Hans Christian 38
Description
The Hans Christian 38 (primarily the iconic 38T "Traditional Cutter," with variants like MkII and Telstar keel) is the undisputed flagship and bestseller of the Hans Christian lineup—over 200 built (167 38T + ~87 MkII)—making it the most produced and beloved heavy-displacement bluewater cruiser from the brand's Taiwanese golden era. Designed by Harwood Ives and built by Shing Fa Boatbuilding (Taiwan) from 1976–1989, it evolved from the HC-34 via controversial stretches but perfected the formula: a canoe-stern double-ender with lavish Burmese teak interiors, bronze ports, and bulletproof hand-laid fiberglass hulls that have completed countless circumnavigations. The 38T is the pure traditionalist (full keel); MkII (1978+) added beam/sail area for better performance but different stern/rig; Telstar (1984+, ~30 built) got a cutaway keel/skeg rudder for agility without sacrificing stiffness.
Construction Details
| Designer | Harwood Ives |
|---|---|
| Builder | Shing Fa Boatbuilding Co., Ltd |
| Length | 38.000 ft |
| LOA | 46.000 ft |
| LWL | 33.000 ft |
| Beam | 12.500 ft |
| Displacement | 27500 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 49 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 21.50 ft |
| p | 45 ft |
| e | 16.33 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 ft | 21.50 ft | 45 ft | 16.33 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Hans Christian 38 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 45 ft - (13716 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.33 ft - (4977 mm) |
| Leech | * 47.05 ft - (14341 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 47.33 ft - (14426 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 376.97 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Hans Christian 38 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 42.81 ft - (13048 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.44 ft - (9278 mm) |
| Leech | * 35.19 ft - (10726 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 114.98 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 24.72 ft - (7535 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.01 ° |
| Area | * 529.11 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Hans Christian 38 - GENOA
| Luff | * 50.83 ft - (15493 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 36.42 ft - (11101 mm) |
| Leech | * 46.8 ft - (14265 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 32.25 ft - (9830 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 819.69 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Hans Christian 38 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 50.83 ft - (15493 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 35.48 ft - (10814 mm) |
| Leech | * 46.76 ft - (14252 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1353 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Hans Christian 38 - YANKEE
| Luff | 42 ft - (12802 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 23 ft - (7010 mm) |
| Leech | 27.25 ft - (8306 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 63.81 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.72 ft - (4182 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 29.68 ° |
| Area | * 288.18 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
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.