Laurent Gites created this long keeled,
elegant offshore cruising design in
the early 1970s and it appeared
both as the Giles 38 with a
traditional transom, and later as
the Bowman 40, with a counter
stern. The interior of the deep
bodied but narrow Giles 38
was optimised for use at sea
with plenty of sea berths, a
secure galley and a large,
but outward facing, chart
table just forward of a
quarter berth. The
heads was a
reasonable size for
this generation of
yachts and
situated just
forward of the
saloon. She
had plenty
ofstowage
inallareas.
She was
moulded
and fitted out
by several yards
so there are minor
variations in layout and build quality. The transom-hung
rudder was tiller steered though some had wheels. The rig
was conservative, in view of herdisplacement and drawn
with the inevitability of heavy weather in mind.

LOA 39ft 9in (11.8m) LWL 30ft 6in (9.3m) beam 11 ft 1in (3.4m)
draught 5ft4in (1.6m) displacement 23,5201b (1 0,667kg)
Price guide: £45,000 to £70,000. YMreport November 1972.