32 or 38 General Forum Forums

Best for liveaboard: DE38
more space is more comfortable when living aboard

Ongoing maintenance requirements: DE32
going for a 32 to a 38 almost doubles the surface area and cubic volume of the hull. Everything takes more time and effort other than core systems such as engine, electrical, fridge, etc that are the same regardless of boat size. Ground tackle is much larger and more expensive.

Handling in the slips: DE32
with greater size comes greater weight which is harder to manhandle coming in and out of a slip. For two people a DE38 is doable but a 32 would be easier.

I have always had to have someone onboard to bring our DE38 in or out of the slip. With a little modification so that we had a midship cleat I think I could bring it in singlehandedly but if anything went wrong it wouldn't be pretty. I have handled 32 ft boats before though not a DE32 and most of them would have been ok single handing them in and out of the dock. With someone else on the boat they were downright easy. With the DE38 it is a massive increase in length and mass with the mass being the critical component. It doesn't accelerate or stop as quick and if you hit the dock hard with a larger boat it is HARD.

If I was by myself I would be happy with a DE32. Living with others I would want the DE38. At 6'2" inches the headroom in the DE38 is also a huge bonus for me. I don't have to duck anywhere in the boat.

Conversely the maintenance on the DE38 has been more expensive than I like and a massive amount more labor than my other smaller boats.

So make of it what you want it comes down to a couple things.. One are you doing your own maintenance .. If so how much time and energy do you have.
Two how comfortable are you with a 20,000 lb full keel boat in close quarters. Out on the water I don't think there is much difference other than the size of the sails and ground tackle. They are boat the same layout with the same controls and rigging.
If you are a larger person the DE38 hands down wins for living aboard but if your under 6ft tall then that might not make as much difference for two people.

Lots of soft spots in deck I might pass on. not that they aren't fairly easy to fix but it is a lot of time and effort. issues with compression post are a bit of a pain though several have dealt with it and done it with innovative fixes. Engine is obvious one.  Is your goal to go places or work on the boat. If go places then find one in excellent shape with lots of installed systems. If your on a budget and have to settle for fixer upper then look at stuff that you can afford to fix in a reasonable time frame and price.

Honestly they are old boats and no matter what your going to have some maintenance and probably some remedial maintenance somewhere. Expect to pay 45 to 60 for a mint  DE38  with all new equipment or 100 percent maintained an looking sharp. Average shape with everything working probably mid 30's. Some fixing up  low 30's to mid 20's .. bargain basement fixer up as in rough shape probably 15 to 20. Installed equipment will push that up some depending on what it is. for example our boat has just a 500 watts of solar which would push price up several thousand. We also are using a temp fuel tank till we fix the normal tank which would push price down a 1000 dollars. Maybe look at a 40,000 grand average for a decent boat and then start subtracting for cost of repairing stuff.