Review of Fjord 38 AC

Basic specs.

The Fjord 38 AC also known as Fjord 38 Aft is a large motorboat designed by the Norwegian maritime architect Eivind Amble in the early seventies. The Fjord 38 AC is built by the Norwegian yard Fjord Plast A/S.

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Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior

The boat is equipped with 2 cabins, 4+2 berths, a galley, 550 liters (145 US gallons, 120 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity, toilet facility and 100 liters (26 US gallons, 21 imperial gallons) waste water capacity.

The headroom is above average

Engine

The fuel tank has a capacity of 1100 liters (290 US gallons, 241 imperial gallons).

The boat may be equipped with dual inboard Cummins V555 diesel engines at 480 hp (357 kW). Max speed is 24.0 knots.

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

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.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Fjord 38 AC is about 310 kg/cm, alternatively 1737 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 310 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1737 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 Fjord 38 AC is 3.12.

Compared with other similar motor boats it is more spacy than 58% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

Curiosities

Powerboat?

In Denmark, you are required to have achieved a 'powerboat driving license' in order to sail a powerboat.
In this context a boat is considered a powerboat if:

Danish definition of a powerboat

According to this definition this boat is categorized as a Powerboat.

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 41m² (441 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.

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, 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 Fjord 38 AC 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.