Axopar has added the 38 Sun Top to its new-generation 38 range, creating an open model around the same hull and structural platform first introduced with the 38 XC Cross Cabin. The new version is aimed at owners who want the driving behaviour and modularity of the 38 platform but prefer a cockpit that remains visually and physically connected from helm to aft deck.

The Finnish builder is presenting the Sun Top as much as a social platform as a driving machine. Instead of dividing the helm, cockpit and stern into separate zones, the layout is designed to let those functions overlap, with furniture and weather protection that can change as conditions or the number of people aboard changes.

One continuous social cockpit

The middle of the boat uses a highly configurable seating arrangement that can move between individual helm seats, a forward-facing U-sofa and a sunbed. Axopar says optional bulwark seating can bring as many as ten people into the central social area without isolating them from the helm.

At the stern, foldable activity platforms and alternative fender-box layouts extend the usable deck toward the water. This continues the brand’s long-standing focus on modular owner choices, allowing a boat used mainly for watersports to be configured differently from one expected to spend most of its time dining or entertaining at anchor.

A Sun Top that can genuinely open

The defining roof uses a large sliding canvas section that can expose the helm and cockpit when the weather is favourable. When conditions change, the same structure provides shade and shelter, with optional roll-down canopies adding further protection without turning the model into a permanently enclosed cabin boat.

That ability to change character is important for northern as well as Mediterranean owners. An open boat may be ideal in warm weather, but useful season length often depends on how quickly the crew can create shelter when wind, rain or temperature make a completely exposed cockpit less appealing.

Shared engineering with the 38 XC

Beneath the different deck architecture is the same twin-stepped V hull used for the 38 XC Cross Cabin. Axopar says the platform combines a sharp entry with an extensive internal stringer system, revised hydrodynamics and improved weight distribution to deliver predictable handling across a wide speed range.

Using one engineered platform for several body styles also gives the yard manufacturing advantages. Hull development, major structural work and handling characteristics can be shared, while deck modules and weather protection create clearly different use cases for buyers without requiring a completely separate model from the keel up.

Noise and comfort are part of the redesign

Axopar says structural rigidity and revised engineering have also been used to reduce transmitted noise, an increasingly important issue as fast day boats become more comfortable and owners spend longer periods aboard. The intention is to keep conversation and relaxation realistic even when the boat is travelling rather than only when it is anchored.

That focus reflects the way this category has evolved. Buyers still expect speed and direct handling, but they are increasingly unwilling to accept the harsh ride, high noise levels and limited protection once associated with performance-oriented open boats.

A second identity for the new 38

The 38 Sun Top arrives after the enclosed 38 XC, giving Axopar two very different expressions of the same new platform. One prioritises all-weather enclosure and cabin-like protection, while the other keeps the social deck open and adaptable for warm-weather operation.

The strategy allows owners to choose by lifestyle rather than simply by equipment list. If the new 38 platform performs as intended across both versions, Axopar can broaden the range further without diluting the handling and construction characteristics that are meant to define this generation.

One platform, different weather philosophies

The 38 Sun Top demonstrates why Axopar is investing heavily in shared platforms rather than isolated models. By keeping the same underlying hull and engineering as the enclosed 38 XC, the builder can offer a radically different open-air experience without asking owners to accept a completely different handling character, structural philosophy or service package.

That approach also makes the choice between models easier to understand. A northern European owner may prefer the XC for protection, while a Mediterranean buyer may choose the Sun Top for openness and direct access to the water. Both are buying into the same 38-generation engineering. If the platform proves successful, further derivatives can extend the range while preserving a consistent driving identity.