Boat Test: 2026 Mag Bay 38 Center Console

Overview

A center-console boat born in the high desert of California that can thrive in the Gulf Stream seems improbable. But it’s true. In the Mojave desert, Mag Bay Yachts, headed up by the father and son team of Mike Howarth, and his son Barrett, produces some of today’s most capable offshore fishing machines.

No model represents this more than the Mag Bay 38 Center Console, which earned the Best of Show Award for boats under 60 feet at its world debut during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in 2024. 

The Mag Bay 38 CC is hard to ignore with its classic aft tumblehome and secondary rubrail that accents the stern quarters and protects the integrated stern platform. A sweeping sheerline culminates in a wide flaring bow with an ever-so-subtle nose dip. A through-stem anchor roller (that feeds a hidden windlass) preserves the topside lines.

This 38 ½-foot boat’s beauty is complemented by 100-percent vinylester-resin construction with Gurit-cored hullsides, a fiberglass molded one-piece stringer grid system, and a solid fiberglass bottom, as well as a unique unibody transom and triple-reinforced hull-to-deck liner joint. A premium proprietary gelcoat is used throughout the Mag Bay 38 Center Console.

Such construction provides unrivaled durability, but also results in a remarkably quiet ride. Even while careening over big waves, all I heard was the whoosh of the wind and water and the growl of the outboards.  

Quality continues with a multitude of spare-no-expense features such as the inward-opening starboard-side boarding door with polished stainless-steel hardware so massive that you’d swear it belongs on a boat three times this size. Molded-in diamond nonskid and toe-kicks at the base of the inwales enhance security, while with the Mag Bay’s 11-foot beam and optional Seakeeper 3 gyro offer roll stability.  

An elevated central pod on the hardtop adds headroom at the helm and creates extra height for the optional radar scanner. A thick wraparound glass windshield protects the helm. A West Coast trait is the beefy stainless-steel pipework supporting the hardtop. 

Engines

Powered by triple Mercury 400 Verado V-10 outboards (triple Merc 425s are now standard) and riding on a patented Cross Step hull design, the 38 CC vaulted to plane in 3 seconds and 30 mph in 7 seconds—all without the trim tabs engaged. We achieved a top speed of 63 mph. Best fuel efficiency was at 4,000 rpm and 35.4 mph was 0.929 mpg. That equates to a cruising range of 497 miles based on 90 percent capacity of the 38’s three fuel tanks, which total 595 gallons. 

Interior and Accessories

The Mag Bay 38 CC comes with a pressurized 75-gallon transom livewell fed by a Hooker seachest with a Hooker variable speed pump—all contained in the immaculate lazarette. The livewell itself features a light-blue gelcoat interior with a large aquarium-style window for keeping an eye on your precious baits. The optional and innovative clear-acrylic top functions as a lid within a lid: There’s a latching hatch with friction hinges to keep it open when needed to grab a bait. But you also can remove the entire acrylic top of the well to create more room to drop in and shake out a cast-net full of live pilchards. There are two insulated in-deck fish boxes aside the console and an oversized insulated in-deck forward fish box, equipped with macerator pumps to evacuate blood and gore.

Helm seating consists of three-across deluxe Release Marine captain’s chairs with flip-down bolsters and fold-down armrests, as well as a footrest at the base of the console. Storage cabinets abound, and there’s mezzanine seating abaft. At the dash, a yacht-style central steering pod features an Edson wheel with room on the dash for a pair of Garmin 22-inch MFDs, each with EmpireBus digital switching to control onboard systems, as part of an optional Garmin electronics package. 

An inviting lounge resides on the forward console with insulated storage underneath. Optional seating includes forward loungers with Release Marine backrests, as well as a flip-up transom bench seat. You can also opt for wraparound aft seating (in lieu of a livewell). Adding to the comfort factor is a console cabin accessed on the starboard side. It features 6 feet, 10 inches of headroom; a 6-foot-long-by-4-foot-wide berth; and a head compartment with a Dometic MasterFlush electric toilet, a vessel sink and freshwater faucet; an overhead hatch; a window; and more.  

The 38 has isolated starting and house battery banks. To power high-demand systems such as the optional Seakeeper 3 or cabin air conditioning, the 38 features a Victron lithium house bank with Victron Smart Controllers and a Victron 3,500-watt inverter/charger.

Looking for a comparison boat? Check out the Solace 37CS ($999,950 with triple outboards) with innovation such as seating atop the transom livewell and an upward opening integrated windshield. With a double-step hull, it posted a top speed of 60 mph in our test.  

Mag Bay’s 38 Center Console incorporates so many quality features, it’s impossible to cover them all here. Suffice to say, its accolades prove well-deserved. It’s a boat that’s built to uncompromising standards to last a lifetime and beyond.

Read Next: Mag Bay Yachts 42 Hardtop

How We Tested

• Engines: Triple Mercury 400 Verado V-10s
• Drive/Props: Outboard/Mercury Revolution X 16″ x 25″ 4-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 2.08:1  Fuel Load: 212 gal.  Water on Board: 48 gal Crew Weight: 600 lb.

High Points

• The elevated central pod in the hardtop offers more headroom for tall crew members.
• The optional “lid-within-a-lid” livewell topper makes loading bait easier. 
• The 38 CC gets approving nods for great style wherever it goes.

Low Point

• The automatic bilge-pump switch was mounted backwards. The hinge should be forward to prevent inadvertent cycling of residual bilge water when accelerating. 

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation