Alan Andrews Yachts Review

Based on the theory “integrate high performance sailing characteristics with solid, state-of-the-art engineering," Alan Andrews creates designs for racing, cruising and sailing yachts. After founding his company in 1979, Andrews used his ability to understand a client’s need and combined it with design expertise. His clients describe the product as a head-turning, distinctive yacht that goes beyond the original concepts.

A graduate of Stanford University, Andrews began his career with Doug Peterson Yacht Design in 1976. Since its conception, his company has established the use of top-of-the-line CAD systems to deliver hull shapes and working drawings. Reviewers of Andrew’s yachts state the design team employs awareness and understanding of sailboat structures with hands-on experience. Initial prime success for Alan Andrews came in the first year with the yacht, Details, Winner of the 1982 MORC International Championships. Details brought international fame and led to the creation of the One-Tonner, Allegiance. Alan’s designs have won prestigious accolade at Kenwood Cup and the StFYC Big Boat Series. The Andrew’s race team commented, “The aesthetically pleasing lines of any Andrew yacht are achieved with absolutely no sacrifice in boat speed.”

The newest yacht in Andrew’s catalog is the Sport Racer/Cruiser sailboat, Andrews 28. The hull and deck components are vacuum-infused with knitted biaxial and unidirectional fiberglass, closed-cell PVC core and vynilester resin. The sailboat has an E-glass sandwich construction. The keel case is integrated with the hull and retractable. The rudder is carbon fiber molded and injected with high-density epoxy foam. Fin weighs in at just 319 pounds, and the bulb weighs 970 pounds. The cruiser interior consists of a main cabin, forward cabin, galley, navigation area, head and aft cabin.

Pricing

Pricing for a yacht produced by the Andrew’s team varies based on components and dimensions. Sylvana Yachts invoices the cost of the new Andrews 28, with trailer and before options, at $130,300. Used Andrew’s yachts are hard to come by. The larger, 1995-built Runaway yacht lists at just under $500,000.

Pros

• Lifting keel
• State-of-the-art design technology li>
• High award achievements
• Owner reviews of yachts designed by Andrew’s are complementary with descriptions such as remarkably light. Many of the press use considerable print space to discuss the size of the vessel versus the well designed interiors.
• Sailing Magazine defines Alan Andrew’s as one of the most successful race boat designers in the United States.

Cons

• High freeboard
• New Andrew 28 described by one users as “a bit too sprightly” for many cruisers.

Featured Models

Andrews Class 40: Box rule racer. Andrews 28: Trailerable Racer/Cruiser. Andrews 88: Performance Cruiser. Andrews 45: Cruiser/Racer.

Conclusion

Alan Andrews has used a 34 year career to build the reputation as one of the most modern, technology minded, yacht designers in the business. Reviews of his designs have proven them lightweight with accommodating features. Few raters in the industry had a detrimental word for the products coming out of Alan Andrews Yacht Design, Inc. The term provided routinely by the press regarding Andrew’s designs is “Sometimes big things come out of small packages.”