DALE Nelson 38 for sale (2002) in Woodbridge, United Kingdom

With 27 of these wonderful semi-displacement Nelson 38s built by Dale Motor Yachts, there is a fair amount of choice, and this is an exceptionally well-preserved example. Built in 2002, with Category A build integrity, ANDROMEDA features an exceptionally fine American cherry interior with fresh upholstery, upgraded navigational equipment, and a complete cruising inventory. She is the later layout version - with an island aft berth - and is powered by the super-reliable Yanmar 420s. These hulls are as good as they come - and this is a particularly well-sorted example.

Construction

RCD Status: The yacht conforms with the essential safety requirements of Directive 94/25EC or RCDII (2013/53/EU as appropriate (Recreational Craft Directive) and is categorised A – “Ocean” for 14 persons on board.

Hull, Deck & Superstructure Construction:

• Solid laminate GRP with blue painted hull and varnished teak badging (striped & re-varnished recently).
• White GRP superstructure.
• Rubber “D” fendering and rubber spray rails.
• Fully teak laid aft deck, side, and fore decks.
• Teak companionway doors.
• Aft deck lockers with teak-laid lids and moulded, padded backrests.

Interior Finish:

• Interior fittings in chrome.
• American cherrywood joinery and veneer finished with semi-gloss varnish.
• Blond Alcantara to side and overhead linings throughout.
• Scatter cushions & Ivory carpet to cabin soles.
• Carpeted wheelhouse and galley steps.
• Upholstered blue patterned fabric seating in dinette and wheelhouse.
• Curtains to wheelhouse and all cabins.
• Grab handles throughout.
• Ivory hide-rimmed steering wheel at interior helm.
• Hide-covered stainless steel steering wheel at exterior helm.

Machinery

Engine & Gearboxes:

• Twin Yanmar 6LY2M- STE 5.8L turbo-charged diesel engines, rated at maximum output of 420hp each @ 3300 RPM.
• Approximately 2,100 hours’ running time.
• Polished chromed steel Micro commander electronic controls at both helm stations.
• The engines are flexibly mounted and have a sea water filter to each engine.
• Exhaust high–temperature alarms.
• Sea-Fire Automatic fire extinguisher to the engine room.
• High quality sound proofing to engine room.

Maintenance & Performance:

• The engines have been regularly maintained, showing c. 2100 hours run at October 2025.
• Engines last serviced October 2023.
• Cruising Speed: 18 knots at 2200rpm.
• Maximum Speed: 27.3 knots at 3300rpm.
• Fuel Consumption: ca. 75 litres/hr cruising with c.240nm range with reserve.

Propulsion & Steering:

• Electronic engine controls for throttles and gearboxes.
• Shaft drive.
• Dual hydraulic steering, greasers to rudder tubes.
• Stainless steel emergency tiller.
• PSS type stern glands.
• Conventional shaft drive to four bladed propellers.
• Trim tabs with dual station controls.
• Electric bow thruster with interior and exterior controls.

Electrical Systems

Voltage Systems:

• 12 Volt system throughout.
• 240 Volt ring main system.

Battery Banks:

• 4 x Additional batteries have been installed.
• 2 x 12V Numax XV31 MF 110 amp/hr batteries for isolated engine start circuits.
• 2 x 12V Numax XV31 MF 110 amp/hr batteries for all other circuits.
• Sealed and vented battery boxes, cross over battery link switch.
• Mastervolt BTM III battery monitor panel at lower console.

Battery Chargers:

• Charging via engine alternators, battery charger as below, or generator.
• Victron Energy 12/30 smart battery charger.

Generator:

• Paguro 4kVA generator.
• Under 100 hours run at October 2025.

Shore Power:

• Shore power with mains sockets fitted throughout the vessel.
• These sockets can also be used when the generator is running or via the mains inverter.

Other Electrical:

• Victron Energy Phoenix 12/2000 inverter and additional batteries.

Plumbing Systems

Fresh Water & Water Heating System:

• Calorifier heated by the engines or by an electric immersion heater.
• Hot and cold pressurised water throughout the vessel.
• Freshwater washers to wheelhouse front screens.
• Tap to engine room.

Bilge Pumps:

• Three electric pumps with automatic switches and one manual bilge pump with suction inlets either side of engine room.
• Bilge alarms to engine room bilges.

Tankage

Fuel:

• 300 gallons / 1363 litres capacity approx. carried in two keel-located tanks.
• Tank Tender gauges to water/fuel/waste tanks and on-deck fillers.

Fresh Water:

• Freshwater approximately 95 Gallons (430 litres).
• Hot water immersion tank approximately 9 gallons (40 litres).

Grey/Blackwater Holding Tanks:

• 18 gallons / 82 litres capacity.
• Black water tank approximately 18 gallons (82 litres) connected to forward toilet.
• Deck suction outlet and macerator for overboard discharge.
• Odour filter fitted to waste tank breather.

Navigation Equipment

• Raymarine GMDSS VHF radio at both helm positions.
• Raymarine log/speed instruments at both helm positions.
• Raymarine colour HybridTouch radar/plotter at both helm positions.
• Raymarine wind speed and direction indicator at main helm.
• Handbearing compass at main helm.
• Large magnetic compass at outside helm.
• Raymarine autopilot with controls at both helm positions.
• Bow thruster (hardly ever needed, as she handles so well) with controls at both helm positions.
• ICS NAV6 Navtex display.

Domestic Equipment

Galley:

• Galley to starboard.
• American cherry wood panelling to sidelining above galley worktop.
• Galley top moulded in Corian type Wilsonart material with Corian sink (with hot & cold mixer tap), waste bin entry, and moulded fiddle rail.
• Ample galley stowage and beautifully hand-crafted solid timber joinery, outboard lockers with sliding doors and stowage racks. Large storage cabinets and drawers.
• Isotherm/Indel/Webasto front-loading 12V 65 litre refrigerator with ice compartment.
• Panasonic combination microwave oven/grill.
• Princess gas-fired two-burner hob.
• Smev stainless steel gas oven with grill.
• Steps up to main saloon and wheelhouse.

Heads/Showers:

• 2 x Heads compartments (one ensuite to aft cabin).
• Wash basin, mixer tap with hot and cold pressurized water to each head.
• Shower, manual marine wc, mirror, lockers, towel rail and hanging hooks to each head.

Heating & Ventilation:

• Heating throughout the vessel provided by an Eberspächer blown-air heater.
• Plentiful opening side lights and overhead deck-hatches.
• Passive dorade ventilators throughout.

Entertainment:

• Pioneer stereo at lower helm with loudspeakers.
• Avtex flat-screen TV to dinette, with external aerial.

Lighting:

• Lighting throughout.
• Anchor light & navigation lights.
• Aft deck light mounted on mast.

Accommodation

Summary of Accommodation:

• Usual Dale Nelson 38 layout with a centre double berth in the aft cabin, which has its own shower, toilet, and basin to heads compartment on portside.
• Additional forward bulkhead storage cupboard set into upper companionway carcassing.
• Twin vee berths in the forward cabin, also with its own shower, marine wc, and basin.
• This heads compartment can also be accessed from the downstairs saloon.
• Downstairs saloon with galley and large settee.
• Table lowers to form an additional double berth.
• Additional larger dining table included in sale.
• Wheelhouse with helm and navigation seats.
• Two settees positioned behind these seats.
• Walk-around double bed in the aft cabin.
• American cherry wood and timber veneers – finished in two-pack semi-gloss varnish.
• Both cabins as well as the wheelhouse have curtains both curtains and grab rails throughout.

Wheelhouse:

• Helm position to port and pilot seat to starboard with footrests fitted to both positions.
• Helm and pilot seats with sliders and armrests.
• Stowage beneath helm seat – custom bottle and glass stowage.
• Second fridge unit beneath pilot seat.
• Chart table is to starboard and removable and stowed at aft starboard end of wheelhouse when not in use.
• Book stowage and timber pencil tray at pilot position.
• Sofa to starboard and L-shaped seating to port.
• From aft of the main saloon one can access the aft deck above, or down to the owner’s cabin.
• Table socket inset into engine bay inspection hatch to allow a wheelhouse table to be placed.

Deck Equipment

General:

• Teak deck with 3 pairs of stainless-steel mooring bollards.
• Navigation lights to international standards.
• Stainless steel rail to aft deck with fender baskets.
• Teak boarding platform with stainless steel boarding ladder and swim ladder.
• Three windscreen wipers.
• Stainless steel pulpit modified for bow-to mooring.
• Stainless steel pulpit, stanchions, and guard wires.
• Gas bottle locker with drains.
• Fold-down gantry for radar, etc.

Anchoring & Mooring Equipment:

• Fenders, mooring warps, and boathook.
• 20kg galvanised steel Bruce anchor with 50 metres of chain (new 2024 – unused as yet!).

Covers, Canvas & Cushions:

• Aft deck seats with upholstery and seat covers.
• Sprayhood with windows and a folding bimini cover.

Tender & Outboard:

• Simpson manual davits in polished stainless steel.

Safety Equipment

• Ocean Signal Rescue ME GPS EPIRB.
• Six-man liferaft in valise. Service status – in date.
• Fog horn.
• Two horseshoe lifebuoys, one fitted with an automatic light.

Fire-Fighting Equipment:

• Manual fire extinguishers fitted throughout (new 2025).
• Sea-Fire automatic/manual extinguisher in the engine room (service date unverified).