32' Allied Seawind II Cutter -New Owner Impressions

[Seawindii]

I have appreciated the depth of archived information in this forum and the knowledge shared by those contributors who are out there doing it. As an introduction I thought I might put some thoughts down regarding my recent purchase, as I keep running into this recurring theme of bluewater capability.

Admittedly I am still in the honeymoon stage so you can call this a biased review, but I wanted to offer first impressions of the 32' Allied Seawind Cutter. Maybe others considering a boat of similar style and vintage might find this helpful.

I spent a lot of years sailing on Lake Texoma -where the Valiants were built. I was in a Cal 9.2 at the time, a broachy, lightweight Ron Holland IOR design that seemed to occupy the opposite end of the sailing spectrum. I was instantly in awe of the Valiants. Robust, purpose built, no BS. Exactly what mine was not. But I was sailing on a lake with fluky winds so there was nothing wrong with what I had, just that after getting to know the Valiants my personal vision of what a sailboat should be changed drastically.

Fast forward to present day. Boatless, young family, new life in NYC. Time for a new boat.

I went looking for my own Valiant. By that I mean a boat that mimicked the attributes I admired in the Valiants. Tough, dry, stable, cutter rigged, reputable, capable of long passages. But my Valiant had to be cheap, therefore it could not be a Valiant.

My search led me to the Allied's -first a sexy Seabreeze yawl, then to the husky Seawind. I purchased a rare cutter version, freshwater since new in 1977 (even rarer) unadorned with obsolete aftermarket junk. She had no furling, no radar, late 70's gauges, factory upgraded interior, a fastidious owner since new, and a solid bowsprit. A beginner Valiant.

What struck me initially about the Seawind was her heft and feeling of security. Full keel, pronounced sheer, high bulwarks and a loaded weight pushing 8 tons plays into this general sense that she can take on just about anything thrown at her. On my first sail I remember thinking this is what offshore capable means. The cockpit is big, admittedly, but it is nice to have a big cockpit on a smallish boat. With no pilot berth it also means I have cavernous (to me) cockpit lockers. The direct quadrant steering wheel is a quirk that is all function over form but I have grown to appreciate it's tiller like control.

The winds in the Sound this spring have been good and we have been out every weekend for the last month. I have used only the high cut yankee with stays'l and full batten main. We have seen 5-10 knot winds where we move along just fine at 3.5 to 5 knots, to 20 knot winds and 7+ knots where I haven't had the slightest urge to reef. She tracks true with little need to be constantly on the helm and seems to point decent enough. What's all this about heavy, full keel boats I keep asking myself. But I researched this enough to know the Allied's were spirited sailors so I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be the case. In my opinion a sailboat needs to be able to sail well in both light and heavy winds.

The sails are hanked on, which seems to suit her style and doesn't present much of a management problem given their relatively small size. I purchased a jib bag so all sails stay in place. We cook most every night we are on the boat. The alcohol stove/oven works fine. We have all the comforts we seem to need -pressure water, good shower, good music, good tankage and tons of storage.

There are many upgrades being considered -furling, radar, Instruments, windvane steering, propane. But at the moment none of these things are detracting from my enjoyment of the boat. By the same token I am under no illusion that after a year of wrestling with hanked on headsails, that that view won't change. What is clear, however, is that this is a long distance bluewater cruiser. It is not as easy to jump on board and be off like in my old boat. Furling WOULD help but I am still on the fence about it. I am adjusting to the reduced maneuverability of the full keel when leaving the mooring under sail and when docking but as far as I can tell the benefits of this hull design far outweigh any disadvantages. One thing is certain, however, once she is dialed in she is solid as a rock and sails beautifully. I have never been truly offshore but I could picture a solo run to Bermuda in this boat and be confident in doing it.

So in the final analysis, the Seawind has lived up to my expectations. Some wouldn't "get it" but for anyone with offshore aspirations on a budget, the Seawind is a great, safe cruising platform worth consideration. We are off to Block Island and points beyond in August as we gradually begin to stretch our horizons. With a young family I have the confidence I need in my boat to take us wherever we want to go and to do it in safety and comfort. My definition of bluewater capable.

If anyone wants to know more about the Seawind I will gladly provide any information I can.

[Sharkbait Steve]

Hello, I'm wondering if you still have your Seawind and what's your opinion of her now? I'm thinking seriously of making an offer on a Seawind II ketch and am trying to learn as much as I can about them. Thanks

[Seawindii]

Originally Posted by Sharkbait Steve

Hello, I'm wondering if you still have your Seawind and what's your opinion of her now? I'm thinking seriously of making an offer on a Seawind II ketch and am trying to learn as much as I can about them. Thanks

I do still own her and she is now on the west coast of Canada where she is a rare bird among the fleet. All comments above still seem legit today. I upgraded the electrical system and replaced all the plumbing lines and she's getting a new dodger in the spring. Added a CPT autopilot. Next will be windlass.

I was lucky to find a lightly used freshwater boat that was only used a few months of the year and stored indoors. For me it really came down to condition. All old boats are projects so I set out looking for the cleanest old boat I could find and glad I did. I still did a lot of work on her but there were no big surprises.

Really happy with size for family of three. I have no inclination to look for anything different. She is as safe and stable as I imagined and I keep buying her more stuff.

Poor engine access is a common complaint but there are ways around that. If the job is too hard I pay for someone else to do it, while I do all the easy stuff myself! The bigger issue for me was going from a mooring or anchor, which is how we always sailed on the east coast, to a marina on the west coast. Reversing a full keel boat with a barn door rudder for the first time in an unfamiliar marina is an experience to behold. You may already be aware but it's a pain in the ass and you'll come up with your own methods that work for you. She's meant to be at sea and not a damn marina as they say. But when she's dialed in on a 15kn beam and the sun is glistening off the water you forget about all their little blemishes.

Hope you make the right call, whatever it is!

[MarkSF]

If the engine access is anything like that on my Bristol 31.1, consider a remote oil filter. I put one in and have never looked back.