Allied Seawind Mk II Cutter Buyer's Guide
The Allied Seawind Mk II Cutter occupies a narrow niche in the used market: of roughly 120 to 130 Mk II hulls built between 1975 and Allied's closure at the end of 1981, only 11 left the factory as cutters, the rest being ketches with a handful of sloops. Thomas Gillmer's 31'7" design carries a 14,900-pound displacement on a 25'6" waterline, a 10'5" beam, and 4'6" draft over a long keel with 5,800 pounds of internal lead. A shopper chasing a cutter-rigged example is therefore hunting a scarce variant of an already limited production run, and the boat's details reward a careful, evidence-based inspection rather than a glance at cosmetics.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most boats you will meet are the standard masthead ketch; the cutter simply moved that same mast aft about a foot and lengthened the mainsail foot, trading a slightly smaller total sail area for a single-headstay working rig. Below decks the arrangement is consistent across rigs: a V-berth forward with hanging locker and wash basin, a compact head with only toilet and shower, asymmetrical port and starboard settees in the main cabin, a drop-down table from the forward bulkhead, and an aft galley with deep sink. The one layout shortfall cited in period review is the absence of any navigation station, so a buyer who wants a dedicated chart desk will need to adapt the quarter berth or settee space. Later hulls (those built after the yard's 1979 interior update) show the best-finished cabins of the Allied line.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Consequence-driven equipment on these boats clusters around power, deck hardware, and sail handling. The standard four-cylinder Westerbeke 27 diesel (some early spec sheets name a Vire) lives under the cockpit sole and was original fit; an optional anchor windlass sat neatly between the two 12-inch foredeck cleats, and an Edson rack-and-pinion wheel was standard steering. For energy and ground tackle, a buyer should verify windlass presence and the condition of the welded aluminum bilge fuel tank, which some owners note lacks an inspection port. Sail handling centers on the cutter's twin headstays allowing twin downwind jibs and a bridgedeck traveler; Hood working sails were original. Comfort items include a freshwater cockpit shower recessed in the footwell and an icebox with four inches of foam — worthwhile but secondary to structural and rig checks.
What to Inspect
The bowsprit is a massive teak platform, and its double bow rollers sit so far outboard that the anchor rode chafes the pulpit stanchion when the rollers are used — examine the stanchion base and rode for wear. The fuel tank in the bilge has no inspection port per some owner reports, so confirm tank condition indirectly through fill and vent lines. Engine access was rated only fair by testers: the Westerbeke is crammed beneath the cockpit sole, demanding that the ladder and aft panel be pulled to reach the dipstick, though an oil pan keeps spills out of the bilge sump. Also check that neither the shower nor the icebox drains into the deep bilge, a factory feature worth preserving.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The cutter variant is a rare find among used Allied Seawind Mk II boats. For the cutter specifically, the short checklist is: confirm cutter rig (mast shifted aft, longer mainsail foot); inspect bowsprit roller chafe; verify fuel tank and engine access reality; check for absent nav station and plan a workaround; and prefer a post-1979 hull for interior finish. The Mk II Cutter is a rare, sturdily built Gillmer cruiser whose quirks are manageable with eyes open.
Comparable models
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