Built by Alajuela Yacht Corp., this 38-foot-LOD cutter displaces 27,000 pounds and carries 10,000 pounds of lead ballast. Many regard it as a more sophisticated take on the Westsail 32 that inspired the late-1970s cruising boom.
Design Lineage and Hull Form
The Mk II remains a conventional double-ender, but its parentage is specific. Its hull lines came from the Ingrid 38, itself descended from Archer’s century-earlier lifeboat concept.
Mike Riding and Rod Jermain initiated the Alajuela project. The name came from Riding’s intention to cruise with a partner he had met in the Costa Rican town of Alajuela.
Compared with the Ingrid, the Alajuela 38 gained a sharper entry that helps her in light winds and a flatter run aft. Greater buoyancy was also added forward above the waterline to counter the Ingrid’s tendency to bury her bow. The rig carries 8% more canvas than the Ingrid’s, bringing the sail-area-to-displacement ratio close to that of performance cruisers such as the Valiant 40.
Construction and Mk II Changes
The one-piece hull is built from hand-laid fibreglass. Its thickness ranges from 3/4 inch near the bilges to 1/2 inch at the topsides. There are no interior liners; everything inside is wood adhered to the hull.
The hull-to-deck junction, reinforced with plywood, is among the better ones in the trade. The bronze fixtures were made in Alajuela, and they deserve notice. Factory-built boats have aged remarkably well, thanks to sturdy construction and sound engineering.
Tooling took considerable time: three years to build the plug and pull the moulds, followed by nearly two more years for the deck tooling. The Mk II’s changes also addressed the difficulty of sourcing high-quality wood for bowsprits and combings. The bowsprit changed from wood to aluminium, while the combings changed from wood to fibreglass.
Rig, Handling, and Performance
For the Mk II, Alajuela shortened the bowsprit and lowered the J measurement by 12 inches, replacing the lengthy wooden spar with the compact aluminium wishbone.
John Kretschmer characterized the Alajuela 38 as a different beast even among double-enders: slim and graceful rather than strong and combative, yet still able to out-sail the Westsail 32.
The sharper entry and flatter aft sections give the boat an edge in light air. The hull Wathena demonstrated that ability by taking second place in the notoriously fickle 1976 Newport to Ensenada race and finishing far ahead of cruising boats with comparable size and displacement.
Accommodations and Interior Finish
Raising the Mk II’s cabin three inches above the Mark I’s provided 6 feet 4 inches of headroom below. The aft propane locker and aluminium watertight doors are practical cruising modifications.
Because there are no moulded liners, the interior consists largely of bespoke woodwork adhered to the shell. Alajuela also offered the boat as a hull-and-deck kit for owner completion, so interior fit and finish can vary widely between factory-built and amateur-finished examples.
Production and Ownership
Production of the Alajuela 38 ran from 1974 to 1985. A total of 81 hulls were produced, with 30 finished by 1978; the Mk II appeared as a later variant.
The marque developed a cult following among owners drawn to its sweeping lines, immaculate engineering, and unexpectedly strong performance. Most problems that surface are typically simple to resolve.
The Verdict
The Alajuela 38 Mk II is a thoughtfully evolved double-ender. It retains Archer’s seaworthy profile while sailing markedly better than its Westsail-era peers. Its one-piece hull, plywood-reinforced deck joint, and raised cabin make it a durable, livable bluewater cruiser with real light-air pace.
Pros
- Sharper entry and flatter run provide genuine light-wind performance
- One-piece, hand-laid hull with no liners and a reinforced deck joint
- Additional headroom, watertight doors, and a shorter, more practical bowsprit on the Mk II
Cons
- The kit-built option resulted in uneven interior finish among owner-completed boats
- Long tooling process
