Comparing Alerion Express to the Competition

The trend setting Alerion Express 28 takes pride and credit for starting the trend to elegant larger Day Sailers, a classy group that now includes the Morris 36, Friendship 40, Bruckmann 42 and Hinckley 42. The Alerion entry into this category is the new AE 38, and since all these boats aim to do the same thing, it's appropriate to candidly compare them. We have checked them all and this is our considered view.

Classic Beauty
There is no denying that these are all handsome craft, a credit to their builders and a positive addition to the sailing scene. We feel the Alerions hold an edge in this department, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so that becomes a matter of personal opinion. Call it a draw.

Interiors and Cockpit Comfort
All the layouts on these boats are markedly similar, and they all do the job, so nobody can honestly claim unique benefits in this area. We believe the AE 38 has some specific space advantages -but that's subjective. Another draw.

Performance Under Sail and Power
Here the 38 asserts a decisive advantage. The combination of a modern underwater body, boosted by our new super powered main and self vanging Hoyt Jib Boom create significant improvement over the competition -one that can be proven out on the water. By the judicious elimination of the backstay -which the amazing strength of carbon safely allows -an extra 25% of sail area is gained vs. traditional mainsails imprisoned by the backstay. Putting a larger sail with a better aerodynamic shape up aloft where there's more wind generates enormous extra power that pays off in exceptional light wind and down wind performance. The sail area gained by this more efficient shape is more than the overlap area of a 150% genoa -and the total sail area projected is close to that of a traditional main with spinnaker -all easily handled in a mainsail and self tacking jib with no foredeck work. And when there's no wind or too much wind, the AE 38 has a 40 H.P. S-Drive Yanmar diesel that equally outpowers the competition. Because it is our belief that if you have to turn on the engine, you should get there quickly. Based on this dual performance superiority we claim a two star advantage here.

Single Handed Ease
This is a virtue easier to claim than deliver. Boats that need overlapping jibs or special downwind sails cannot qualify because they inevitably require crew work. The truth is all these bigger boats mount a special challenge in sail handling and the AE 38 solves this with 2 Harken electric winches that are specifically set up to manage all hoisting, trimming, reefing and lowering without resorting to the youthful muscle that some of us no longer have. All lines lead under the deck to these dedicated winches, which are right at hand to the helmsman. The self tacking, self vanging Hoyt Jib Boom provides another dimension of ease and performance. We now offer a new jib boom extender, a simpIe gas piston arrangement that automatically pushes the jib boom out -and holds it out in the wing and wing position. So to be fully armed for downwind speed, just ease out the main and the jib. We will prove the Alerion's unique ability to be single handed with a DVD and/or a demo sail that shows the boat being sailed, maneuvered and docked by a senior sailor. Because we have a provable edge, we claim a one star advantage here.

Competitive Price
Our price for the Alerion Express 38 -including basic equipment, sails and engine is around $350,000. The prices of similarly equipped above mentioned competitors range from $400,000 to $500,000, to $850,000 to $950,000. We congratulate them for being able to command those prices, but our target market is the more seasoned sailor who finds those prices unduly elevated. The AE 38 offers equal beauty, equal accommodation, plus demonstrably superior speed under sail and power, and a discernible edge in single handed ease -all for a price that is markedly more reasonable.

So overall we feel justified in claiming to out rank the competition with a total 4 star advantage.