1986 Sabre 38'

Windaway is a very clean example of this classic Sabre design. While many of her systems are original, she has been very well maintained by three conscientious owners. She has always been based in the Chesapeake Bay but has made some trips south in the winter. When in the Chesapeake over winter she has always been stored under a full winter cover that conveys with the yacht. Sabre offered the 38 Mk1 with two interior layouts. Windaway has the preferred "open plan" layout with the galley aft and head forward. She is also a keel/centerboard version and her 4'3" board up draft is perfect for gunkholing along the US east coast or for sailing in the shallow waters of the Bahamas. Windaway has just been relaunched from winter storage on land with a fresh coat of bottom paint. 

"Windaway" Specifications:

• Hull No. HWS380871586
• Year: 1986
• Length Overall  37' 10"
• Beam  11' 6"
• Keel Type: Keel/ Centerboard
• Draft: Minimum 4' 3" Maximum 8' 0"
• Displacement  15,600 lbs.
• Ballast  6,800 lbs.
• Sail Area  688 sq. ft.
• Cockpit Length  8' 0"
• Headroom  6' 3"
• Fresh Water Capacity 100 Gallons
• Westerbeke 33 Hp Diesel engine
• Balmar Alternator with Balmar Regulator.
• Diesel Fuel Capacity 30 Gallons
• Racor fuel filter and water separator
• Holding Tank: 30 Gallon capacity with overboard discharge capability with locking "Y" Valves for Offshore Cruising,.
• Interlux 2000e hull barrier coat
• Petit Hydrocoat bottom paint (June 2024)

Accommodations:

• All Teak Interior
• Main salon with two berths, fold down table, full galley, chart table.
• PROPANE stove with oven (most Sabres of this vintage had CNG stoves)
• Custom Propane Locker in port cockpit coaming
• Large Ice chest with Dometic 12 VDC refrigeration.  
• Double Sink with pressurized fresh water system and emergency foot pump
•  6 gallon water heater.
• V Berth with filler
• Quarter Berth.
• Full Head with standing shower.
• Two Hanging Lockers.
• Four opening hatches with screens
• Two solar powered vents
• Full cockpit cushions

Sails and Canvas:

• Fully battened main with sail cover
• Harken genoa furling system
• 130% Genoa
• 110% Genoa
• Dodger 
• Bimini with connector and clear vinyl side curtains

Electrical:

• Batteries: House: 3 x Group 29 (2021) Start: 1 x Group 27 (2021)
• Solar Panels: One 80 Watt and one 40 watt With Morningstar Regulator.
• 700 watt Inverter
• Xantrex Truecharge 20 amp shore power battery charger

Ground Tackle:

• Maxwell VW 800 Anchor Windlass
• 35 lb CQR Anchor With 50' Chain and 100' of 5/8" rode
• 22 lb Danforth Anchor

Additional

• Dock lines and fenders
• 6 life jackets
• Horn, and Bell, signal flares
• Bilge pump, electrical (with spare pump and float switch)
• Bilge pump, Manual
• Full size Sunbrella winter cover - needs some repairs - conveys "as is"
• .Zodiac Air Floor dinghy

Sabre 38 Performance Review from John Kretchmer:

The Sabre 38 sails brilliantly. And that is, after all, what it is all about. It is hard to find a better all-around performer in this range. Owners rave about the way the boat handles through a variety of conditions. It accelerates in a gentle puff, keeps its momentum in a chop, balances easily and responds to slight turns of the helm. Sabre claims that the boat was designed to carry a full main and genoa up to 14 knots, beyond that the boat sails best with less sail area. When hard on the wind, there is just a pinch of weather helm. It is close winded and tracks well. It is also a bit tender and heels early. This is the clue that it's time to shorten sail. Off the wind the boat surfs more easily than it should and the rudder, which is mounted well aft, offers good control. Sabre 38s have done well in downwind races like the Pacific Cup and the Transpac, and have also won its class in the various Bermuda races, which are typically upwind affairs. 

Bob Perry Design Review: Sabre 38   An elegant cruising-racing mix.

There has been a lot of cross-fertilization in yacht design over recent years. Some of the harder lines of demarcation have turned to hazy gray and hybrid types have appeared that seem to combine the best of the different schools of yacht design.

In so doing, the designer always takes the risk of stepping on the toes of the purists, but in the case of the new Sabre 38, the end result is a healthy compromise yacht. Please do not read "compromise" as a negative qualifier. I'm not going to go so far as to say all yachts are compromises. Some are not. But careful; weighing of priorities and balancing of performance goals can give us versatile yachts that show no real areas of weakness. I think the Sabre 38 is a good example of this.

The hull form is contemporary and owes some of its general styling to the IOR tradition. The BWL is moderate, the bilges are quite slack and the midsection is tangent at centerline. The rudder is a semi balanced spade, hung below a small skeg.

The forefoot is knuckled and the sections forward are U-shaped and relatively flat on centerline. You have the choice of a deep fin keel or a shoal keel with centerboard. The plan view shows a hull with a very moderate distribution of beam and a shapely transom. The D/L ratio is 243. If you take for granted that the Sabre 38 will be a fast and weatherly coastal cruiser and IMS racer, you should also add to that picture the 38's ability as an offshore cruiser. Tankage may be a little short for long passages, but I wouldn't doubt the boat's ability to make it.

I like the look of the Sabre's deck. Note that the corners have been faceted off almost everywhere. The whole picture is attractive with generously wide side decks and very trim house lines. The companionway is notched into the house aft with very precise sculpting. There is a recessed anchor well forward. There are five ventilation hatches on deck. Genoa tracks are located well inboard for close sheeting angles.

One of the most striking design features is the rig. The mast is quite far forward, reducing the J dimension. This puts the spar in an advantageous position in the accommodations and generally helps the sailing manners of the boat. The mast position should result in a forgiving helm and smaller jibs. The SA/D ratio is 16.73.

The Sabre group has given us a boat that combines racing performance with family cruising comfort. This is a formula that Sabre perfected with their sailboats.