My Journey With Helmsman 38 E

A real owner’s story of choosing,
customizing, cruising, and learning from life aboard a Helmsman 38E Trawler.

A Real Owner’s Story

Making the Most of Life on a Helmsman 38E

My name is Mike Bushior, and I am the owner of allegro, a helmsman 38e trawler built around comfort, visibility, space, and real cruising practicality.
I did not start boating until later in life, but once I did, it quickly became something I truly enjoyed. What began with a few deep sea fishing trips eventually turned into owning different boats, learning what worked for me, and discovering what I really wanted on the water.

Over time, I owned a 1988 sea ray sundancer, then a 2001 sea ray sundancer 310, and later a beneteau SWIFT 30 trawler named allegro. That boat helped me realize how much I liked the trawler style of boating.
After researching helmsman, watching videos, reading about the boats, and traveling to Seattle to see one in person, I decided to have a new helmsman 38e built. That boat became my new allegro.

This website is my way of highlighting allegro in detail. Her layout, custom upgrades, favorite features, power setup, and the everyday experience of owning and using her are all part of the story.


My goal is simple: to give visitors a closer, more personal look at allegro from an owner’s point of view.

A Full Review of the Helmsman 38E Trawler

EXTERIOR

INTERIOR

VIRTUAL TOUR

The Helmsman Trawlers 38E Pilothouse is an innovative design offering the spaciousness of a much larger boat while fitting into a 40 foot slip. The low-rise pilothouse has excellent visibility and open communication with the salon, and is a social area too while underway or in port. The full-beam salon is expansive and comfortable, with exceptional light and ventilation. A day head is a rare and practical feature, and the convertible settee and day head can be enclosed to provide a private suite for guests when needed. The flybridge is set back to maintain a low profile – which benefits windage and center-of-gravity. A high, flush bow, sturdy railings, full covered cockpit, deep pilothouse side deck footwells and secure flybridge stairs on both sides increase practicality and safety in adverse conditions.

Minimal exterior maintenance and reliable, economical propulsion systems allow owners to spend more time cruising.

All Helmsman Trawlers are designed for long-range, comfortable passage-making. They feature sturdy construction, reliable mechanical and electrical systems, quality components and materials, and stable, efficient hull designs. Beautiful nautical interiors are expertly crafted. Helmsman Trawlers are built to exceptional standards and our quality is superb – examine and compare!

The Helmsman Trawlers 38E Pilothouse is offered at $623,000, well-equipped with the most common and desirable features. Base Price includes shipping, delivery, commissioning and training - Seattle or Charleston. Taxes and duties not included. U.S. residents may consider foreign flagging which will remove U.S. import duties. Inquire for more information.

LOA 40' 10" | LOD 37' 10" | BEAM 13' 11" | DRAFT 4' 0"

FUEL 400 GAL | WATER 145 GAL | WASTE 45 GAL

30,000 LBS DRY WT

Design and Construction

  • Semi-displacement hull design with soft chines, deep forefoot, broad sections aft for form stability, and full keel
  • Strong stainless steel skeg and large rudder
  • Low profile with chariot-style flybridge and low-rise pilothouse
  • Full-beam salon, open interior design, port and starboard pilothouse doors, secure steps and handrails to flybridge
  • Separate head and shower compartments in master; day head with shower adjacent to salon
  • Convertible settee in salon; space for a freestanding chair or recliner
  • Exceptional light and ventilation – opening windows (7), opening portlights (5), opening hatches (2)
  • Structural stiffness with a solid FRP laminate hull with vinylester resins in external layers — hull fitted with an internal FRP grid
  • Decks built with substantial laminations and cored with PVC foam
  • FRP fuel tanks (2), stainless steel water tanks (2), and FRP holding tank (1)
  • Extensive use of sound deadening techniques and materials
  • Multi-layer composite interior floor construction, with rubber cork inner layer for sound and vibration reduction, topped with teak and holly strip planks
  • Expertly-crafted cabinetry — teak solids and veneers throughout for strength, water resistance and long-lasting beauty
  • Hand-brushed and hand-rubbed two-part polyurethane varnish in multiple layers, with final satin finish
  • Ceiling panels easily removable for wiring access
  • Wireways and cable runs positioned for easy equipment installations
  • Quality stainless steel deck hardware
  • Aluminum sliding pilothouse doors (2) and aft cabin door
  • Oversized double-rung stainless steel safety rails with finely polished welds

Equipment and Features Included in Base Price

EXTERIOR

  • Matterhorn White gel coat hull, superstructure and deck surfaces
  • Sleipner bow and stern thrusters
  • Transom door
  • FRP swim platform with pull-out ladder
  • Opening side handrails at pilothouse
  • Full-length cockpit cover
  • Lewmar V4 windlass with 200’ of 5/16” high tensile chain
  • 45 lb stainless steel Bruce-type anchor
  • Anchor chain locker access hatch on foredeck
  • Raw water anchor washdown at bow
  • Hawse cleats on transom (2), aft (2) and amidships (2)
  • Flybridge control center with stainless steel wheel
  • Lazarette storage compartment
  • Flybridge L-shaped settee
  • LED navigation lights
  • Dual-trumpet electric horn
  • Pedestal helm seat on flybridge (1)
  • Radar mast with hinge or radar arch with hinges
  • Three pantographic windshield wipers
  • Stainless steel handrail on transom
  • Seahawk epoxy barrier coating and bottom paint
  • Seahawk Barnacle Blocker on underwater metal

ENGINEROOM

  • Cummins QSB 6.7 liter 380 hp electronically controlled common-rail diesel engine
  • Dual Racor or Griffin fuel filters
  • PYI Dripless-type prop shaft seal with inspection window
  • Tides Marine rudder shaft seals
  • Sea Star hydraulic steering system with autopilot hydraulic steering taps installed
  • Electric bilge pumps (3) with automatic switches and high water bilge alarm
  • Shower sump pump
  • Hinged interior floor hatches with gas stays
  • Removable deck plates throughout engine room
  • Tool / storage cabinet

ELECTRICAL

  • Victron 200 A-hr AGM house batteries (2); AGM bow thruster battery (1)
  • AGM start battery (1)
  • Victron inverter/charger
  • Blue Sea Systems remote battery switches and automatic charge relays
  • SmartPlug 30 amp shorepower inlets (2) on transom
  • Victron isolation transformers (2)
  • Blue Sea Systems electrical (AC/DC) distribution panel
  • Bonding system with anodes

INTERIOR

  • LED interior overhead lighting with dimmers
  • LED lighting in engineroom
  • LED reading lights in salon, galley, pilothouse and master stateroom
  • LED cockpit lighting
  • Storage cabinet with sliding doors aft of galley
  • Pilothouse control center with teak wheel
  • Louvered storage cabinet doors for ventilation
  • Overhead handholds in pilothouse
  • Laminated teak / holly overhead beam with hanging knees in salon
  • “Watertight” door for engineroom access from day head
  • Stainless steel overhead hatches and portlights with screens
  • Privacy door for master stateroom
  • Opening center windshield window
  • Wood blinds in salon and pilothouse
  • Sliding lower helm seat with flip-up bolster
  • Caesarstone galley countertops
  • Spice rack in galley
  • Overhead drop-down storage cabinets in galley
  • Medicine cabinet in master head

DOMESTIC SYSTEMS

  • Force 10 galley range – propane or electric; microwave
  • Nova Kool 9 cu. ft. refrigerator/freezer
  • Webasto Air Top 55 cabin heating system (or credit toward optional reverse-cycle heating/cooling system)
  • Raritan Elegance macerating-type electric heads (2)
  • Macerator overboard pump with through-hull fitting
  • Marco variable speed potable water pump
  • 17 gallon, Torrid electric hot water heater
  • Cockpit shower (hot and cold)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Lines, fenders, shore power cable, and USCG safety equipment included
  • Delivery and commissioning in Seattle, WA or Charleston, SC. Subsequent transportation may be additional.

OPTIONS AVAILABLE

A wide range of options and customizations including: engine brand and horsepower selections, generators, galley appliances, exterior gel coat colors, upholstery and granite choices, custom cabinetry, bridge layouts, and more.

Why the Helmsman 38E Was My Choice

Comfort, Space, and Visibility

What I like most about Allegro is how practical and comfortable she feels in real life. The full beam cabin gives us more interior space, so the boat feels open and usable instead of cramped.


The raised pilothouse is another feature I really appreciate. It provides excellent visibility from the helm, and the port and starboard doors make docking, moving around, and getting on or off the boat much easier.


Inside, Allegro has the comfort we wanted. The forward stateroom has good space, added side windows for more natural light, and a separate shower and head. The main cabin also works well for everyday use, with a practical galley, opening windows, plenty of outlets, USB ports, and even room for my recliner chair.

A Flybridge Built for Enjoying the Water

What I like most about the Helmsman flybridge is the easy access to it by an actual staircase on each side. There’s no ladder to climb. There is a full function helm station for operation the boat from above. I have two forward facing seats and an “L” shaped settee that can seat 5 people in total. I’ve added a dock box at the rear of the flybridge for storing many different items, such as spare life jackets, folding beach chairs and gas cans for the dingy It’s a nice place to hang out in the evening to watch the setting sun.

The Pros and Cons of the Helmsman 38E

The Helmsman 38E has many features that make Allegro comfortable, practical, and enjoyable in real life. Like any boat, the full ownership experience also includes challenges, lessons, and details that only become clear after spending real time on board.

Pros:

  • Spacious full beam cabin
  • Excellent visibility from the raised pilothouse
  • Port and starboard doors for easier docking
  • Large flybridge with full second helm station
  • Stair access instead of a ladder
  • Comfortable forward stateroom with extra side windows
  • Separate shower and head
  • Full function Day Head
  • Practical galley with stove, oven, and microwave
  • Great natural light and ventilation
  • Plenty of outlets and USB ports
  • Solar and large house battery setup with inverter
  • No generator needed
  • Custom upgrades that make good sense
  • Comfortable layout for Mike, Christina, and Austin

Cons:

These are my experiences.

  • Local warranty service not readily available
  • Problems often not repaired the first time
  • See more details under Problems and Lessons