingering carpentry jobs to get the interior finished.
The windlass is wired for an independent battery located up forward, but the battery still needs to be installed. Much of the wiring is already installed but some of it still needs to be finished.