Adventure makes the human soul grow. It also allows a break from the monotony of everyday life. That’s what Cruisers Yachts is aiming to inspire with its VTR line of boats, which stands for venture, trek, roam. “We call this segment the adventure series,” says Matt VanGrunsven, director of marketing at Cruisers Yachts.
Cruisers builds midsize yachts from 42 to 60 feet. The Cantius series is express cruisers with luxe accommodations. The Fly series adds a flybridge, while the GLS series gives owners a choice of inboard or outboard power. The VTR series and its first model, the 38 VTR, take everything the builder has learned from those previous lines and adds features and amenities tailored for cruisers who want to plan adventurous itineraries around fishing, watersports and more. That includes itineraries requiring larger pieces of gear, such as bicycles, paddleboards and kayaks.
The 38 VTR is available in open or enclosed-cockpit versions, for cruising in various climates, and owners can choose options to enhance their preferred types of adventure on the water.
The open version of the 38 VTR brings a breeze on deck.
“We designed it to be very versatile, meaning we have several different options,” VanGrunsven says. “We could have a sunpad in the cockpit. We could have an open cockpit. Or we could have a transom seat. In the lower level, we maximized our beam, so there’s a dinette that converts into a sleeping area, but then we also have enough room to have a private head.”
The 38 VTR’s beam is 11 feet, 10 inches, which allows space belowdecks for overnight accommodations. The standard arrangements plan has a forward cabin with a convertible dinette. There’s also a wet head and an optional aft berth setup. Numerous other configurations are available, with different takes on stowage and amenities on the main deck.
VanGrunsven says that no matter the arrangements plan, the Cruisers team also took onboard comfort into account with a hull design intended to minimize rocking and rolling. “It’s a brand-new hull,” he says. “We wanted to have a running bottom that was dry, solid and stable as it goes through waves.”
The hull has a modified step, too, that runs from the chine to the first spray rail. “We wanted that stability because we’re using this hull for so many different platforms,” he says.
I thought the 38 VTR felt well-balanced when we took her out in a southeasterly 3-foot chop with a lingering northeast swell. The boat had minimal bow rise and responsive handling, with the centerline ventilated tunnel helping to deliver a smooth ride. The deck stayed dry, the deep gunwales made us feel secure, and the twin 300-hp Mercury Verado outboards powered us up to 41 mph. The top speed is listed at 40 mph, but Cruisers says its testing showed a max speed of 46 mph. Cruising at 33 mph will get you nearly 279 miles, a nice range for an adventure, say, from the Cruisers facility in Oconto, Wisconsin, across Green Bay to explore the islands of Door County.
An optional Thule hardtop rack holds bikes, kayaks, paddleboards and the like. Anglers can order extra rod holders or a rocket launcher. Wakeboarders may want a tow bar and transom bench seat. Sun worshipers likely will go for the aft-facing sun lounge. Families with a lot of gear to stow might opt for the aft sun pad with extra stowage underneath. “That’s what’s great about the modules,” VanGrunsven says. “You can get it spec’d for how you want to use the boat.”
No matter how the 38 VTR is set up, the helm is, of course, the command center. A single 9-inch Simrad display is standard, but the boats I got aboard had tricked out that setup with the upgrade to dual 15-inch Simrad Ultrawide displays. They provided all the real-time information I needed, from engine data to navigation, radar and entertainment systems.
Folding table serves two rows of seats, including the helm bench with reversible backrests.
Maneuvering in tight quarters or holding position with the Skyhook feature was easy with Mercury’s Joystick Piloting. Our crew also enjoyed listening to our favorite tunes on the Rockford Fosgate stereo system. The icemaker and refrigerator options (on deck and below) kept drinks cold and close by, as did the optional Yeti cooler underneath the bow lounge. I liked the way an optional table at the bow converts into another large sunpad, giving anyone who cruises with family or friends several spaces for people to spread out around the boat.
And the 38 VTR can bring all that fun to lots of locales. Cruisers lists bridge clearance to the top of the mast light at 12 feet, 2 inches, which should make this model worth a look for boaters who have to navigate fixed spans near their home ports. Draft is only 3 feet with the engines down, giving this boat shallow-water cruising access. And with the engines up, draft shrinks to 1 foot, 11 inches, making near-beach anchoring a breeze for island cruising.
Some of the components and equipment that Cruisers includes as standard are a fuel overflow recovery system, LED lighting, a tilt steering wheel, bilge pumps with high-water alarms, a trio of handheld fire extinguishers, and a wireless phone charging pad.
Additional options and upgrades can help to set this boat up for various styles of cruising. They include an anchor washdown system, bow thruster, freshwater cockpit washdown system, underwater lights, transom shower and transom boarding gates.
Thule hardtop racks hold kayaks and paddleboards.
The options that call my name all relate to water-skiing, paddleboarding, mountain biking and camping, activities that have always been a part of my life, and that this boat could help me take to the next level—while at the same time giving me the option to do nothing but relax and hang out on that bow sunpad. That’s a truly versatile boat, one that would let me cruise according to my mood and yet always have everything I would need.
With the 38 VTR, Cruisers Yachts packed in performance and safety features for going a good bit of distance, and created the space to carry all the toys, gear and provisions that most boat owners will need and want.
I understand why the builder says this boat is designed for adventure, but I think what Cruisers achieved with this new series goes beyond that. This model, in my opinion, is not just adventure ready. It’s adventure inspiring.
LOA: 41’11”
Beam: 11’10”
Draft (motors down): 3’
Fuel: 233 gals.
Water: 50 gals.
Weight (dry): 15,146 lbs.
Base power: (2) 300-hp Mercury Verados
Top speed: 40 mph
Cruise speed: 33 mph
February 2026
