So what is a Bentley 38?

Slainte is a Bentley 38.  She is identical to an Alajuela and Ingrid 38 in hull shape, traditional double ender with the fullest of full keels.  She has 10,000 pounds of ballast, same as an Alajuela , weighs over 14 tons (28,000) and rigged as a cutter.  Slainte is 11' 9" wide, drafts 6 feet and is 38 feet on deck.  Yet most of the harbormasters believe she is 48 feet long with the bowsprit.  The sail plan as it is now, (different than when purchased) has a new full batten main (420 square feet with 3 reefs), a new Lee staysail (130 square feet and one reef) and a genoa (385 square feet) on Furlex roller reefing on the forestay.  We have several other sails, a drifter (old and tired), a Genacker, (new, thanks to eBay) and a spinnaker (1,300 sq. feet).  Another eBay purchase is a spare genny, but that will stay packed in Washington, until we need it.  There are over eight feet between the forestay and staysail stay and this helps in tacking the genny.  The staysail has a removable stay if we are tacking a lot.  The engine is now a Yanmar 4JH2E delivering 51 horsepower to our new Max Prop 20-inch wheel with 15 inches of pitch. 

The cabin is different than the traditional Ingrid/Alajuela , having four large windows, two on each side.  The cabin is 6' 6" tall and open.  The v-berth is 7 feet long and 8 feet wide, basically a king-sized bed with a custom mattress.  HoseClamp (the previous owner who acquired the nickname due to his propensity for using hoseclamps for everything) had made so many holes in the ceiling that he or someone with skill installed an Alaskan Cedar strip ceiling.  The cabin has lots of varnished teak.  We hope with a skylight, huge hatch in the v-berth and five turbo fans we can stay cool.  There are 3 anchors, CQR-60 pounder, a Simpson (Bruce copy) 44 pounder and a Fortress.  The CQR is on 300 feet of 5/8 high-test chain and the Simpson has 60 feet of chain and 300 feet of rode.  We have safety gear including a Viking Offshore liferaft, EPIRB, a drogue and a 18 foot Paratech sea anchor with 300 feet of 3/4 inch rode.  Vin our dinghy is a hard hulled Gig Harbor 8 footer with a sailing option.  On the stern there is a new Monitor wind vane.  We are anticipating purchasing an electric autopilot.  Well, now you know Slainte a bit better.