Yankee 38 Info

[Dan]

Hello All,

Despite owning a Yankee 30 (#45 Move) for more than 5 years this is my first time to write on the site. I am sad to say that after 5 years of constant work Move was back to better than original condition when she was destroyed by hurricane IKE on Sept 13th, 2008. It was not the storm that damaged the boat but the complete lack of caring or incompetence of surrounding boat owners that led to the damage. The next morning our boat was still tied securely in her slip with two other boats on top of her. She was not insured and represented a huge personal loss not to mention a lot of money. I still have not had the courage to tell the former owners who were always checking on the progress of her refit of the loss.
After more than a year I finally decided to try again and ended up purchasing a new project boat. The boat is titled as a Catalina 38 but doesn't have the Catalina deck or interior. Also the skeg hung rudder is still in place which was eliminated by Catalina in favor of a balance spade rudder set up. I believe that this is #28 of approximately 30 Yankee 38's built. What I am looking for and the reason for my writing is any information that any Yankee owners or enthusiasts may have on the Yankee 38. I am assuming that when Catalina bought the molds from Yankee there may have been a boat or two in production that were part of the sale. There is at least one other example of a Catalina that had the hull laid by Yankee and was finished with a Catalina deck and rig. Any facts or rumors would be interesting to hear.
Rest assured if I can find evidence to support my assumption the new sails for this beautiful boat will sport the YY emblem in an effort to continue the legacy of these beautiful and graceful boats.

Sail On

[luna]

Hi Dan,

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your loss. As another who is spending time restoring a Yankee, I know that it would crush me to have her destroyed by other boats in a storm. I feel for you!

Congratulations, however, on your new boat (the king is dead, long live the king)! Despite their obvious similarities, I've always been a bigger fan of the Yankee 38 than of the Catalina 38 - I think the cabin as originally penned by S&S is better looking, and I believe the Yankee yard took more care in construction than Catalina did. That said, I have a friend who sailed a Catalina 38 for several years and enjoyed it immensely. I did, too, when I was out on her.

I know nothing of the run of production for the Yankee 38, or if your boat is mostly or all Yankee, or mostly Catalina. What's the interior layout? Catalina changed it considerably, unless I'm mistaken - that will tell a great deal also, I would think.

Pictures of your boat wouldn't go astray, of course - not sure if you can post them here in the forum, and not sure if it would be appropriate for you to have a gallery here on the 30 site or not. I certainly would be happy to see photos, if the rest have no objection to opening our doors to Yankees of other sizes and shapes...

Good luck with your new boat!

Chris