Moody 38 (90s) Moody 38 CC - stowage space

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Pete Hampson

Registered Guest
We're thinking of buying a 38 CC as it seems like a good, solid boat to transition us from short-hop coastal sailing to something longer distance when we eventually retire. One thing that is bugging me, though, is the lack of sewage space on these. There are lots of small cupboards, but nothing that could be desired as large. Most of the space below the saloon seating is taken up by water tanks, the space under the forepeak is mostly taken up with the holding tank and bow-thruster battery, and the space under the stern cabin is taken by the steering and other technical stuff. On deck, there are two lazarettes, but not cavernous.

My question is, am I being unreasonable in my requirements to have more stowage? Or do owners typically make modifications to add more stowage and work space? (I'm looking at you, pilot berth/forward heads.) I'm keen to hear about current owners experiences on this. Thanks in advance.
 
We are looking for same model and having viewed, have the same observations and reservations! Having previously owned a 33ft Colvic Countess which had room for everything including the kitchen sink, with huge and plentiful lockers in every available space which we filled full of useful and essential things like tools etc, it is definitely something we noticed and were not sure how we would overcome, particularly as a more permanent home. So undereasonable in your thoughts, no, and obviously people get round it and would also be interested how!
 
Hi,

Sorry, having never owned a Moody 38 I can't answer your question, no doubt a Moody 38 (1990s) owner will be along soon to address your issue.

From the header selected, I assume you are asking about the Mody 38 (circa 1990's). Both the Moody 38 (1990s) built from 1991 - 1996, and the Moody 38 (2000s), built from 2000 - 2003 are centre cockpit boats so the designation CC, which was never used by Moody themselves, but is often applied by brokers to both models, does nothing to help distinguish between them. The model names used in the Moody Archive make it clear which model you are referring to.

Peter.
 
Hi Peter, you are correct. I am referring to the Moody 38s built in the 90s. I haven't had the chance to look at a 2000s Moody 38, so I have no idea if improvements were made in this regard. But thanks for the clarification re model nomenclature.
 
Hi Pete,

I doubt you'll find much improvement in stowage space available on the 2000's M38 although the elimination of one heads compartment compared with the 1990's version much make more space available. The later 38 is an entirely new hull design, rather than an evolution of the 1990's M38.

Peter.
 
Hi Pete. I can't comment specifically on the M38 but I have a M36 which is very similar, apart from the second heads, and I'm afraid you're right. There is very little storage for larger items despite the myriad of smaller cupboards particularly if you have a holding tank and/or bow thruster forward. In fact I think my old 28ft - a South African pocket cruiser - had more storage with a massive lazerette and large storage below and behind every berth / settee but it was only really suitable for two people. Having said that the 36 and 38 have amazing accommodation for their length and although you have to make some compromises I personally think the overall use of space is amazing. It's something that crops up a fair bit and I know one of the M38 owners on here added large storage bins behind the cockpit either side of the aft hatch. You can also turn the passage berth into additional storage or a workshop. Hopefully there will be a M38 owner along to share their thoughts. John
 
Hi John, thank you very much for your reply and for sharing your experience with your M36. I’m glad it’s not just me. Like you, I had a smaller boat previously (Sadler 26), and I think even that had more usable locker space for deck items, which seems absurd. I have thought of sacrificing the pilot berth as you suggest and building in shelving to tidy it up, but some items just have no place down there. Building extra storage on deck is an interesting idea, but I can’t imagine how you can do it without it looking awful. I’d be very happy to be proved wrong, of course.

It’s a lovely boat, and I’ve been trying hard to talk myself into it, but I’m thinking about delaying to buy something bigger now.
 
Pete,
You aren't entirely wrong here, but I own a 2000's 38CC and I will share a few observations. First, only one head on the 2000 models, which leaves space in the bow for additional locker space. My kids don't need much in the way of clothing storage, so much of that locker space is spares and fittings and parts. We have a bow thruster under the mid-V berth, and AC unit under the aft part of the V berth, but we are able to store large goods under the forward part of the Vberth, and on the sides of the AC unit. I currently have a project underway - building a cross-over bunk in the V berth, so I will have a large stowage area beneath that bunk by next spring. Also, we put a lot of food away behind the salon seats, including my bulky tool bag (of the six behind-seat areas, three are taken by mounted equipment, leaving only 3 for "stuff"). The floor of the head and galley, when pulled, reveals a fairly decent storage area built into the liner. In the head, I store maintenance fluids, misc hoses, manual pumps, etc in the shower "wet locker". And in the aft cabin, I store tools and spares and things in the cabinets which are far too large for my clothes (not gonna lie, on a cruise I wear a swimsuit every day HAHA). The lazerettes are large and swallow a lot of gear... but like you say, other boats (aft cockpits) have more space like that. Also, the area behind the companionway ladder is significant, and I have been mentally designing a smart solution for that space (coming soon!).

We are a family of four, with a dog on the shorter cruises, and we do just fine cruising for 1-3 weeks. If I didn't have kids, I would convert the V berth to a storage space. Good luck with your search!
Jeff
 
Hi, I’ve owned a Moody 38 (90’s) model for 5 years now which is mainly used just by wife and I weekends and summer hols. You are correct that there are plenty of small cupboards in the fore cabin , saloon and pilot berth. There is also reasonable storage behind the saloon seats and beneath the forward cushion of the port saloon berth. We use plastic B&Q trays in the bilge saloon bilge area for bottled water and any weighty stuff. Finally the pilot berth is handy but for us , we use it for storage. A drop in hanging rail, is great for clothes, and again plastic storage boxes are easy to retain (teak cross bars - slot in) . For longer passages we have a legged base that turns the saloon stbd berth into a great double . The fenders are mostly tied to the stern rails . The stern cabin is awesome and you don’t have to climb over each other to get out hope this helps .
 
Jeffrey Frederick said:
Pete,
You aren't entirely wrong here, but I own a 2000's 38CC and I will share a few observations. First, only one head on the 2000 models, which leaves space in the bow for additional locker space. My kids don't need much in the way of clothing storage, so much of that locker space is spares and fittings and parts. We have a bow thruster under the mid-V berth, and AC unit under the aft part of the V berth, but we are able to store large goods under the forward part of the Vberth, and on the sides of the AC unit. I currently have a project underway - building a cross-over bunk in the V berth, so I will have a large stowage area beneath that bunk by next spring. Also, we put a lot of food away behind the salon seats, including my bulky tool bag (of the six behind-seat areas, three are taken by mounted equipment, leaving only 3 for "stuff"). The floor of the head and galley, when pulled, reveals a fairly decent storage area built into the liner. In the head, I store maintenance fluids, misc hoses, manual pumps, etc in the shower "wet locker". And in the aft cabin, I store tools and spares and things in the cabinets which are far too large for my clothes (not gonna lie, on a cruise I wear a swimsuit every day HAHA). The lazerettes are large and swallow a lot of gear... but like you say, other boats (aft cockpits) have more space like that. Also, the area behind the companionway ladder is significant, and I have been mentally designing a smart solution for that space (coming soon!).

We are a family of four, with a dog on the shorter cruises, and we do just fine cruising for 1-3 weeks. If I didn't have kids, I would convert the V berth to a storage space. Good luck with your search!
Jeff
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Hi Jeff, thanks for your insights. I haven't had the chance to look at a 2000s 38 yet. From the photos it seems as though they've taken a better approach to space in the stern cabin (for me, the seating either side of the bed is dead space on the 90s model). Hopefully that translates into more lazarette volume on the later model. The cabin soles on the 90s model that I looked at seems awkward to access and were held down by screws. The floor under the heads was inaccessible as it's a sealed unit for the shower draining. or so it seemed, I'd be happy to be corrected. But perhaps I need to look at under-floor space afresh.

Ian Watts said:
Hi, I’ve owned a Moody 38 (90’s) model for 5 years now which is mainly used just by wife and I weekends and summer hols. You are correct that there are plenty of small cupboards in the fore cabin , saloon and pilot berth. There is also reasonable storage behind the saloon seats and beneath the forward cushion of the port saloon berth. We use plastic B&Q trays in the bilge saloon bilge area for bottled water and any weighty stuff. Finally the pilot berth is handy but for us , we use it for storage. A drop in hanging rail, is great for clothes, and again plastic storage boxes are easy to retain (teak cross bars - slot in) . For longer passages we have a legged base that turns the saloon stbd berth into a great double . The fenders are mostly tied to the stern rails . The stern cabin is awesome and you don’t have to climb over each other to get out hope this helps .
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info, Ian. My wife suggested that we could build shelving instead of the large mirror in the stern cabin but we'd have to respect engine access and it would be more shallow storage. And I was already thinking about building more shelving into the pilot berth. I do still worry about larger, longer, smellier items like boathooks, deck mop/bruck, hose, bbq (if we're doing live-aboard), not to mention a sail wardrobe... stuff would accumulate. But some food for thought here, thank you.
 
That’s fine. Before you put shelving in front of that mirror a v inventive M38 owner, I think on this site, has found space behind it, in the engine bay, for a generator, which you may also need to think about. The M38 has huge volume for its size, it’s immediately noticeable when you see them in marinas, but compromises have been made of course. If 38ft is what you need to stick to then this web site is full of inventive ideas. If not go bigger , good luck.
 
Ian Watts said:
That’s fine. Before you put shelving in front of that mirror a v inventive M38 owner, I think on this site, has found space behind it, in the engine bay, for a generator, which you may also need to think about. The M38 has huge volume for its size, it’s immediately noticeable when you see them in marinas, but compromises have been made of course. If 38ft is what you need to stick to then this web site is full of inventive ideas. If not go bigger , good luck.
Click to expand...
I hadn't considered what was behind the upper space. That's really interesting. I'll give that some thought. Thanks again!
 
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