38' Irwin Shoal

If you plan to go South, this Irwin 38 shoal keel (for shallow water and coral in the Bahamas), cutter-rigged (for trade winds), center-cockpit sailboat is for you. She was meticulously cared for by the previous owner, and I have continued his tradition. If you take care of a fiberglass boat, fiberglass is forever. I have owned the boat since 2013 and became a live-aboard in 2016--my dream for retirement. Her name, Dream Catcher, was perfect along with fulfilling my dream.

She has solar panels which are wonderful for maintaining batteries all winter and keeping refrigeration running in summer if you anchor out or use a mooring. There are six house batteries and two for cranking.

Because of the center cockpit, there is a wonderful stern cabin with standing head room and plenty of storage and a good hanging locker. The engine is a Perkins 51 horsepower. There are seven doors to the engine, so it is accessible!

There is a chart table on starboard. The table surface opens, and there is an insulated ice box, but I have chosen to make that my pantry because there is a refrigerator/freezer in the galley. The refrigerator door opens from the top, which is perfect because in the hot summer you don't lose all the cold air when you open it, which a front-loader does. The inverter is on starboard. The galley on the port side has two sinks, propane stove/oven, microwave, and good storage space, with counter space above the engine.

The main salon has two sofas, and it has a large dining table which is great when entertaining groups. I have mostly used the table in the cockpit for my regular meals. The main salon also has great storage space.

The V-berth has a hanging locker and sleeps two comfortably and of course, gets used for storage of cockpit cushions and life jackets. The V-berth and stern cabin each have a head, which is great for privacy when entertaining company.

There are two water tanks, 70 gallons each, which is really important for going South because sometimes fresh water is hard to come by. There is a hot water heater.

The holding tanks, one for each head, are 15 gallons each. There are two diesel fuel tanks, 30 gallons each. The battery charger is on the port side under the sinks. All port lights and hatches have screens. There are two air conditioning/heating units, one aft, one forward. Both work beautifully for comfort when on shore power.

There is a windlass, autohelm, Garmin for navigation, radio, and a hand-held. The mainsail is full-batten and is furled in a stack pack. It has two reef points. The genoa is roller-furled, and the staysail is furled on a boom. She sails beautifully with a double-reefed main and partial unfurling of the genoa in 20-25 knots (like the trade winds). In that weather on the Chesapeake Bay she has been known to go eight knots. She sails to weather nicely.

Dream Catcher is the perfect boat for someone out there who loves sailing. I'm only selling her because I'm turning 80, and it's time.