At 37 feet 3 inches overall, she’s a masthead sloop with a lead-ballasted fin keel. Her numbers place her firmly among heavy-displacement offshore cruisers rather than light weekend racers.
Design and Construction
Alpa Cantieri built the Alpa 38 in fiberglass, with a lead fin keel drawing roughly five feet, depending on load. She displaces nearly 18,000 pounds and carries 7,620 pounds of lead ballast, for a ballast ratio of 42 percent.
Her 11-foot-2-inch beam produces a length-to-beam ratio of 3.33, giving her a comparatively narrow, purposeful hull form. A displacement-to-length ratio of 397 puts her among ultra-heavy cruisers. Her motion comfort ratio of 36.6 suggests the easy, settled motion that long-passage sailors value over a lively turn of speed.
A capsize screening value of 1.71 and a wetted surface area of nearly 333 square feet complete the picture: this is a boat intended to carry a load and stand up to weather rather than win line honors.
Rig and Performance
The Alpa 38’s masthead rig carries a reference sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 14.0, rising to 16.6 with a 135 percent genoa. She carries more rig than 46 percent of similar sailboats.
The standing and running rigging dimensions are generous for a 38-footer. The mainsail, genoa, and spinnaker halyards each run just over 101 feet and are half an inch in diameter. The mainsheet is 93 feet long, while the genoa sheets are 37 feet long. All are sized for secure loads rather than minimum weight.
Calculated maximum speed is about 6.3 knots, compared with a theoretical displacement-hull speed of 7.0 knots. An immersion rate of roughly 1,063 pounds per inch means she sits heavily and changes trim slowly as gear is added. These figures describe a boat that favors stability and carrying capacity over rapid acceleration.
Accommodations and Layout
The Alpa 38 measures just over 37 feet overall, with a 27-foot-3-inch waterline and an 11-foot-2-inch beam. Her interior volume is governed by her heavy-cruiser displacement rather than a stretched contemporary plan. Buyers interested in the layout should inspect individual boats.
Verdict
The Alpa 38 is a fiberglass, heavy-displacement Sparkman & Stephens cruiser built by Alpa Cantieri. With her lead fin keel and a masthead rig generously sized for her length, her numbers describe a stable, comfortable offshore boat rather than a swift racer.
Pros
- Heavy-displacement hull, with a displacement-to-length ratio of 397 and a 42 percent ballast ratio, for offshore stability
- Generous masthead rig, with more sail area than 46 percent of similar boats
- Lead fin keel drawing about five feet, practical for most marinas
- Comfort-oriented motion profile, with a motion comfort ratio of 36.6
Cons
- Modest calculated top speed of 6.3 knots, compared with a theoretical hull speed of 7.0 knots
- Production span and total hull count aren’t stated
