HERON'S STORY

Yawl Heron, an Ohlson 38, is a lovely and rare combination of fiberglass strength (pre-blister 1970) and varnished beauty. The woodwork is classically Swedish, with light colored African mahogany and clean simple lines inside and out. No heavy teak do-dahs in this boat! We are the second owners, having bought her from an elderly man who had loved her dearly for nearly three decades. She wintered in a boathouse 300 feet from his home in Massachusetts, and graced Mattapoisett bay in the summers where he raced her extensively. We bought her to do off-shore cruising and equipped her for a shakedown cruise from the Pacific NW to Mexico. We completed that trip in 2002 and had a fantastic time. We love this boat and want to share our experiences with this design.

The 'wood' O-38 is very different than the all-fiberglass version! Our preference was for the renowned fiberglass hull combined with the mahogany house and plywood deck construction. We were willing to incur added maintenance in order to retain the look and feel of a wooden boat. We haven't regretted our decision for a minute, and have learned to appreciate even more the aesthetic considerations applied to Heron's interior in the Swedish yard versus O-38's finished in Scotland or by other builders.

For more information and construction specifications see Richard Henderson's books East to the Azores (describing his cruising aboard his Ohlson 38) and Choice Yacht Designs where he describes the O-38, "Because of all the aforementioned qualities, the Ohlson 38 is my favorite boat".