Didi 38
Description
The Didi 38 is a high-performance cruiser-racer sailboat designed by South African naval architect Dudley Dix in the mid-1990s, serving as the prototype for his groundbreaking radius chine plywood construction method. Launched as Black Cat (built by Dix himself in 1994-95), it was designed to compete in offshore races like the Cape to Rio while doubling as a fast coastal cruiser for short-handed crews (1-3 sailors) or families (up to 5-6 people). The design blends Mini Transat-inspired speed with practical accommodations, offering a spacious interior, excellent stability, and lively handling for club racing, long coastal passages, or offshore adventures. Its lightweight yet robust plywood build makes it an affordable, trailerable (with effort) option for amateur builders, with a sleek hull and deep bulb keel ensuring competitive performance. As of October 2025, dozens of plan sets have been sold globally, with completed boats (e.g., in South Africa, the US, and Australia) praised for their speed, seaworthiness, and DIY accessibility, often compared to production boats like the J/111 at a fraction of the cost.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 47.08 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 13.45 ft |
| p | 46.92 ft |
| e | 17.55 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.08 ft | 13.45 ft | 46.92 ft | 17.55 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 46.92 ft - (14301 mm) |
| Foot | * 17.55 ft - (5349 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.21 ft - (14999 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.9 ° |
| Diagonal | 49.49 ft - (15085 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 421.67 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 45.93 ft - (13999 mm) |
| Foot | 15.09 ft - (4599 mm) |
| Leech | 41.34 ft - (12600 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 100 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.45 ft - (4100 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.01 ° |
| Area | * 308.9 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 46.75 ft - (14249 mm) |
| Foot | 21.41 ft - (6526 mm) |
| Leech | 44.37 ft - (13524 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 149.89 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 20.16 ft - (6145 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.77 ° |
| Area | * 471.13 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 46.52 ft - (14179 mm) |
| Foot | * 22.19 ft - (6764 mm) |
| Leech | * 42.8 ft - (13045 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 774 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 46.52 ft - (14179 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 24.21 ft - (7379 mm) |
| Foot | * 24.21 ft - (7379 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 957 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMJIB |
|---|---|
| Luff | 26.25 ft - (8001 mm) |
| Foot | 9.84 ft - (2999 mm) |
| Leech | 22.146 ft - (6750 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 8.07 ft - (2460 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 18.94 ° |
| Area | * 105.94 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMTRYSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 18.57 ft - (5660 mm) |
| Foot | * 17.07 ft - (5203 mm) |
| Leech | * 15.47 ft - (4715 mm) |
| Length Perp | * 15.47 ft - (4715 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * -25 ° |
| Area | * 124 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.