Prima 38 OD? Any opinions?

savageseadog

savageseadog

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Sold originally as a performance racer/cruiser with decent accommodation, fast, superb AVS/STIX, a decent displacement length ratio's, decent level of kit, nice engines etc

There's only been one rig failure on their carbon masts due to a faulty fore stay toggle. None have sank, no keels have fallen off and the ones coming upto there 10th birthday don't look like their falling apart despite a hard life on the race course...

Anyone got an opinion?
 
A view on a related boat but no a Prima: When I was looking for a boat last year I viewed a HOD 35. This had the same builder (Seaquest) as the Prima. The construction felt very lightweight (locker lids very flexible etc) and rather rough round the edges. My main observation was the circle of cracks around each of the cleats on the deck, and the general deterioration of the laminate. Personally, I think the Prima looks a great boat (and would have been on my list if my mooring had been large enough) but my comments advise careful inspection if you care about longevity.
 
I had a really good look at the Prima when it first came out as they targeted Sigma 38 owners wanting a more modern replacement and in fact the same designer (Jonty Sherwill?) did both interiors. Most Sigma 38 racers wanted one but not enough bought. They were a bit expensive, about 2.5 times the price on the water but seemed well finished and I expected the same durability as the Sigma, though I was not sure if the carbon rig would last as long as the boat. I recall one won its class in the ARC when it had a racing division. If they are half as good as the Sigma 38 the are o.k. but the last time I looked the price had not dropped enough. They were still generally over £100k. I am not sure I would buy one if I was never going to race it, the alternatives cruiser is the Maxi 1100 but they have one specialist broker who starts with very high asking prices. The Dufour 41 of similar vintage also goes quite well in most conditions but I know less about build quality and accommodation.
 
THE 38 footer to buy!!!!
IMHO vv sexy boat; but at a cost..........
but if it is vv sexy then you pay.............

but if its vv sexy don't you always end up paying??????









........................even if you marry her ?????
 
Great design and very quick however Seaquest went bust in the UK due to lack of demand and poor management. The lamination on a lot of their boats has been very suspect. I know of their SJ32s that have had to have major lamination repairs. When I looked at several 38s three years ago they all had finishing problems both with the laminate and the quality of stainless used. Sadly, absolutely no way that they will have the longevity of a Sigma 38.
 
If you want to race primarily there are cheaper ways of getting on the race course, but they're certainly not out of contention under IRC and they don't seem to change hands all that often, probably meaning that the owners like them.
Despite the OD tag there never really was any meaningful OD racing though, certainly not on the scale that the sigmas can still generate (even if most are now in the hands of charter compaines).

Quite pricy for a fast cruiser too.
 
I had looked at SJ 320s at Southampton a few years before the Prima came out and I was put off more by the lightweight lay up particularly the springy coachroof and the poor finish than the ugliness. The Prima seemed entirely different though Y&y commented on flexing of the flat area of deck around the mast. I am surprised that these boats have turned out as bad as is quoted above. Seaquest did have a reputation for weight saving but the Prima's displacement was quoted at 6,100 kg. while the Sigma was 6,250 kg. I still have the brochure and test reports if someone wants them
At the time the main thing that stopped me buying one was the price, there was also a considerable list of 'extras' including basic things like grabrails, just shows that relative poverty can be beneficial in the long run. That should be a comfort to all of us in these straightened times.
Having raced for years and cruised with the family each summer the one aspect I would look at in racing boats is the boom height, big mainsails and low booms can be a fatal combination so you may need to get a new main for safety. On the Sigma 38 our cruising main was higher cut than the OD sail with a flattening reef which we used to lift the boom clear of the cockpit and we often put this in when running or broad reaching to protect heads, particularly if the kids were steering.
 
Quandary,

Do you still have the brochure and test reports of the Prima 38 and are you still willing to share them?
 
Nigel????? Whose he????

Had a look at the archive, now mainly just race results from when I was a real sailor and among the Sigma 38 folders I found what you may be seeking.
It is a circular sent out to all Sigma 38 owners by Seaquest comprising the following
A letter to my wife (registered owner) from Seaquest dated June 2000 tell her what a fantastic boat the Prima was and inviting her to the factory in Falmouth and the Southampton boat show.
A Prima one design brochure with price list (£118,750 ex vat, but, a door to separate the heads from the forecabin was on the extras list at £411 while grab rails at the companionway were +£164 so a totally unrealistic price). Contrast the Sigmas which came with everything, sails, anchors and all.
A 'Specifications and Options list.'
A reprint of a Y. World test report from June 98 and another reprint of a Y&Y test, unknown date which interestingly includes a rather unconvincing response from Mike Eaton to criticism of the flexy decks.

If you can provide a reasonable need for this stuff, a UK address to send it to and an undertaking to stick a few quid in your nearest RNLI box then PM me.
 
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