Mike Riding and Rod Jermain introduced the design through Alajuela Yacht Corp. in 1974. Production continued through 1985. What began as a personal project—eight hulls, six to sell and two to keep—grew into a small production run that ultimately reached 81 completed yachts. Over the decades, the boat has developed a cult following among cruisers drawn to her sweeping lines and unexpectedly strong performance.
Design Heritage and Concept
The Alajuela 38 descends directly from Atkin’s Ingrid 38 ketch, itself derived from Archer’s conventional double-enders, a tradition that began a century earlier with his rescue-boat hulls.
Riding and Jermain, both professionals in the Southern California boating scene, started the venture to build a boat for themselves. They named it after the Costa Rican town where Riding had met his companion. Production began shortly after the Westsail 32 helped fuel a boom in cruising boats, and many owners came to regard the Alajuela as a more sophisticated version of that archetype.
John Kretschmer captured the distinction well: although the Alajuela is a double-ender, she is a different beast—slim and graceful rather than strong and combative—and she will outperform the Westsail under sail.
Hull and Construction
The Alajuela measures 46 feet overall and 38 feet on deck, with a waterline length of 32 feet 7 inches. Displacement is 27,000 pounds, including 10,000 pounds of lead ballast. Beam is 11 feet 6 inches, draft is 5 feet 7 inches, and bridge clearance is 54 feet.
The hull is a one-piece, hand-laid fiberglass shell. Its thickness ranges from 3/4 inch near the bilges to 1/2 inch at the topsides. There are no interior liners; all interior wood is bonded directly to the hull.
The plywood-reinforced hull-to-deck joint remains one of the best in the business, while the bronze fittings made by Alajuela are a particular highlight. Developing the tooling was a lengthy process: building the plug and pulling the moulds took three years, followed by nearly two more years for the deck tooling.
Thanks to sturdy construction and sound engineering, factory-finished boats have aged remarkably well. Alajuela also sold hull-and-deck kits for owners to complete themselves.
Rig, Hull Shape, and Performance
Where the Ingrid tended to bury her bow, the Alajuela uses a sharper entry that helps in light winds, a flatter run aft, and greater buoyancy forward above the waterline.
The rig carries 8 percent more sail than the Ingrid’s, bringing the sail-area-to-displacement ratio close to that of performance cruisers such as the Valiant 40. The design’s potential showed in practice when the Alajuela 38 Wathena placed second overall in the notoriously fickle 1976 Newport to Ensenada race. She finished well ahead of every cruising boat of comparable size and displacement.
The Mark II revision replaced the long wooden bowsprit with a shorter, compact aluminum wishbone and reduced the J measurement by 12 inches. These changes addressed the difficulty of sourcing suitable wood for bowsprits and coamings.
Accommodation and Versions
The Alajuela 38 was built in two versions: Mark I and Mark II. The later Mark II added a three-inch taller cabin, fiberglass cockpit coamings, a rear propane storage locker, and aluminum watertight compartment doors.
Headroom throughout is a generous 6 feet 4 inches. The interior consists of wood joinery bonded directly to the hull. Together with the boat’s 11-foot-6-inch beam, the layout creates a voluminous interior on a steady platform. Its 54-foot bridge clearance suits most coastal passages.
Known Issues
Most problems that arise on these yachts are typically simple to resolve. The main point for buyers to keep in mind is that owner-completed kit boats can vary in finish quality. Their interiors were built from wood bonded to the hull rather than from moulded liners, so the standard of execution depends on the original builder.
Verdict
The Alajuela 38 is a thoughtfully evolved double-ender. She retains Archer’s seaworthy pedigree while avoiding the sluggish manners often associated with the type. Her appeal lies in both her sweeping appearance and her performance under sail.
Pros
- Slim, graceful hull that outperforms the Westsail 32 and Ingrid 38 under sail
- One-piece, hand-laid hull with a plywood-reinforced deck joint and fine bronze hardware
- Light-air aptitude from the sharper entry and 8 percent more sail than the Ingrid
- Mark II improvements include greater cabin height, watertight doors, and a more practical bowsprit
Cons
- Only 81 were built, so used-market choice is limited
- Owner-finished kit boats may have uneven interior workmanship
