Alajuela 38

The engine compartment on this boat, which is visible through a large, transparent circular hatch in the floor of the cockpit, is simply stunning. The surveyor described it as "spotless" but you would be hard pressed to find a new boat on the boatshow floor with a cleaner engine room than this one. The space is entirely finished in gloss white with systems neatly arrayed around what looks like a fresh painted, fresh out of the crate Perkins 4-108 engine and new gear. It really is immaculate and hard to imagine how the venerable Perkins and surrounding space can possibly be this clean. This boat sets the standard every boat owner should aspire to for engine compartment hygiene.

New Hurth 2:1 reversing gear with shaft, bearing and seal were installed in 2010, Six 6 volt batteries form three 12 volt pairs of "house" batteries and a single 12 volt Broup 24 starting battery is provided for the engine. Batteries are two years old. New wiring panels with a "Blue Sea" System Monitor panel were installed with all new wiring throughout the boat in 2010. A Victron Energy Phoenix 750 Watt inverter provides AC power underway. A 130 Amp alternator is installed on the engine. Two 75 Watt solar panels charge batteries and a Victron Centaur 60 Amp battery charger charges the batteries on shore power. The propeller is a Paul E. Luke feathering three blade design.

Cutter rigged Sparcraft Aluminium spars (1977) with Stainless Steel standing rigging ()

The standing and running rigging was all replaced between 2008 and 2010. The chainplates were replaced in 2010. Lifelines were replaced in 2010. The keel stepped Sparcraft mast and boom has been refinished in Awlgrip.

Three Barient 21 winches on the cabin top under the dodger for stay sail and main sheets, two Barient 27ST winches on the cockpit sides for the headsail sheets, one Lewmar 16 on the boom for reefing the main, a Barient 10H on the starboard cockpit side for furling the headsail and three Barient 21 halyard winches on the mast.

The full battened mainsail is by Neil Pryde Sails in 2008. The Genoa, Staysail and Yankee are by Nat Wilson in 1993.

Headsail is on Profurl roller furling gear.

A storm tri-sail and "spitfire" storm jib are on board but are unused from new.

12 volt battery, 7 batteries charged by: engine, solar panels, shore power

The Alajuela 38 was famously well built in Costa Mesa, California and intended for serious, off shore sailing. It is a double ended cutter rig which traces its roots back to the Colin Archer and William Atkin designs but it has been substantially refined for performance as well as blue water ability. The owner reports seeing 9 knots under sail recently (Anacortes to Port Townsend). This particular boat did three circumnavigations before the present owner purchased it thirty years ago. In those thirty years, the present owner has steadily upgraded the boat while sailing it extensively on the East Coast, including Bermuda, the Caribbean, Mexico, the West Coast and Hawaii. This boat and owner was featured on the cover of Cruising World Magazine, December 1985, with feature articles on "blue water cruising". If you have ever dreamed of sailing far off shore, this is the boat.

The hull is solid fiberglass, laid up in one piece with reinforced keel and stem which provides much better strength and rigidity compared to the more common two piece, glued together hull used on other boats. Laminations are far in excess of Lloyd's requirements and are done to a specification that would be suitable for a hull 10 to 20 feet longer.

The deck is a one piece fiberglass molding with high quality half inch plywood coring. The hull to deck joint is specially designed to lock together to form a strong, leak free joint.

10,000 pounds of lead ballast is sealed and bonded into the hull molding with mat and roving. All through hulls are bronze.

The rudder is high density foam, steel reinforced, encapsulated in fiberglass and attached with custom heavy duty manganese bronze pintles and gudgeons.

The aluminum mast is stepped on the keel. Deck hardware is heavy duty stainless steel, with two bronze anchor rollers, custom manganese bronze elliptical opening ports and custom stainless steel bow and stern pulpits as well as a stainless steel pulpit to each side of the mast. Decks and all exterior trim are teak. The tiller and Samson post are ash.

The boat was hauled for routine maintenance, bottom paint and survey in August 2013. That survey report is available.

Measurements including tank capacities quoted in this listing are based on statements of the owner and published specifications. Waterline Boats and Boatshed have not independently verified the capacities listed.

The cockpit features 7'2" seats allowing comfortable outdoor sleeping if weather permits. A custom built hard dodger forward of the cockpit provides protection from spray and weather. The center window in the dodger opens for ventilation. A circular, transparent hatch in the floor of the cockpit allows access to the aft side of the engine compartment. The companion way hatch forward features a sliding hatch protected by a custom bronze cover forward of the hard dodger.

The salon area is entered down a ladder with a nav station to port and galley to starboard. A larger door behind the ladder in the main salon provides access to the front of the engine compartment. The aft counter of the "U" shaped galley features a built in "Frigoboat" keel cooled refrigeration/freezer unit with two bays and thick insulation installed new in 2010. A Paul E. Luke Heritage two burner stove/oven on gimbals is against the starboard side and the custom deep stainless steel sink is in the forward counter. A new pump out pump is installed for the sink. A pressure water system supplies the galley and head. Hot water is provided by a six gallon water heater using AC shore power and a cooling water loop from the engine.

The salon area has a built in couch/bed to starboard (with a foot recess under the galley counter, a folding salon table with built in storage suitable for wine bottles and another built in couch/bed to port with a single berth above the couch against the port side. Forward to starboard is the head and shower compartment with a manual toilet and custom stainless steel basin.

The interior is trimmed in teak with large, opening skylights in the main salon and bow cabin. Floors are teak and holly throughout the interior. All upholstery is cloth and was recently replaced including new cushions and mattress.

2 burner propane Stove