First impressions: Wajer 38

 Wajer 38, twin diesel Dutch dayboat

Wajer 38 being lowered in, check out that bow flare and fine entry angle also the navigation lights fitted just above the anchor.

Exceptional, high end 38 foot Dutch built day boat, powered by twin diesel engines with pod drives (Volvo IPS) and joystick control. There are three models of the Wajer 38, this is the cabin model with closed bow, open centre console and luxury tender are available too, jet drives and outboards are other powertrain options too, although I am not sure of all power packages are available on all the models.

Wajer 38, tied up alongside boatyard

This was actually not my first experience with Wajer, my good friend used to run a 38S (open centre console version) for the owner, so I had a few seasons of poking around, looking it over, hearing first hand the merits & flaws, I had just not really had the chance for a sea trial nor had I seen looked around this cabin version.

Good points

Build quality, be in no doubt as to just how well Wajer put together this boat, everything you push, pull, stand on, sit on, open, close or slide is better built than anything of this size I can think of and indeed, many more larger vessels are not put together even close to this, the Boat Review: Frauscher 1017GT I wrote about previously follows a similar vein but the Wajer takes it up yet another notch and that's saying something. To put it bluntly, there are bank vaults that are less well assembled than this boat.

Paint, wood, carbon fibre all working well together to create a classy helm area

Design & materials, no point being built well if the design does not work, fortunately here it does, almost everything (more on that after) is laid out just so and the materials used look so good together, the use of carbon fibre and woods can often look just hideous, like an afterthought, not in this case, the mix of modern and classic blends very well.

Talking of design, just look at it, its gorgeous! classic, reminiscent perhaps of a Riva or Chris Craft, the deep V and flared bow falling to a rounded stern, just spot on. The blue colour of the boat I was on is also very nice, sets off the carbon fibre and wood trims very well indeed.

Suspension in the helm seats

Helm seats, these deserve a special mention, the spring compensated seats are impressive, even cushioning my bulk when I went over the wake of a small ferry, the only time I have seen something similar was on a professional racing RIB and a coastguard support vessel, your lower back is very grateful for these seats.

Storage, lots of it, under seats, very large locker in the cockpit floor, the transom locker is huge and in some photos I have seen a Seabob water scooter stored in there. The same is true on the 38S, the whole forward seating area raises electrically with storage for two Seabobs and numerous other items, scuba gear, fenders and anything else that will fit.

Head compartment, Wajer 38

Head, I know heads (marine toilets) do not really sell boats, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. Its really nice to see that this one has been properly done, an Italian Tecma freshwater toilet has been fitted and there is ample room in the compartment.

Fendering, the "D" fendering or rubbing strake where the deck meets the hull topsides is thick and commercial looking, like a slightly reduced version of the type you find on a pilot boat, this is a good thing, it does not look out of place, has a stainless insert and will last much longer than a hard plastic type.

The second item of note on fendering are the fender clips, including on the bathing platform which is rare but very useful for Mediterranean style mooring. The fender holders, clips is not really correct, they are flush fit to the deck and pop up when pushed, they feel as equally sturdy as the rest of the boat and are positioned in exactly the right places. I do not know if this is standard from the factory or you can elect where to have them installed.

Quiet, for me an often overlooked property of boats, is how loud or in this case not, they are. The large windshield keeps buffeting to almost zero and the engines have been hushed very well, pod drives such as IPS tend not to have exhaust noise as it exits under the water, the diesel engines they are coupled to are obviously at the mercy of the boatbuilder as to how much sound insulation and hatch fitting they do. Here, Wajer have obviously got it right, a conversation could easily be maintained at cruising speed without raising your voice.

Not so good

Location of Volvo IPS joystick, behind the steering wheel

Ergonomics and the IPS Joystick, I am not sure if this location of the joystick was requested by the owner of the boat or if this is the standard location, its mounted horizontally and sort of points at the pilot and is located behind the steering wheel, if you, like me, tend to leave the wheel quite vertical you would have to adjust the rake to reach the joystick. I found it to be almost useless, very hard to use right handed, maybe standing on the right of the centre helm chair and using you left hand? To read the symbols you have to crouch down, I understand that perhaps it´s there to keep guests from accidentally touching it, this boat, the 38 is available as a tender version so maybe that explains it.

I would willingly sacrifice a helm cup holder to have the joystick installed in its place or even install the joystick in the arm of the helm chair, I have seen this before, not sure of the installation difficulties on this option.

Helm panel, Wajer 38

Helm panel, given how nice the rest of the cockpit is, the helm panel, housing the Raymarine nav display, Volvo autopilot and digital engine screen. Keeping things simple and plain usually works well, but somehow it looks drab and matt, I would have preferred to see carbon fibre or even better, wood trim, the steering wheel and joystick are installed in a wood panel and it looks amazing, I think changing the helm panel would elevate that zone of the boat to the next level. Its not bad you understand, its just somewhat deflating, anticlimactic after the rest of the cockpit.

One other thing I would like to mention, using a button to activate a circuit for a device that has an on/off button is annoying and to me seems like added complexity or an additional point of failure, in this case the navigation display button to switch on the Raymarine plotter. I will stand corrected if said button also does other things, I have seen a few boat manufacturers do this and for the most part I do not understand why, the button does not appear to do double duty as both a button and circuit breaker.

I would actually like to see a handful of changes to the dash, switches for bilge pump and navigation lights, also a VHF, this boat did have a VHF and in fairness it was only just inside the cabin door, not hard to reach, but the ability to have the extra station at the helm would be useful for me, either wireless or a second wired station, especially useful if using the boat as a tender. A control panel for the trim tabs was also absent, that said as I did not have too much time with the boat, they might be controlled via the Volvo instrument screen or completely automatic.

The area around the helm panel in front of the wheel is flat, I would like to see a tray or perhaps a small lidded locker, just to fit a few bits and pieces, like phone or a small pair of binoculars, there is a hidden glove compartment that pops out under the dash, but its a bit too far to starboard from the centre helm.

Cabin door?, I was not on the boat more than an afternoon, so I did not inspect the cabin door, as I went to leave, a couple of technicians were boarding just to check a couple of things before the boat cleaners arrived. I went to shut the door and was told not to both as there wasn't one, I did notice a sort of half sized gate that slid out to at least close the area.

I looked at some photos on line and cannot say with any certainty that there is or is not a proper cabin door installed, maybe it was optioned to not have it installed on the particular boat I was on?

Battery confusion, There are three battery disconnects, engines, service and another. The battery groups are activated by relay battery switches, this means you can fit the remote control switch for them almost anywhere on board, why choose to fit them under the large cushions in the cockpit storage locker? Two on on side of the boat and one on the other. Also one switch appeared to activate the touch screen control system inside the cabin and another the actual services?

When I was look for photos to see if I could see a cabin door, I did notice a new location for the remote switches, inside the cabin entry door, much easier.

On the subject of batteries, the 38S that my buddy skippered had the start batteries in the engine room, aft of the motors, bit difficult to get at, but as they are not changed very often it´s not a big deal, but there was only one group of batteries for both engines, again, not the end of the world and not the first boat builder to have done this. I just did not see any method of emergency paralleling the service to start batteries.

Bathing ladder, I do remember the 38S having a very simple, completely vertical fixed ladder, if I remember right the bottom rung was underwater so go a coating of growth or slime on it. I think this might have been improved on this one, also some photos I saw, the 38 appeared to have a pocket type ladder with hand holds in the bathing platform, that´s very good thinking. For a more detailed look at why bathing ladders are so important and so often overlooked, you can read a previous post Man overboard! Bathing ladders, must try harder.

Various photos, interior ignition panel, aft cockpit seating and stairs from cabin to cockpit

Out at sea

It was not much of a trip or trial, a few nautical miles along the coast, out of one marina and into another, so a bit of close quarters maneuvering and med style mooring.

Looking over the windshield, standing on the footrest of a suspension seat, about 26 knots

I would like to say I did not mess around with the captains helm chair, had we have been going for a longer trial I would have moved the seat further back for a better view and to give my knees more room in front of the steering wheel. As a result I did not get the best visibility from the helm, found myself standing on the footrest to see over the windshield which was in fact very comfortable due to the suspension in the seats.

Ever heard the expression in automotive circles about a car being a nice out of ten? As in nine times from ten you are going a lot faster than you thought, well its the same with the Wajer, 26 knots was a slow cruise speed, almost as though not really trying, trim tabs are fitted, the Volvo electric "flap" types as opposed to more traditional metal planes, I have no idea what they were doing as there was no control for them at the helm, they might have been working in automatic mode.

I noticed the faster I went the better the boat felt, there appeared to be little bow rise and the boat appeared to run quite flat, as I turned into my destination port I made a large open turn to starboard without reducing any speed and she just turned, with some lean into the turn with absolutely zero drama. When you see the boat out of the water, there are what appears to be a sort of fin or extra strake on the chines, I am fairly sure they are aluminum, I wonder if these additions are what helps the flay turning, anyone who has tried a stepped hull will know until you get used to the sensation of them not really leaning into turns, its odd of you are used to a more conventional V. 

The day I was on board was about as good as it gets for early autumn in Spain, a little on the cooler side (for me anyway), in the low twenties, a force two sea state, so no opportunity for any rough water antics, I imagine by the bow flare this would be an extremely dry boat, that tall windshield would also give you ample protection, there was a sunshade fitted to this boat but it was not erected. Going on what the captain of the other 38 has told me many times, this boat is incredible in rough water, even at speeds that most would not attempt to navigate at, I can fully believe it.

Low speed handling is a doddle, even without using the joystick, visibility from the helm is excellent, easy to judge the extremes of the boat, moving around the deck is not too bad, certainly no worse than any other boat with no exterior guardrails, one thing I did like when going from cockpit to side decks is that carbon fibre windshield frame is not just for show, its a solid as the rest of the boat. On the subject of windshields, take a look at those wipers, they are not an afterthought or just for show, double arms, similar to those on commercial boats, nice touch. It appears as though the centre centre of the windshield might open, I have not verified this though.

Summary

I was not long enough with this boat to make any sweeping conclusions, but going on experience with the 38S previously and now this 38, I can certainly make some smaller conclusions and observations.

Build quality, as mentioned earlier, frankly if I was running a competitor brand, I would be worried, very worried indeed. Timeless design, its going to still look good 20 or 30 years from now. I think Dutch shipyards have always been good at this and this model just reinforces that.

I would love to spend more time on board and perhaps an hour or so with someone who is more familiar with the brand than I am to perhaps answer a few questions, as I said, this are my first impressions of this boat and not a full blown review.

I would like to see some changes of the helm, nothing radical, lets get that straight, just some mild touches here and there, at least for my taste, non of which I see as difficult and because I am unsure of what model year the boat I tested was, for all I know the newest models have already addressed these points.

I am not a massive fan of touch screens for important controls, although it was incredibly easy to use and nice and bright too, I think possibly too many functions have been relegated to here, its possible also that the Raymarine screen at the helm controls some of the functions that don´t have physical buttons, I understand fully that this is a perfectly acceptable way to do it, but I would still prefer some actual buttons, call me old fashioned.

I truly enjoyed my short time with this boat and if I am honest I was a little reluctant to berth it and hand it back, I would have willingly spent the rest of the day uncovering all its secrets and abilities. I don´t do a score out of ten, especially when not a full review, all I can say is, it´s fabulous and I am smitten.

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