Roberts 38 Ketch-Cutter
Description
The Bruce Roberts 38 Ketch-Cutter, designed by Bruce Roberts-Goodson in the 1970s as part of the versatile Offshore series, is a heavy-displacement bluewater cruiser renowned for its robust multi-chine hull offering exceptional stability and seaworthiness for long ocean passages or coastal adventures, with hundreds built worldwide as affordable DIY projects emphasizing simplicity and customization. Measuring 38 feet LOA with an 11-foot-3-inch beam, 5-foot-7-inch draft, and displacement around 15,456 pounds (including 6,720 pounds of ballast for a solid 43% ratio), it features a ketch or cutter rig with foretriangle height of 38.7 feet, mainsail luff of 32.2 feet, and sail areas including a 376-square-foot mainsail plus genoa up to 655 square feet for efficient light-air performance, powered by a 20–30 hp diesel auxiliary. Ideal for steel or aluminum construction (fiberglass options available), it provides a spacious interior for 4–6 berths with 6-foot headroom, a U-shaped galley, and nav station, with build costs typically $80,000–$150,000 and used examples from the 1980s–2000s fetching $40,000–$100,000, making it a timeless choice for sailors prioritizing durability over speed.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bruce Roberts-Goodson |
|---|---|
| Length | 38.000 ft |
| LOA | 38.000 ft |
| Beam | 11.250 ft |
| Displacement | 15456 lb |
| Ballast | 6720 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.580 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 38.70 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 13.17 ft |
| p | 32.17 ft |
| e | 10.42 ft |
| p2 | 23.42 ft |
| e2 | 9.16 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.70 ft | 13.17 ft | 32.17 ft | 10.42 ft | 23.42 ft | 9.16 ft | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Roberts 38 Ketch-Cutter - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 32.17 ft - (9805 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.42 ft - (3176 mm) |
| Leech | * 33.35 ft - (10165 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.96 ° |
| Diagonal | * 33.46 ft - (10199 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | 167.42 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 38 Ketch-Cutter - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 32.7 ft - (9967 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17.63 ft - (5374 mm) |
| Leech | * 28.1 ft - (8565 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.15 ft - (4618 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 247.58 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 38 Ketch-Cutter - GENOA
| Luff | * 38.84 ft - (11838 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 21.43 ft - (6532 mm) |
| Leech | * 36.37 ft - (11086 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 19.76 ft - (6023 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 383.66 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Roberts 38 Ketch-Cutter - MIZZEN
| Luff | * 23.42 ft - (7138 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.16 ft - (2792 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | * 24.73 ft - (7538 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 88.01 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 24.85 ft - (7574 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | 107.14 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.