Allied built 130 Mk IIs. Most had the standard ketch rig, while the total also included 11 cutters and five sloops.
Design and Construction
The Mk II stretches 31 feet 7 inches on the waterline-derived hull, with a 10 foot 5 inch beam and a modest 4 foot 6 inch draft over a modified full keel. It displaces 14,900 pounds and carries 5,800 pounds of ballast, placing it in the medium-displacement class. Its displacement-to-waterline-length ratio is 401, and its beam-to-length ratio is .328.
The capsize screening value is 1.69, below the 2.00 threshold for offshore capability; a lower figure indicates a more stable boat. That number is consistent with the builder’s description of the ketch as surprisingly stiff and stable.
The hull is solid fiberglass, while the deck and cabin top are cored with end-grain balsa. Allied built the boat by hand on the Hudson River and claimed that the layup exceeded Lloyds AAA specifications. All fittings are through-deck bolted with backup plates and stainless-steel washers. An extra-heavy-duty extruded aluminum rub rail caps the hull-to-deck joint.
The lead ballast is encapsulated. A large, heavy, barn-door-style rudder is mounted on the attached skeg.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig is standard, with Hood working sails and covers supplied as standard; a cutter rig was optional. The optional cutter and sloop rigs reused the ketch’s mainmast, shifted aft about a foot. On the cutter, the mainsail foot is longer and the foretriangle base slightly larger, yet its total sail area is a touch less than the ketch’s 555 square feet. Double headstays on either rig allow twin downwind jibs.
With more than 500 square feet of working sail area against 14,900 pounds of displacement, the builder promoted superior performance on all points of sail, especially to windward. It also described the boat as fast even in light airs, with maximum directional stability from the long-keel hull.
Steering is by an Edson rack-and-pinion system mounted directly on the rudderstock head, operated through a custom teak-and-bronze wheel. The best mainsheet arrangement places a traveler on the bridgedeck.
Practical Sailor noted that the lifeline stanchions and pulpits stand 30 inches off the deck, rather than the usual 24 inches. At the bow, a massive teak bowsprit forms a platform with an attached pulpit and double bow rollers at its end.
Accommodations
The forward cabin contains a V-berth, hanging locker, and washbasin. Drawers, bins, and a large stainless-steel holding tank fit beneath the berth. The small head contains only the toilet and shower, while the main-cabin settees are arranged asymmetrically around the central table.
The later Mk II interiors were the best finished of any Allied boats the testers had seen. These boats had generous teak inside and out, 5-inch foam cushions, and a head and shower with a separate vanity. Headroom is 6 foot 2 inches.
The icebox has four inches of urethane-foam insulation and a well-gasketed lid. The deep sink has both pressure and manual freshwater supplies. Neither the shower nor the icebox drains into the deep bilge, a welcome separation that limits the risk of contamination below.
Machinery and Equipment
The Westerbeke 27-horsepower diesel sits beneath the cockpit. Testers rated engine access as fair: checking the oil requires removing the companionway ladder and the bulkhead panel behind it. An oil pan beneath the engine keeps spills out of the bilge sump.
An anchor windlass was optional and fit neatly between the two 12-inch foredeck cleats. Standard equipment included Awlgrip-painted spars, ten bronze opening ports with screens, solid bronze seacocks, full engine instrumentation, and a custom electrical panel. Those items are worth verifying on any candidate boat.
Known Issues
Some owners reported that the welded aluminum bilge fuel tank lacks an inspection port.
The double bow rollers are mounted so far outboard that the anchor rode tends to chafe against the pulpit stanchion when in use.
The Verdict
The Seawind Mk II is a thoughtfully evolved Gillmer cruiser: heavier and roomier than the original, built to a claimed standard above Lloyds AAA, and equipped with a sea-kindly ketch rig and stability figures suitable for offshore sailing.
Its faults are few and mostly minor—a fuel tank without inspection access and an anchor-roller arrangement prone to chafe. For a couple or small family seeking a traditional, hand-built American ketch with a genuine circumnavigation pedigree in its lineage, the Mk II remains a credible bluewater prospect.
Pros
- Capsize screening value of 1.69, below the 2.00 offshore threshold
- Standard ketch rig, with cutter and sloop options using the same mast
- Solid fiberglass hull, balsa-cored deck, and through-bolted fittings
- Shower and icebox drains kept separate from the deep bilge
- Later interiors rated by testers as the best finished among Allied boats
Cons
- Bilge fuel tank without an inspection port, according to some owners
- Anchor rode prone to chafing against the pulpit stanchion at the outboard bow rollers
- Fair engine access, requiring removal of the ladder and a panel to check the oil
