Allied Seawind Mk II Cutter Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull is hand-laid fiberglass with a substantial lay-up, well supported by full and partial bulkheads bonded in with cloth and resin, and the deck and cabin are a balsa-cored composite. The hull-to-deck joint uses an outward-turning flange on both parts, bolted through with marine adhesive between them and finished inside with glass reinforcement and outside with a heavy aluminum extrusion. Ballast is an internal lead casting of 5,800 pounds glassed into the long keel, and all hardware is through-bolted with backing plates. The mast is deck-stepped and carried below by a substantial wood compression frame running into the bilge. The builder claimed the boat was built to exceed Lloyds AAA specifications, and the capsize screening value of 1.69 sits under the 2.00 threshold used to judge offshore capability, with a lower figure indicating a more stable vessel.

Rig and Handling

The cutter rig shares the ketch's mainmast shifted aft about a foot, with a longer-footed mainsail and a slightly longer foretriangle base than the ketch; total sail area of the cutter works out to slightly less than that of the ketch rig. Twin headstays on either rig permit twin downwind jibs. The mainsheet traveler sits on the bridgedeck. The rudder is a large barn-door style hung on a long keel, and the builder promoted maximum directional stability and surprising stiffness, with fast light-air performance and good windward ability. Writing in Practical Sailor, reviewers noted that due to the long keel and dated rudder the boat can be slow to tack, yet performs well once the apparent wind rises above eight knots.

Accommodations

Below, the forward cabin holds a V-berth, hanging locker, and wash basin, with drawers, bins, and a stainless holding tank beneath. The head is small, containing only toilet and shower, while the main cabin has asymmetrical settees and a table dropping from the forward bulkhead. The galley is aft, with a deep sink fed by both pressure and manual freshwater, and an icebox insulated four inches with a well-gasketed top. Latter-day hulls showed the best-finished interiors of any Allied boats the testers had seen, and the headroom runs 6'2". Notably, there is no navigation station in the layout.

Known Issues

The anchor rollers sit so far outboard on the massive teak bowsprit that the rode tends to chafe the pulpit stanchion when used. Some owners have complained that the welded aluminum fuel tank in the bilge lacks an inspection port. Engine access is fair at best: the Westerbeke 27 diesel is crammed beneath the cockpit sole, requiring the companionway steps and the panel behind them to be taken out before the oil can be checked, though an oil pan prevents spills reaching the bilge sump.

Refits and Ownership

Standard steering was an Edson rack-and-pinion on the rudderhead, and a freshwater cockpit shower is recessed in the footwell. The narrow companionway and through-bolted deck fittings with bronze seacocks speak to a robust original spec; later owners benefit from a wide cabin house and lifelines standing 30 inches off the deck. The absence of a nav station is the one recurring interior criticism, and the cutter's slightly reduced sail plan versus the ketch is a minor trade for a simpler rig.

The Verdict

The Seawind Mk II Cutter is a thoughtfully evolved Gillmer cruiser: heavier and roomier than the original, built with conservative Hudson River fiberglass work and a lead-keeled long-keel hull that scores well on stability metrics. It is an able moderate-wind performer with a practical if quirky interior, held back by tight engine access and a few rig/deck details that need owner attention.

Pros

Internal lead ballast glassed into a long keel; capsize screening under offshore threshold
Balsa-cored deck, through-bolted hardware, robust hull-deck flange
Asymmetrical settees, 6'2" headroom, well-insulated icebox, aft galley
Tall 30-inch lifelines and substantial toe rail for deck safety

Cons