The Sabre 38 is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by Roger Hewson and the Sabre Design Team as a racer-

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

and first built in 1981.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 316-317. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.

Production

The design was built by

Sabre Yachts A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, but it is now out of production. A total of 100 of the original design were completed between 1981 and 1987, while 114 of the Mark II version were built from 1988 to 1995.

Design

The Sabre 38 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...

and a skeg-mounted

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

. The boat is fitted with a Westerbeke

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

of for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . The Mark I has sleeping accommodation for six people, with a forward "V"-berth in the bow cabin, a double port side settee berth in the main cabin, along with a single settee berth on the starboard side and double and single aft quarter berths. There is a provided navigation station on the starboard side. The

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

is at the foot of the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly in ...

steps on the port side and includes a three-burner alcohol-fired stove and oven, an ice box or refrigerator under the cockpit and a pressurized water supply. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

is located just aft of the bow cabin, on the port side and includes a shower. Ventilation is provided by hatches over the main cabin and the bow cabin, plus eight opening ports. The cockpit is "T"-shaped and has self-tailing winches for the

genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. There are winches for the halyards and for reefing. The mainsail has a mainsheet traveler on the cabin top. The boat may be optionally equipped with a boom vang and a

spinnaker A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach (wind at 90° to the course) to downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually n ...

, including associated hardware and winches.

Variants

;Sabre 38 :This model was designed by Roger Hewson and the Sabre Design Team and introduced in 1981, with 100 built before production ended in 1987. It has a length overall of and a waterline length of . The fin keel version displaces , carries of ballast and has a draft of . The centerboard-equipped version displaces , carries of ballast. It has a draft of with the centreboard extended and with it retracted. The boat has a manufacturer-determined

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 111. ;Sabre 38 Mark II :This model was designed by Roger Hewson and introduced in 1988, with 114 completed before production ended in 1995. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. A shoal draft

wing keel The winged keel is a sailboat keel layout first fitted on the 12-metre class yacht ''Australia II'', 1983 America's Cup winner. Design This layout was adopted by Ben Lexcen, designer of ''Australia II''. Although Ben Lexcen "had tried the winged ...

and a stub keel with a centerboard were factory options.

Operational history

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote of the Mark I, "the hull and rig are designed for speed, while the cabin arrangement is comfortable for cruising. Fuel and water are adequate for offshore sailing. The keel model is standard, the keel/centerboard is optional."

References

{{Reflist Keelboats 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Roger Hewson Sailboat type designs by Sabre Design Team Sailboat types built by Sabre Yachts

Production

Design

Variants

Operational history

See also

References