Alajuela 33

[Christine E]

Hello All, 

New to this group and have been skimming the threads as we are going to look at and, if all goes well, purchase an Alajuela 33 in a few days. We have also been mining the internet for what little nuggets of information we can find about these boats.  We would love to hear some first hand accounts from Ala 33 owners. What do you love about them? What do not like so much? 

We will most likely be doing our own survey at her current price point so would appreciate any tips on things specific to these vessels to look for. We know blisters happen with many older boats and a few are fine but has anyone had severe blistering issues?  I read on another forum that there perhaps some issues with the chainplate tabbing. Do there seem to be any common problems that have popped up over the years?

We really love the lines and layout of these sailboats and hope to be aboard one soon. Thanks in advance for feedback!

Christine & Eric

[Greg Campbell]

Hi Christine and Eric,

I own hull number 7, "Mico", based in Australia.  I've made some comments which might be helpful if you look up "The Alajuela 33, fifty years on" in the cruisers and sailing forum.  These boats were heavily built and I haven't heard of blistering being a problem.  Apart from the locker wall tabbing at the chainplates, one other item to check is the stainless waterline bobstay fitting. This has been known to suffer crevice corrosion or corrosion caused by stray current from poorly installed/maintained nav lights or anchor winch.  Since the fuel tank can't be drained, fuel problems have also been an issue, but easily rectified by simple steps.  If you buy a boat which has been unused for a while I'd strongly suggest you pump out and responsibly dispose of all the diesel and use a small suction pump, preferably guided by a tube camera, to get out any sludge sitting in the bottom of the tank.  Change the fuel filters, add Fuel Doctor or similar at the required rate to the new fuel, and for any periods you're not using the boat try and leave the fuel tank full to minimise condensation. We continue to enjoy extensive coastal cruising in "Mico" and happily live aboard for weeks and months - a real little jeep of the ocean.

Cheers

Greg

[Christine E]

Thanks so much for the info and advice. I believe we may be getting hull number 6 if all goes well. She is definitely in need of a lot of cosmetic repair about which the current owner has been very forthcoming. We did already find and read your post in the cruisers and sailing forum which has been one of the most helpful nuggets. We also saw Mico in a YouTube video. Thanks again and we will update with the outcome.

Christine

[Shaun Sims]

Hi Greg,

Saw your post to the couple in the states and wondered how you were travelling.

Ladybird is up on the slips at the moment getting some new antifouling, engines serviced and installing a prodder on the bow to get the spinnaker further out.

Just finished our second day returning home looking like chimney sweeps. Forgotten what a crappy time it is ha!

When we go back in the water we will be prepping for a sail down to Townsville where a couple we know will travel down on the train and meet us there. We then head 280 nm east into the coral sea to East Diamond Island. Then island hope back to Holmes Reef 210 nm east of Cairns. It will be a twelve day trip from East Diamond to Holmes. 

I was unaware that there were atolls and islands that far out but they look fantastic and we’ll use it as a trial long distance run before we sail down to Sydney next year .

You can find info about cruising out there on youtube. It looks pretty impressive and sailing out from Townsville and then north means that we’ll have the SE behind us all the way.

Keep safe,

Kind regards,

Shaun & Robin

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[chewt...@bigpond.com]

Gidday Shaun,

Nice to hear from you and your sailing plans sound exciting.  I’ll check out the places you mention.

Mico is still parked down in Hobart, being looked after by one of my crew mates who lives there.  We tried a short winter cruise but things way too cold down there.  No wonder you see diesel heaters on most of the American boats.  Marie and I are next aboard in late November for 3 weeks poking about in the lovely sheltered nooks of south-eastern Tassie.  We’ll fly home for Christmas then in mid-January with two mates I’ll sail around the south and west, visiting Port Davey, Macquarie Harbour and King Island en route back to Adelaide.  That is the mildest time of year but big weather delays can still occur and things can change quickly so we’ll be well prepared.

Marie and I recently spent a week on Magnetic Island where I crewed on a mate’s race boat for MI Race Week.  Great sailing, although in very light airs for the week and we were a bit undercanvassed, especially downwind.  Last year in a bit more wind we came second in our division of 14 boats, but this year tied for fourth.  Hopefully back for another crack next year.

One of my crew you met at Yorkeys, Steve Francis, has bought a 40 foot Hansie at Pittwater and he and his wife have been getting stuff done to it and learning to sail it with the plan to head north next year.  I’ll probably do Sydney to Brisbane with them to get them into the cruising rhythm of it all, and then maybe a northern leg matching into MIRW. Broad plans at this point anyhow.

Say hi to Robyn and I hope you both enjoy the wilder waters of the reef.

Cheers

Greg

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[Christine E]

All went well and hull number 6 "2nd Wind" is officially ours!  
o 

[Zak]

Does anyone know what became of the Alajuela 33 that recently sold on the Great Lakes?  I can't remember it's name, but it was something about music.  The boat was well equipped with a windvane and had been upgraded with a Yanmar.   I began watching that boat several years ago hoping it would still be available when I got close to retirement.  Unfortunately, I believe it sold during the covid period and I was just wondering if it still on the Great Lakes.

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[John Vallely]

I have a 33 built in '79. Never had blisters. As has been mentioned, the lower bobstay was badly corroded at the terminal and was the first thing I replaced when I bought the boat in '09. It's been pretty solid, and the chainplate tabbing hasn't been a problem in my case. The icebox had only 2" of poured insulation, which I later rebuilt with 4" when I added refrigeration. The deck scuppers are half-inch hoses running inside the hull to 90-degree L's at the waterline through-hulls, and they constantly plug up--not a major problem but the only regular problem that comes to mind. The hull design that makes them relatively fast also makes them a little more susceptible to rolling.  Expect to replace any original hoses by now. I also added a dedicated starter battery and an automatic charging relay. I've been able to make do with the original breaker panel but the original push-button breakers are no longer made so replacements won't match--again, not a huge deal. I ditched the rack and pinion steering in favor of a tiller, which is a little heavy but I like it better than a wheel. All in all it's a been pretty solid boat and it gets a fair amount of compliments at the dock.

[Andrew in Alaska]

Hi all!  I guess we hit the "jackpot" with our beauty - Arctic Tern.   She's a 33 and we had severe blistering, which we discovered when we hauled her out to repaint. We purchased it in April 2016, and our honeymoon was spent grinding out about a thousand blisters, reglassing, and then epoxy primer and paint.   I'm glad to hear no one else has experienced this...it wasn't fun, but at least our marriage lasted! 

Our boat is need of a complete refit and upgrades.  Unfortunately life happened (house renovations) and so we didn't get to these except for smaller projects.  However, we are just preparing for our new life on the ocean, departing 2026.  We plan to travel the seas for 3-5 years (or longer) with the two of us (Andrew and Romanda) as well as our little girl Amelia (currently 3.5 years old). 

Hope to see you!

[Greg Campbell]

Hello Andrew, Romanda and Amelia,

What a great adventure you have planned for yourselves.  While you may frequently be the smallest boat in the anchorage I do believe an Alajuela 33 is quite a suitable boat for a couple and young child for extended life aboard.  It does appear that you have good practical skills and are not afraid to get stuck into the hard work yourselves on those varied jobs, often in awkward spaces.  

What hull number is Arctic Tern?  I looked through the list on the Alajuela 33 Facebook page to see if I could find a photo to see what equipment you already have fitted, but couldn't find you.  Maybe a good place for a few photos as you progress?  Many of us would be keen to track your adventure if you manage some form of updates or blog as you go.

My only general observation is that the American boats we see arriving in Australia tend to be over-equipped compared to those who leave here on extended cruises.  Think twice about many of the gadgets that get marketed as necessary.  Dip sticks work more reliably than electric tank monitors.  Not all your electronics need to talk to each other.  A hot water system isn't a necessity.  A rain catching system off your mainsail, or a T-piece and hose from one of your scupper drains will help you manage without a water-maker.  Solar panels are fantastic while wind generators are expensive and noisy.  Three 120 amp hour 12 volt AGM batteries fit snugly into the bin immediately on the port side of your engine front and should be enough for the "house".   Receiving AIS onto your plotter has been a game changer but the extra cost to transmit your AIS signal is well justified in making your boat much more "visible" to shipping, and allows friends and family to track your progress. Much as I hate to promote the man's products, Starlink with a suitable mobile plan does presently seem the best option for remote communication and weather etc.  HF radios with modems, or even Iridium Go, which many of us added for offshore cruising, have sadly been rendered yesterday's technology by Starlink.  Wind vane steering is great for trade wind cruising, but a good tiller pilot ( I assume Arctic Tern is tiller steered) is also a must.  The Raymarine 2000 which I have aboard is too light weight, and the heavier duty Pelagic system may be your best choice.  Good second had sails can be found, or well made, new cruising sails can be mail ordered from the likes of Lee Sails or Far East Sails in Hong Kong, or Taskers from Thailand at 50-60% the price from local sail makers.  Start out with a good engine and gearbox, clean fuel and a recently overhauled stern tube, bearings and shaft seal.

The above are just a few pearls from an older bloke whose been around sailboats for a while.  While this particular group has been pretty quiet lately, there may still be a few active A33 owners or past owners happy to chip in with their thoughts or advice.

Good luck with it all.  It is true that some people enjoy the projects on their boats more than the sailing, but I've always found a certain satisfaction with both the maintenance and the sailing, and of course good maintenance must come first.

Cheers

Greg

[romanda...@gmail.com]

Hi Greg!  

We are hull #3.  We have reached out to that FB group, but can't find the admin and no one has ever answered. We wanted to try to share some photos of our boat.    We currently have a FB page ourselves - Adventures of the Arctic Tern.  We got her back in 2016, a mere few months after we first met.  Then life got in the way and we didn't get all the work done that we had wanted to.  But now we are getting started again with a full refit!   We will definitely be sharing our progress!  We do plan to start a youtube so we can post videos. Should be fun to watch her become her old self. 

We've done some projects already of course, but we've got our projects lined up lol.  She's still got her original rigging, so that will be replaced this fall (likely in Port Townsend).  She's still up in Ketchikan, Alaska but we'll pick her up to sail her south late summer. 

Thanks for your suggestions! Our goal is to modernize her but keep it simple.   We are doing solar, and will have a water maker (this is a pretty solid requirement for me, mostly because of our daughter).  I agree on not needing hot water (at least not until we sail in the north at some point). We just bought all of our electronics, which include AIS, GPS/chartplotter, VHF, depth and wind instruments. We will have Starklink as I will do some remote work. 

We checked out Pelagic at the boat show in Seattle last month, in large part due to your suggestion! The heavy duty one looks solid, but we got a Hydrovane and the lighter Pelagic can attach directly to it and we can lift the tiller out of the way, a bonus in my mind. 

We'd like to hear more about the stern tube - how did you go about doing that? and what was the reasoning?  It's glassed in so seems a big project. 

We are definitely the "do it well" type of people.  But we also have more time than money lol so that can be helpful when we have a list of projects that is 100 times longer than a kids Christmas list.  We keep our eyes peeled for other Alajuela boat projects, so we can learn from them. We were also so fortunate to have Brigit accept a call from us to chat about her experience with Mico ages ago...she had such great suggestions.  We love learning from those who love the boat and have done some work.  The shared learnings are so helpful!

Thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom! We hope to hear more from you, and may post a bit more here as we progress with our refit.

All the best

Romanda & Andrew 

[Greg Campbell]

Hi Romanda and Andrew,

Nice to hear you are still stuck into the hard work of bringing "Arctic Tern" back to life.  I admire you working away in the Alaskan climate.  Yes the Alajuela 33 FB group seems quite inactive.  I've loaded several photos and made a couple of comments previously but there's no group activity.  I think what you've done in creating your own page for "Arctic Tern" is far better.  For several years I had a wordpress blog for "Mico" but the annual cost of hosting blew out so I closed it down.  Perhaps there are ways I could have done it for free but I hadn't come across them. The whole Youtube thing where people seem happy to pay to follow your story might be something you could tap into.  I recently attended the fantastic Hobart Wooden Boat Festival and one of the speakers, Leo Goolden, explained how he had been amazed to develop such a massive following as he documented his rebuild of the pilot cutter "Tally Ho".

The Hydrovane and Pelagic combo should be a good option and hopefully you'll never need the emergency rudder aspect.

With respect to the "Mico" stern tube, the shaft had developed some play, which we subsequently found had been caused by a slight bend in the shaft wearing away the rear bearing in the bronze stern tube.  I had the boat out of the water during the Brisbane Covid lockdown and so couldn't visit myself and had the yard fix the problem.  I can't tell you exactly what they did, but my understanding is that only the rear end of the stern tube is epoxied in, and the bronze tube itself is coated in grease or taped to facilitate removal at some later point.  The original shaft was straightened and balanced and we've motored some 500 hours since and all seems OK.  The yard's charge to remove shaft, remove old tube, refit new with bearing, straighten and refit shaft was about $1,200 AUD, which in boat terms doesn't suggest any difficulties were encountered.  If your shaft doesn't have any play in it, and isn't leaking, then you shouldn't need to touch anything.

You will definitely need to replace the standing rigging, least not for insurance purposes.  I did notice in your photos that your jib/genoa is still on piston hanks.  When you re-rig, if you can afford to go with a roller furler on your main foresail you won't regret it.  The ease and safety of unfurling, furling and reefing from the cockpit is like day after night compared to the days of clinging to a pitching foredeck to tame a sail.  Obviously your genoa needs a luff modification and uv stripes added to suit.

"Mico" also has roller furling on the staysail, but with a good genoa I only use the staysail in heavier conditions above 25 knots when the genoa is furled.  If funds are short you could remain with a hanked on staysail in a bag on deck for its occasional use.

How nice that you were able to make contact with Birgit and find out something of her almost ten years living aboard an Alajuela 33.  I haven't spoken to her myself, but I believe one of the guys who sometimes sails with me, and who speaks German, has spoken to her.  We have both her books (in German) aboard and two friends who could read them have given me the highlights. 

We've just had a lovely few quiet and warm days sailing and fishing around Troubridge Island, about a 40 mile sail from our home.  Swimming, catching fish, cooking up some feasts, bird watching ashore.  The Alajuela 33 is perfect for it.

Kind regards,

Greg