Sydney 38
Sydney Yachts · Murray Burns Dovel · 2000
Updated
The Sydney 38 is a 11.79 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Murray Burns Dovel and built by Sydney Yachts, first launched in 2000. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 75% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 75% of the boats it races against.
24th of 92 in its class.
Length
11.79 m
38′ 8″
Beam
3.71 m
Draft
2.60 m
Displacement
5.6 t
Sail area
90 m²
On the podium
Where a Sydney 38 finishes when she goes racing.
Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Sydney 38 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
No regattas found yet.
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
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Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Sydney 38 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.82
36°
Beam reach
9.26
90°
Broad reach
10.83
135°
Downwind VMG
8.79
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It needs pressure to show what it can do. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is running deep once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage cracked off as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Sydney 38
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.95 | 5.31 | 5.66 | 5.82 |
| 52° | 5.96 | 7.50 | 7.83 | 8.01 |
| 60° | 6.24 | 7.68 | 8.05 | 8.28 |
| 75° | 6.44 | 7.81 | 8.38 | 8.75 |
| 90° | 6.30 | 7.81 | 8.55 | 9.26 |
| 110° | 6.25 | 8.01 | 8.81 | 9.60 |
| 120° | 6.09 | 7.94 | 8.95 | 10.22 |
| 135° | 5.45 | 7.60 | 8.72 | 10.83 |
| 150° | 4.60 | 6.89 | 8.16 | 9.97 |
| Run VMG | 3.98 | 5.98 | 7.34 | 8.79 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 750 kg.
Rigging
Sydney 38 rig and sail dimensions
A Sydney 38 carries 15.40 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.50 m boom, a forestay 15.87 m above the deck and a 5.10 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 19 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 92 to 141 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.