Hood 38

discusses

The owner, a former yacht broker, describes his 1981 Hood 38, built by Wauquiez and designed by Ted Hood, as having an offshore-racing pedigree and a Swan-style companionway. He says it was repowered in 2008 and has around a thousand hours on the engine.

warns⚙ galley

The owner calls the Hood 38 galley "tiny" but functional, with a two-burner propane stove, and says French builders seemed to fit the galley in at the last minute. He plans a flip-up counter for prep space.

discusses

The owner says the V-berth is large and quiet for a 38 footer because the forward bulkhead sits well aft, with two deck lockers and the chain locker ahead of the cabin.

recommends

The owner's favorite feature is a full walk-in aft cabin with a double berth and its own second head, which he says is unusual on a 38 foot boat. He notes this Mark 1 has a hatch from the cockpit while the Mark 2 has a different layout.

recommends⚙ engine

The owner says engine access on the Mark 1 Hood 38 is "really fantastic," with almost full access all around the engine. He says the Mark 2 moved the engine further aft with a V-drive, which makes it much harder to reach.

discusses

The presenter describes a 1981 Wauquiez-built Ted Hood 38 sloop as a very solid ocean-going yacht. The Mark I has two access hatches into the interior, including a companionway hatch out of the galley that the Mark II lacks. He gives draft as 1.4 meters with the centerboard up and 3.3 meters down, and displacement as about 10 tons with 5 tons of ballast.

recommends

The presenter, who says he sails the boat mostly with the board up and drops it only to point high, calls it a boat that sails beautifully and is suited to coastal cruising or international passages. He says this one sailed extensively in the Caribbean, Mexico and on the US west coast.

warns

The presenter says the survey report noted possible delamination around the top of the rudder, and taps it to show a hollow spot where "the glass itself is probably pulled away from the foam substrate". The rudder bushings otherwise feel tight and the hull looks fair with no blistering.

warns⚙ prop strut

The prop strut is bent. The presenter explains the strut is designed to be offset so the shaft can be pulled clear of the rudder, but this bend is "either some force applied to the strut at some point or just failure of the glass". He says glassing and fairing are needed at its base to keep water out of the laminate, though the shaft is not misaligned and the cutlass bearing feels good.

warns⚙ seacocks

Under the aft cabin vanity and in the galley, the presenter finds the seacocks "all very stiff" or seized half open, and says they would need servicing before launching. In the bilge he finds the engine raw water intake seacock "quite seized" and not usable as it stands.

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The presenter sees a little moisture evidence around the mast boot and says it is typical for keel-stepped rigs to wick water down into the boat. Through the inspection port he finds very little corrosion at the base of the mast and the keel step, with no cause for alarm.

discusses⚙ engine

In the engine space the presenter says the engine was confirmed replaced in 2009 and the mainsail was new in 2009 according to the listing. He finds the engine clean, with good mounts and no real oil leaking, and only a bit of coolant leak evidence near the thermostat.

discusses⚙ deck⚙ lifelines

The presenter finds the deck solid underfoot with no stress cracking at the usual riser locations, and gel coat that is chalky but sound. He flags shrinking caulk around the hatch plexiglass, loose lifelines that need replacing and a cracked stanchion base.

discusses

Broker listing video for "Invictus", a 1985 Ted Hood design, the Wauquiez Hood 38 Mark I. The broker gives displacement as 22,000 lb and says she is designed for serious round the world cruising, with a 44 lb Delta anchor, a windlass and a saltwater deck wash-down.

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The broker says an auxiliary fuel tank in the starboard cockpit locker brings total diesel capacity to 58 gallons, and that the cockpit lockers are deep.

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The broker says the Hood 38 is well known for exceptional construction detail and immense strength, and that with the centerboard up her draft is only 4 ft 6 in. The engine is a Perkins 50-horsepower diesel. These are sales claims.