2001 BENFORD FANTAIL 38
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LOCATION: Toronto Ontario
Designed by renowned naval architect Jay Benford and hand-built by Albert Kee while he was the FRP shop manager at PDQ Yachts in Whitby, Ontario, this Fantail 38 is a true one-off, launched in 2001 and finished to a standard mass-produced boats rarely match. She is a proper little ship: a full-displacement pilot house cruiser with the looks of a classic fantail launch and the systems of a serious cruising trawler.
The headline is fuel economy. Her new Beta 50 diesel sips roughly 1 gallon per hour at 7 knots, and with two independent 315W solar panels feeding four golf-cart house batteries, her owners have anchored out for weeks at a time without running the engine or plugging into shore power. Add a full pilot house with side doors, standing headroom throughout, a Force 10 galley, and air conditioning and heat that works through a Canadian winter afloat, and this is a boat built for genuine four-season cruising and comfortable living aboard.
RARE JAY BENFORD FANTAIL 38 - PORT CREDIT, ONTARIO - CANADIAN REGISTERED - NEW BETA 50 DIESEL (2023) - 1 GPH AT 7 KNOTS - SOLAR/OFF-GRID CAPABLE - PILOT HOUSE TRAWLER
Thoughtfully upgraded and meticulously maintained, she is a rare chance to own a distinctive, efficient, and capable cruiser with real character.
Call today to schedule your private showing!
| Type: | Trawler |
|---|---|
| Year: | 2001 |
| Make: | BENFORD |
| Model: | FANTAIL 38 |
| Length: | 38' |
| Status: | For Sale |
| Price: | $115,000 CAD |
| Location: | Toronto Ontario |
| Date Posted: | 2026-07-22 |
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Manufacturer Provided Description
PLEASE CONTACT CHARLES SAVARD - TORONTO - 1-833-829-2248 EXTENSION 2008
Designed by renowned naval architect Jay Benford and hand-built by Albert Kee while he was the FRP shop manager at PDQ Yachts in Whitby, Ontario, this Fantail 38 is a true one-off, launched in 2001 and finished to a standard mass-produced boats rarely match. She is a proper little ship: a full-displacement pilot house cruiser with the looks of a classic fantail launch and the systems of a serious cruising trawler.
The headline is fuel economy. Her new Beta 50 diesel sips roughly 1 gallon per hour at 7 knots, and with two independent 315W solar panels feeding four golf-cart house batteries, her owners have anchored out for weeks at a time without running the engine or plugging into shore power. Add a full pilot house with side doors, standing headroom throughout, a Force 10 galley, and air conditioning and heat that works through a Canadian winter afloat, and this is a boat built for genuine four-season cruising and comfortable living aboard.
RARE JAY BENFORD FANTAIL 38 - PORT CREDIT, ONTARIO - CANADIAN REGISTERED - NEW BETA 50 DIESEL (2023) - 1 GPH AT 7 KNOTS - SOLAR/OFF-GRID CAPABLE - PILOT HOUSE TRAWLER
Thoughtfully upgraded and meticulously maintained, she is a rare chance to own a distinctive, efficient, and capable cruiser with real character.
Call today to schedule your private showing!
Key Features
Jay Benford-designed Fantail 38, custom-built by Albert Kee (ex-PDQ Yachts), launched 2001
New Beta 50 diesel installed February 2023, approx. 1,254 hours
Exceptional economy: 7.1 kn at 0.75 gph (1600 rpm), 7.5 kn at 1.0 gph (2000 rpm)
Two 315W solar panels with twin MPPT controllers - true off-grid capability
Full pilot house with port/starboard side doors
Sleipner (Side Power) bow thruster
Flagship Marine air conditioning and electric heat for winter live-aboard use
Standing headroom throughout (up to 79" in the pilot house)
Excellent service access to engine, steering gear, fuel filters, and tanks
Canadian registered, lying Port Credit, Ontario
Dimensions
LOA: 38'00"
Beam: 12'00"
Draught: 3'06"
Displacement: 20,000 lbs (dry)
Construction
Hull: foam-cored FRP (solid FRP at keel and keel/hull joint)
Superstructure and decks: FRP over plywood; structure forward of pilot house foam-cored FRP
Hull/deck joint fully joined with FRP
17 windows (5 opening), custom aluminum frames by Bomon
Tankage
Fuel: two 50-gallon aluminum tanks (new 2020, bottom-feed design)
Water: two stainless tanks, approx. 100 gallons each, spanning the beam under the pilot house
Holding: 50 imperial gallon integral epoxy tank, deck pump-out plus macerator for overboard discharge
Propulsion
Engine: Beta 50 diesel (new February 2023, installed by Atlantic Yacht Basin, Virginia)
Hours: approx. 1,254
Drive: single screw
Running gear: stainless shaft on split shaft flange, Lasdrop dripless seal, FRP stern tube to bronze log with cutless bearing
Steering: hydraulic; welded hollow stainless rudder with stainless stock and flow-through fish tails for improved low-speed handling
Bow thruster: Sleipner (Side Power)
Access: excellent, from the saloon and cockpit hatch - engine, steering gear, fuel filters, and tanks are all easy to reach and inspect
Performance: 7.1 kn @ 0.75 gph (1600 rpm) / 7.5 kn @ 1.0 gph (2000 rpm)
Electrical
Shore power: 2 x 30 amp hard-wired, grounds through a 60 amp galvanic isolator; includes Y-splitter (two 30 amp to one 50 amp), 50-to-30 amp and 15-to-30 amp adapters
House bank: four golf-cart batteries under the saloon settee
Starter: one group 27 wet cell
Bow bank: two group 31 wet cells (windlass and thruster), echo-charged
Charging: ProNautic 12-40P charger, Xantrex Digital Echo Charger
Solar: two 315W panels wired independently, each with its own Blue Sky Solar Boost 3000i MPPT controller
All LED lighting
Electronics
Garmin chartplotter
Garmin radar
Raymarine speed log and depth
Raymarine autopilot
Standard Horizon DSC VHF
Backup/docking camera
USB port at helm
Ground Tackle & Deck
Quick 1200W vertical windlass
55 lb Rocna anchor with 120' chain rode
Steadying sail on boom (also serves as a davit to launch the 10'6" dinghy)
Cockpit with wraparound seating
Galley
Force 10 two-burner propane stove and oven, supplied from two 20 lb tanks in a dedicated, drained cockpit locker with its own control panel
Norcold under-counter 12V refrigerator/freezer
Separate built-in 12V freezer
Climate & Comfort
Flagship Marine air conditioning with electric heat (rated for winter use afloat)
AC fireplace
Abundant below-deck storage
Water Systems
Two approx. 100-gallon stainless drinking-water tanks, deck fills at both pilot house doors
Deck wash-down pump (switched from pilot house)
Cockpit shower head with overboard pump
Pressure water throughout
Accommodation
Pilot house with helm, two opening side doors, and three opening windows
Saloon with dinette (sliding table, stows in and out), AC fireplace, and fold-out TV
Galley to starboard
Forward cabin with double berth and overhead hatch
Cuddy cabin with double berth (ideal for grandkids/guests), USB ports, and curtain-track privacy
Head compartment: manual marine toilet with shower; opening window
Headroom: saloon 74", pilot house 79", head 74", forward cabin 75"
Entertainment: AM/FM/USB/SD-card stereo, LED lighting throughout
PLEASE CONTACT CHARLES SAVARD - TORONTO - 1-833-829-2248 EXTENSION 2008
Disclaimer: The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct their agents, or their surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.