Design Brief & Intent
The Andrews 39 was conceived to excel in both corrected-time and boat-for-boat level racing, a highly challenging brief that required maximizing upwind speed and form stability under the restrictive IOR rule. While many contemporary designs of the era sacrificed hull manners to "cheat" the rule, Andrews focused on a balanced hull form with fine forward sections, powerful mid-ship geometry, and a relatively low freeboard to minimize windage and weight. To challenge dominant designs of the era, such as the Rod Johnstone-designed J/41 or the various Joubert/Nivelt creations, Andrews and Dencho Marine pushed construction technology to the absolute limit.
Unlike the production fiberglass cruisers of its day, the Andrews 39 was built using vacuum-bagged, aircraft-grade composites. The hull laminates utilized carbon fiber inner skins and unidirectional S-glass outer skins laid over a high-density Divinycell foam core. To handle the immense rigging and keel loads without adding unnecessary laminate weight, the builder engineered an internal aluminum H-frame structural grid. This grid directly accepted the mast, keel, and engine loads, distributing the stresses evenly across the hull.
The interior finish reflects its dual-purpose pedigree. Rather than the heavy, hand-rubbed teak joinery found in dedicated cruising boats, the Andrews 39 featured a functional, lightweight layout designed to keep weight out of the ends. Structural bulkheads were integrated into the composite matrix, and accommodation was sparse but highly practical for offshore racing, including basic berths, a functional galley, and a navigation station situated near the companionway for quick communication with the cockpit.
Variations & Configurations
While sharing the same high-performance hull mold, the few custom and semi-custom Andrews 39s built during this era featured distinct rig and stern configurations tailored to their owners' specific racing goals. The standard design featured a highly tunable fractional sloop rig, which prioritized headsail-tacking efficiency and mainsail control. However, variations quickly emerged.
The hull Impact, ordered as a near-sister to Allegiance, was configured with a powerful masthead rig and a slightly wider stern section. The masthead configuration allowed for massive spinnakers and larger raw headsails, which excelled in the downwind-dominated passages of the West Coast, such as the races to Cabo San Lucas and Hawaii. This configuration gave up some of the fractional rig's fine-tuning capability upwind but created a formidable downwind machine that won numerous Southern California IOR Championships and match-racing cups.
Sailing Performance & Handling
On the water, the Andrews 39 behaves like a highly responsive thoroughbred. Its performance metrics reflect an incredibly potent power-to-weight profile, highlighted by a sail area-to-displacement ratio of 24.1. In light air, the boat accelerates with the slightest puff, requiring minimal wetted surface to break away from standard cruiser-racers.
Upwind, the design's ballast-to-displacement ratio of 47.24% delivers exceptional stiffness. When paired with a deep, high-aspect fin keel and a balanced spade rudder, the boat tracks with remarkable precision, climbing to weather at angles that leave flatter-bottomed designs sliding sideways. However, its displacement-to-length ratio of 166.39 places it in the light-to-medium displacement category, meaning it requires active trimming and an attentive hand on the helm.
With a capsize screening ratio of 2.13 and a comfort ratio of 19.84, the boat’s motion is quick and athletic. It does not possess the slow, heavy motion of a traditional blue-water cruiser. Instead, it is an active ride that communicates hull feedback directly through the helm. While its high capsize ratio of 2.13 would technically limit it under modern, highly conservative cruising-stability indices designed for family cruisers, the boat’s offshore pedigree is proven by decades of successful Pacific Ocean crossings and demanding coastal passages.
Market Snapshot & Economics
On the brokerage market, the Andrews 39 is a rare find. Because of its limited production run, hulls change hands infrequently and primarily along the West Coast of the United States. It commands a premium among performance purists who appreciate the custom build quality of Dencho Marine and the timeless lines of Alan Andrews.
Financially, purchasing an Andrews 39 is an acquisition of a vintage racing machine. Prospective buyers should budget for the specialized refit economics associated with high-tech composite hulls of the 1980s. While the initial purchase price of these boats is often highly reasonable compared to modern grand prix racers, the cost of updating the high-fractional rigging, hydraulic backstay adjusters, and worn racing sails can quickly exceed the purchase price of the vessel. It represents an exceptional value for a buyer seeking absolute speed per dollar, provided they possess the technical appetite to maintain its systems.
Known Issues & Triage
Given the exotic materials and build techniques utilized by Dencho Marine in the early 1980s, an Andrews 39 requires a highly specialized survey before purchase. General fiberglass repair yards are often unequipped to deal with the specific failure modes of early carbon and S-glass laminates.
- Divinycell Core Delamination: Over decades of hard racing and exposure, moisture can find its way into the foam core via poorly sealed deck hardware or aftermarket through-hull installations. The hull and deck must be thoroughly sounded with a moisture meter and thermal imaging to identify areas of core rot or skin delamination, particularly around high-load chainplates and the keel trunk.
- Aluminum H-Frame Corrosion: The internal aluminum structural grid is highly susceptible to galvanic corrosion if brass, bronze, or stainless-steel plumbing fittings, bilge pump brackets, or fasteners have been left in contact with it in a damp bilge environment. Any white, powdery oxidation or pitting on the H-frame requires immediate engineering assessment and weld remediation.
- Early Composite Rudder Stocks: The Andrews 39 was one of the first designs to pioneer a composite rudder stock to save weight. Early carbon-composite stocks from this era can suffer from micro-fracturing under extreme cyclic loading or impact. The rudder should be dropped, clean-inspected, and structurally scanned to ensure there is no internal structural degradation where the stock exits the hull bearing.
Modernization & Upgrades
Modern owners of the Andrews 39 have focused on converting these early crew-heavy platforms into manageable, short-handed coastal speedsters.
- Sail Handling and Rig Conversions: The original high-aspect, multi-spreader fractional rigs often required a large, coordinated crew to handle the massive symmetric spinnakers and pole setups. Retrofitting a fixed carbon-fiber bowsprit allows for the use of modern asymmetric spinnakers and Code Zeros on top-down furlers, reducing the active foredeck crew requirement from four people down to one.
- Drivetrain and Battery Upgrades: The original diesel engines and heavy lead-acid battery banks are prime candidates for replacement. Installing lightweight lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery banks allows owners to shed hundreds of pounds of low-efficiency weight, significantly improving the boat’s trim and light-air performance.
- Running Rigging Modernization: Replacing older wire-to-rope halyards and heavy blocks with high-modulus Dyneema running rigging and modern ceramic-bearing blocks reduces aloft weight, which directly translates to improved stability and less heel.
The Verdict
The Andrews 39 remains a masterclass in early composite engineering, offering timeless performance that still easily outpaces modern production pocket-cruisers. It is not a boat for the casual dock-holiday cruiser; it demands active sailing, regular maintenance of its high-tech structural components, and a crew that respects its athletic behavior. For the dedicated sailor who wants an elegant, fast, and historic West Coast racer capable of double-handed ocean racing, the Andrews 39 is an exceptional, rare classic.
Pros
- Exceptional light-air acceleration and outstanding upwind sailing angles.
- Exotic, high-strength construction featuring carbon fiber, S-glass, and a structural aluminum H-frame.
- Timeless, aggressive Alan Andrews lines that command respect in any harbor.
- Highly responsive helm feel that provides immediate feedback to the driver.
Cons
- Extremely limited production run makes sourcing specific hull parts and historical data difficult.
- Exotic foam-core construction requires specialized, expensive marine composite yards for any major structural repairs.
- Minimal interior creature comforts compared to modern, high-volume coastal cruising designs.
- Athletic and lively motion in a seaway that can exhaust casual crews during long passages.
