New Helmsman model - 38 Sedan

[chanprr]

Congratulations!! Looks beautiful!!

 

[FWT]

Terrific!

Congratulations. The fun begins.

 

[Durant F]

I’m “blue” with envy!
Congrats

 

[Helmsman]

My 2024 Helmsman 38 Sedan (hull #01) has arrived stateside. It was offloaded in Norfolk VA this week. I'll shortly be meeting it in person.

Here are a couple of pics of the delivery in process (interesting comparison with the size of the container ship that brought it over, the APL Quingdao) -

Congratulations! You will really enjoy it. Whenever you get a chance, please share pictures of the interior. With your boat being the first 38 Sedan, will be great to see the layout.

 

[Nick14]

Thank you very much everyone! As you might imagine I’m pretty excited it’s here. I’ll set eyes on it for the first time tomorrow, and will post more pics.

 

[Nick14]

From the other ‘in the wild’ thread, someone happened to see my boat go past theirs this morning in Norfolk. Out of the blue they sent me this pic -

 

[Delta Riverat]

Nice paint!

I like the baby blue & white. I like the long flybridge extension.

Good looking boat -

 

[SteveK]

@Nick
Nice, looks great.

 

[Nick14]

Thank you @SteveK and @Delta_Riverat !

 

[Nick14]

This past weekend my new 2024 Helmsman 38 Sedan arrived on the Chesapeake Bay and I officially accepted and now own the boat. After 53 years of boating, this is my 14th, and probably last, boat.

I looked it over pretty closely, and also had a survey done by an absolutely fantastic surveyor who was highly experienced and very thorough. Overall, the boat exceeds my expectations (and I have admittedly high standards, my wife calls me an 'obsessive compulsive hypercritical anal-retentive perfectionist')(but she says it in a loving way...). This is an impressively well-built boat.

Scott Helker, his commissioning partner Roger Drill, and Helmsman were great to work with, and the post-purchase support has so far been outstanding as well. They accommodated a number of my special requests. This is hull #1 of the 38 Sedan, which exists as a result of my asking for the previous 37 Sedan to be stretched (it now rides the same exact hull as the popular 38E). This boat also has a unique interior layout I requested, and is the first Helmsman 38 built with a 550 hp Cummins 6.7 engine (the Admiral likes to go faster...).

A 2+ hour sea trial was equally impressive. The propeller needs to be repitched along with some fine-tuning of the trim tabs, but we nonetheless saw WOT of 17.7 knots. After dialing it in (which I expected since it's the first time the 550 hp engine was fitted) hopefully will have a reliable 18 knot WOT and comfortably cruise at 14-15 knots.

The interior layout I asked for also exceeds expectations. The 2'3" stretch to the cabin over the 37 Sedan makes a big difference. It feels open, airy, and spacious, an 'open concept' floor plan. The engine room is cavernous. Single stateroom layout (two staterooms are available). It's just the Admiral and myself, in 25 years of having owned boats with a guest cabin we've literally never had anyone spend the night aboard. We preferred a single larger cabin just for the two of us, and the larger, split head and shower layout that goes along with it (the L-settee is convertible in case someone must sleep aboard, and the second straight settee available as well).

A few pics are attached below (just taken with my iPhone, I'm not a photographer). One of the key aspects I like most about the boat are the covered, wide full walk-around side decks. This was an absolute must have feature for me. Because of a combination of having had problems in the past with narrow side decks (as my left knee, now missing half of its meniscus, knows all too painfully), and advancing age and all the pleasantries like arthritis that come with it, being able to easily, safely, comfortably, and quickly access all parts of the boat was essential for me. This seems to be rare in boats today with most buyers preferring maximizing interior cabin space. No right or wrong, it's all personal preference, I've always prioritized being able to quickly and safely get to any part of the boat in all weather and sea conditions for docking, line handling, hanging fenders, locking, and being able to swiftly get to any part of the boat I need to in order to fend off from wind and currents pushing it into impending contact with something hard and damaging (pilings) or expensive (someone else's boat). The hull bulwark extends about 2 1/2 ft high, with heavy railings on top of that. I hopefully won't be going for any unplanned swims (I'm too old to be pirouetting around on narrow side decks, or dancing my way up and down stairs).

It's hauled out now for the winter, having electronics installed and some other commissioning things. In early spring we plan to take a leisurely cruise up Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound on our way home to Narragansett Bay.

 

[NSM]

It’s a beautiful boat.

 

[FWT]

DAMN fine looking boat.

It came out beautifully.

No wonder you are happy.

 

[Helmsman]

I think you will really like the fridge up top. We certainly have. Very useful for drinks and overflow from the fridge downstairs. I like the layout and certainly something to be said for walk around decks. Really pretty lines on the boat, and the interior is really well thought out. Nice job!

 

[Doug_Snider]

Beautiful boat. I love the color. You will have to get used to admirers dropping by. We were anchored out last weekend and, as soon as we dropped the hook, two guys dinghied over from their Carver just to check out our boat.

 

[Nick14]

Scott, Win, Nate, Doug, thank you! It's good to finally have it.

All boats are compromises (unless you have Jeff Bezos money), including this one. But thanks to Helmsman, it's as close to my ideal at this point in my life as my budget allows. It's a boat I hope I can also 'age into.'

Now the hardest part will be waiting for spring and the chance to actually use it. Looking forward to spending a lot of time on it. One of the other design aspects I like is the nice sized cockpit. A quartet of deck chairs fits nicely on it. With the extended hardtop, it will be a great place to watch life go by, with a mug of tea in the morning, or a cold beer or glass of wine in the evening.

 

[chanprr]

Thanks for the description. You've got a beautiful, custom trawler!!

 

[Nick14]

Thanks for the description. You've got a beautiful, custom trawler!!

Thank you! But you people lucky enough to have a Helmsman 43 or 46 have even more spectacular boats.

 

[FWT]

I had not focused on the cockpit size difference before. Some pics would be great.

And, I had not noticed there is no room for side doors to the cockpit, but with the side decks and the side doors there I'd bet you won't miss them much.

 

[Nick14]

I had not focused on the cockpit size difference before. Some pics would be great.

And, I had not noticed there is no room for side doors to the cockpit, but with the side decks and the side doors there I'd bet you won't miss them much.

I didn't take any pics of the cockpit. The swim platform was strapped down in there most of the time I was with the boat, and it didn't look photogenic with it in there.

From the times I've been on a 38E, without having any specific 'measurements' I'd guess the cockpit might be about twice the size? Big enough to fit 4 deck chairs and a small cocktail table.

Not sure what you mean by 'no room for side doors to the cockpit'? What side doors could there be to the cockpit? There's the aft door from the cabin to the cockpit, but 'side doors'??

 

[FWT]

Mine and many 38's have side cockpit doors.

I hear you on few pics at this point. For me it was weeks before I paused to take some.

 

[BroadCove]

Definitely a beautiful boat, congratulations! As the current owner of a larger boat, and having previously owned a Halvorsen 32 "gourmet cruiser" with a single stateroom and split head / shower, I really like your layout. In some ways it is my dream boat - under 40' and a great couples cruiser. In other words, yes, the 43 / 46 offer advantages, but for a couple, under 40' has advantages too!

Re: "cockpit" doors I think FWT means a side door from the lower helm (not the cockpit).

 

[Helmsman]

Re: "cockpit" doors I think FWT means a side door from the lower helm (not the cockpit).

The doors FWT refers to are the side cockpit doors cut into the hull to allow access to a dock without going out to the swim platform. If you look closely at the cockpit on the attached picture of my boat you will see the port side access door cut into the hull.

 

[rslifkin]

With the sedan having side decks and doors from there, I don't see a reason to cut in an extra set of doors from the cockpit. If anything, having the doors located more centrally seems like a benefit for cases where you may need to dock on a short finger pier or something.

 

[FWT]

Side doors to the cockpit were an option that became available years ago on the 38e and 43e. And more recently, doors to the side deck beside the pilothouse. I optioned both. So I have midships side, cockpit side, and swim platform door. I'll put a video below where you can see the cockpit doors at the 2:15 mark.

On the 38e the three sets of doors offer some height advantages depending on the dock. The swim platform is the lowest, the cockpit side door thresholds are maybe a foot higher, and the midships door are a good 18 inches higher than the cockpit side doors. The finger piers at my home marina are unusually high for a floating dock and the cockpit side doors make boarding much easier than use of the swim platform, especially for short people with short legs or with any sort of mobility issues. The fixed docks that are common on the Chesapeake tend to be pretty tall and the midships doors are the easy go-to in such places.

I have not studied it at all, but from your pictures of the engine room I was left to wonder if the interior flooring in your salon are taller off the keel than the 38e. Which then leads to a question about the cockpit floor height. Where I am going with all of that is only about how that might lead to different results in threshold height in the access doors. Said differently, whereas in the 38e the door options give different boarding height options, it would not on your sedan. Without that benefit, your midships doors make a lot of logical sense and cockpit side doors would not give you the same benefit that is a big benefit on the 38e.

Hopefully that explanation makes sense. Its hard to describe.

 

[FWT]

Having opened the door to mentioning the engine room access I did notice something else.

The engine room in the 38e is pretty darned good as far as access goes. However, the two least accessible components are the transmission (for both dipstick checks, and fluid replacement) and the salon HVAC pump and seacock. The transmission is tucked under the salon floor area in the area where the engine compartment spaces get shorter, and the HVAC stuff is adjacent.

In your case, with a pair floor hatches my guess is that access to those components is of no particular challenge. Easier.

Pics of the engine room access would be another thing great to see after you come up for air.

 

[Nick14]

The doors FWT refers to are the side cockpit doors cut into the hull to allow access to a dock without going out to the swim platform. If you look closely at the cockpit on the attached picture of my boat you will see the port side access door cut into the hull.

With the sedan having side decks and doors from there, I don't see a reason to cut in an extra set of doors from the cockpit. If anything, having the doors located more centrally seems like a benefit for cases where you may need to dock on a short finger pier or something.

The engine room in the 38e is pretty darned good as far as access goes. However, the two least accessible components are the transmission (for both dipstick checks, and fluid replacement) and the salon HVAC pump and seacock. The transmission is tucked under the salon floor area in the area where the engine compartment spaces get shorter, and the HVAC stuff is adjacent.

In your case, with a pair floor hatches my guess is that access to those components is of no particular challenge. Easier.

Ah, got it. On my boat I asked for port and starboard side access doors roughly midships, about 2/3 of the way back from the bow, which places them about 10 ft forward of the cockpit, and a few feet behind the starboard side helm door, as @rslifkin surmised. They're seen in the pics below.

Engine room access is superb. It's truly a cavernous space, 'open concept.' At the port forward end there's a built-in tool storage area and a cabinet with a couple of drawers, as well as space for a few storage bins. The transmission is easily accessible at the aft end of the engine. The only thing not possible to be accessed is the engine oil dipstick because of the low headroom. There are two large floor hatches that essentially open up most of the salon floor, the forward one of which allows access to the engine dipstick and coolant.

 

[Nick14]

Definitely a beautiful boat, congratulations! As the current owner of a larger boat, and having previously owned a Halvorsen 32 "gourmet cruiser" with a single stateroom and split head / shower, I really like your layout. In some ways it is my dream boat - under 40' and a great couples cruiser. In other words, yes, the 43 / 46 offer advantages, but for a couple, under 40' has advantages too!

Re: "cockpit" doors I think FWT means a side door from the lower helm (not the cockpit).

Thanks! That was the idea, to make it the ideal ‘couples boat’ for the Admiral and myself.

I remember a boat designer (can’t remember who) said the ideal boat ‘drinks 6, dines 4, sleeps 2’. That was my thinking (though could sleep 5 if needed). I also tried to follow the dictum of getting the smallest boat that would suit our needs. Realistically, this is also probably the biggest boat I can handle single-handed at this point in life. We’ll see.

 

[Nick14]

Attached are a few pics of the boat out of the water, showing the hull form.

The shape of a hull below the waterline is something of great interest to me, as it determines the performance of a boat. The Helmsman 38 hull has classic semi-displacement styling elements, to my eye reminiscent of some downeast 'lobster' boat hulls like Wilbur. Deep forefoot, full keel, soft chines, transitioning to essentially flat after surfaces that can provide some degree of hydrodynamic lift. Also has very sturdy protection for the prop and rudder with the hefty skeg.

 

[bnoft]

We took our OA to Washburn's Yard in Solomons MD yesterday and a Helmsman was on the hard, about 38 feet long to my eye. I didn't check the stern so no idea as to name, almost a Carolina blue hull. Absolutely beautiful boat. Like most TFers, I've been following the Helmsman posts but this was my 1st up close and personal look at the hull, obviously couldn't see the interior, but that hull had the look of a much larger vessel. Now my admiration can turn to envy.

 

[Nick14]

We took our OA to Washburn's Yard in Solomons MD yesterday and a Helmsman was on the hard, about 38 feet long to my eye. I didn't check the stern so no idea as to name, almost a Carolina blue hull. Absolutely beautiful boat. Like most TFers, I've been following the Helmsman posts but this was my 1st up close and personal look at the hull, obviously couldn't see the interior, but that hull had the look of a much larger vessel. Now my admiration can turn to envy.

On the hard at Washburns, that would be my boat (name hasn't yet been put on).

Thanks! Of course I'm biased, but the boat also feels larger to me than it's 38 ft length would suggest. FWIW, it feels more spacious and accessible than a 42 ft Beneteau Swift Trawler I once owned.