Review of C&C 38

Basic specs.

The C&C 38 aka C&C 38 Mk I is a sailboat designed by the maritime architect bureau Cuthbertson & Cassian. The C&C 38 is built by the American yard C&C Yachts.

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

Rig

Rig of C&C 38 anno 1975. C&C 38 Mk I, SV SUPERSTITION taken in St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada 2020. Jack Barrett, owner and Skipper.

Keel

Keel of C&C 38 anno 1975. C&C 38 Mk I, SV SUPERSTITION, fin keel following a repair to the ´C&C Smile´

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.86 - 1.96 meter (6.10 - 6.40 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

The boat is typically equipped with an engine.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for C&C 38 is about 222 kg/cm, alternatively 1244 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 222 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1244 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for C&C 38 is 3.09.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 66% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for C&C 38 is 38%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 42% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just below average.

Over- / underrigged

The C&C 38 has more rig than 66% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly overrigged.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for C&C 38 is 58

The relative speed performance is 58 which means that a it is faster than 58% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 37m² (398 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	34.8 m	(114.3 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	34.8 m	(114.3 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	34.8 m	(114.3 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet	11.5 m	(37.7 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	11.5 m	(37.7 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	28.7 m	(94.2 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	25.3 m	(82.9 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Cunningham	3.7 m	(12.0 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap	7.3 m	(24.0 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul	7.3 m	(24.0 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for C&C 38 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.