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Boats
The
10 best
32-footers
Peter Poland concludes his
three-part series by putting two
tried and tested 32-footers under
the spotlight – and takes a look
at more modern alternatives
3 noi r ut C
nenturion 32
l uF yl r et se Westerly rFa
ulmar
23 esH
nanse 320
T
3 yl r eht S
uoutherly 32
here are many sides to
research, especially when
the subject in question is as
emotive as a yacht. So if you
are looking for a 32ft (9.75m)
boat you will want to tap
into some first-hand experience, and one
of your most important ports of call will be
the Class Associations.
Of course, an original magazine boat test
will help, but if the 32-footer in question is
getting on in years a test on an early
example, when it was new, is hardly going
to tell you what might fall off and how to
service and maintain it when it is getting
on in years. Indeed, as old boats get even
older, Class Associations have an ever
more important role to play. The vast pool
of knowledge and help (especially
concerning spare parts) that lurks on their
websites is invaluable. The Westerly
Association is particularly successful, with
over 3,000 members. It offers support to
owners of old Westerlys. This adds to the
appeal of the next 32-footer in this series:
the Westerly Fulmar.
As Westerly entered the 1980s, some of
the older Giles designs started to date. New
30
Poland 32's_pt3_dpSN.indd 30
PART 3
3aaiB
r avaria 32
models were needed. Surprisingly, Westerly
changed tack. Noticing the success of
sportier French cruisers, the firm decided to
go for increased performance, a new look
and a new designer. It was a courageous
move because the chosen designer, Ed
Dubois, was famous for full-on racing
designs. None of these thoroughbreds
seemed to possess the genes for breeding
Westerlies.
But Dubois did the business. First he
came up with the 26ft (7.92m) Griffon,
which sold well. So Westerly pushed on in
1980 with the next Dubois design – a
replacement for the popular 31ft (9.45m)
Longbow family. The result was an
enduring Westerly classic, the Fulmar.
Westerly Fulmar
The 32ft Fulmar offered a choice of
appendages; no Westerly could omit twin
keels from the accessories list. Balanced
overhangs gave elegance, yet allowed a
26ft (7.93m) waterline length – 2ft (60cm)
longer than the Contessa and Sadler 32.
The Fulmar set the trend for Westerly’s
23 r uoD
f ufour 325
new range. The fin-keeler was a successful
cruiser-racer and Dubois also advanced
bilge-keel design, going for finer foils that
drew a bit more; because more draught
means less leeway. The twin-keel Fulmar
draws a respectable 1.22m (4ft), compared
to the fin’s 1.60m (5ft 3in).
The Fulmar’s accommodation is also a
success, looking as crisp and practical
today as it did nearly 30 years ago. Later
versions offered an aft heads/cabin layout,
but the majority have the traditional
amidships heads and a decent-sized chart
table and quarter berth. And with a
generous beam for her day of 3.33m
(10ft 11in) – 43cm (1ft 5in) more than the
Contessa and 13cm (5in) more than the
Sadler – there’s plenty of space.
Combine this with the conservative
and robust Westerly woodwork and
vinyl-faced headlining panels (which
occasionally need re-gluing) and you
have a practical and comfortable sea-going
interior. Westerly’s finish is somehow
warmer than modern cruisers’
computer-cut ply panels and extensive
inner mouldings.
The Fulmar also forsook the masthead
Practical Boat Owner 520 April 2010 • www.pbo.co.uk
17/2/10 15:28:49
am
l uF yl r et se Westerly Fulmar
David Harding
10 best 32-footers – PART 3
David Harding
Most Westerlies have heads amidships
and a spacious quarter berth to port
rig and went fractional. What’s more, a
healthy ballast ratio (1,909kg/4,210lb out
of an all-up weight of 4,491kg/9,900lb) and
relatively fine stern make the Fulmar
steady as well as speedy. Unlike some
modern cruisers with broader back ends
and lower ballast ratios, she behaves well
when over-pressed.
Living with a Fulmar
I sought out the comments of a twinkeeler’s owner, Andrew Moncrieff, who
told me: ‘I bought Snow Goose in 2000. I
wanted a solid, practical boat with good
sea-keeping abilities.
‘I faced the usual compromise of the
long-term sailor who had become a
family man. Having received permission
from mission control to try the nautical
life out on her and the children, I shot
straight out and looked at a Contessa 32,
full of memories of a racing youth,
mis-spent on piles of damp sailbags in
an intimate forecabin.
‘But in the end my choice came down to
a Sigma 33, a Sadler 32 and a Fulmar. The
Fulmar won fairly easily; it was less racy
than the other two, which was important
with an inexperienced crew. It was far
more commodious and yet it retained
pretensions of being a cruiser-racer.
Moreover, many had been produced
with twin keels. Since my home waters
were to be the east coast, this was a very
important point.’
Andrew continued: ‘We have cruised
Snow Goose to northern France and
Belgium, the south coast of England and
north-west France. The accommodation is
spectacular. One of the Fulmar’s greatest
Practical Boat Owner 520 April 2010 • www.pbo.co.uk
Poland 32's_pt3_dpSN.indd 31
assets is the enormous quarter berth to
port and the cavernous cockpit locker to
starboard. The wonderful thing about the
Fulmar is that she’s a great cruising boat
that sails well.
‘In 2008, I sailed her round the UK
single-handed. It took four and a half
months and I couldn’t have wished for a
better boat.
‘She was easy to handle, both at sea and
when mooring in tight settings. Despite
popular myths concerning twin keels, she
coped splendidly with the seas off the west
Irish coast but also allowed me up shallow
creeks and rivers.
‘I dried out in several places including
St Michael’s Mount, Lindisfarne and
Blakeney. She felt safe, solid and capable
of dealing with far worse conditions
than could I.’
➜
31
17/2/10 15:29:47
noi r ut C
nenturion 32
2
Boats
Centurion 32
David Harding
I
f you reckon the typical Fulmar price
tag looks high, you might consider
stepping back a decade and having a
look at an equally attractive 32-footer that
did well in the early ’70s. The Holman and
Pye-designed Centurion 32, built by the
French yard Wauquiez, sold in large
numbers (around 400) and several found
their way over to the UK.
When this series first hit the news stands,
PBO reader David Weisfield was quick to
write in. I’d already intended to list the
Centurion among my Top Ten favourites
(Holman is, in my opinion, one of the
all-time great designers) and David’s
comments provided encouragement. He
wrote: ‘I have had my Centurion 32 for
about 15 years and would have great
difficulty in parting with her. They don’t
often come up for sale in the UK, as most
owners feel the same. Rather than trade up
to a larger boat we have recently decided
to refit for the 2010 season.
‘The interiors of most Centurions up to
35 years old have withstood the test of
time and the woodwork and joinery are
usually still in superb condition. The
vital statistics of the Contessa 32 and
Centurion are similar but the Centurion’s
slightly deeper topsides provide a better
interior layout.
‘There are many accounts of long
voyages on Centurions. About three years
ago I had a chat with a young German
couple on a Centurion 32 at Cowes. I
asked how long it took them to sail over.
They said three weeks; they had just
arrived non-stop from Antigua! While in
Australia recently I heard of a Centurion
32 in Sydney that had been sailed there
by a couple from
Lymington.’
Good
looking
www.yachtworld.com
The Centurion
is arguably the
prettiest of the
32-footers.
Holman was an
artist and most
of his designs
look sublime.
She has a gentle
sheer and classic
tumblehome on
her topsides. Her
dimensions are
typical of her era. Like many others
(Sadler, Contessa etc) she sticks to a 7.32m
(24ft) waterline length on her overall
length of 9.98m (32ft 9in). So bow and
stern overhangs are long and elegant. Her
2.97m (9ft 9in) beam is enough to get
ample space into the saloon, yet not so
much as to encourage twitchy handling
when well heeled. And of course her
longish fin keel and tab provide
directional stability.
32
Poland 32's_pt3_dpSN.indd 32
ABOVE An elegant
design, with long
bow and stern
overhangs
LEFT The
Centurion’s
woodwork stands
the test of time
and a new engine this year. The interior is
original and in excellent condition. She is
a solid boat, and yes she likes wind – lots
of it – and is very fast in the right
conditions when other boats are giving
up… if you want a yacht to go anywhere
this is a good one.’
Class act
Lighter than the later-designed Fulmar,
she weighs in at 4,354kg (9,600lb) while
her 2,000kg (4,409lb) ballast is more than
the Fulmar’s. She also draws around 15cm
(6in) more. All in all, these vital statistics
explain why the Centurion has such a
great reputation as a heavy weather boat.
This seaworthiness is confirmed by
another owner, who posted on the web:
‘I have owned a Centurion 32 for five
years. She has had new rigging, winches
The Centurion is a well kept secret on this
side of the Channel. But she’s a class act.
Of course, as with any yacht of this age,
you will need a survey and should assess
the cost of engine and rigging replacement;
just in case this becomes necessary. But
even if you do need to invest in
replacement gear, you won’t be throwing
good money after bad. These beauties are
worth maintaining; examples in good
condition should always sell quickly.
Practical Boat Owner 520 April 2010 • www.pbo.co.uk
17/2/10 15:30:12
10 best 32-footers – PART 3
The best of the new 32-footers…
T
Major recent developments
Many aspects of design have changed over
the last few years, often as a result of the
search for more interior volume.
■ Topsides have got higher to achieve
headroom, so windage has increased, but
crews tend to stay drier for longer.
Hanse 320
www.hanseyachts.co.uk
y
Down below
David Harding
T
he Hanse is German and is the
smallest of this fast-growing yard’s
large range, drawn by Judel and
Vrolijk, Germany’s top race-boat designers.
It’s a crisp, attractive yacht and its overall
styling is sensible rather than extreme.
At 9.55m (31ft 4in) overall, with a LWL of
8.72m (28ft 7in) and a beam of 3.3m (10ft
10in), it’s a conservative package in
modern terms. Its draught of 1.75m (5ft
9in) is less than that of the Bavaria 32
(1.95m/6ft 5in) and Dufour 325 (1.85m/6ft
1in). Its all-up weight is 5,200kg (11,464lb);
which is 700kg (1,543lb) more than the
Fulmar’s yet its ballast of 1,480 kg (3,262lb)
is 430kg (948lb) less. So it won’t
perform in the same
way. In lighter airs or
off the wind its long
waterline and flattish
stern give it more
speed potential, but
upwind in a breeze,
the crew will have to
man the reef lines
earlier.
The accommodation
(as with the Dufour 325 and Bavaria 32) is
palatial compared
to a Centurion or Fulmar. And herein lies
the big appeal. Those who enjoy coastal
cruising and cross-Channel hops will love
it. With separate fore and aft cabins, a
four-person crew won’t need the saloon
ABOVE The Hanse
performs well in
lighter airs
LEFT Fore and
aft cabins keep
things comfortable
for sleeping. And either cabin’s occupants
can use the aft heads/shower compartment
without disturbing the others.
John Aldred, a recent Hanse 320 buyer,
summed up her allure by saying: ‘We made
comparisons with competitors of the same
size. We thought the build quality made
Practical Boat Owner 520 April 2010 • www.pbo.co.uk
Poland 32's_pt3_dpSN.indd 33
on keeping the yacht on the straight and
narrow. And if you want twin keels, you
are out of luck. Only the American Legends
(from Clipper Marine
in the UK) and a few French boats now
offer this option.
■ Most yachts’ rigs have moved away from
the masthead configuration to the loftier
fractional format. Jibs (sometimes selftacking) have got smaller and mainsails
bigger. This makes crewing less physical.
The only drawback is that rigs with
excessively swept spreaders make dead
running tricky, the boom hitting the
shrouds before it’s fully squared off. This is
bad news if you’re running up an estuary
or on a long passage.
Also, many boats put their mainsheet
anchorages on the coachroof, which I
find an aberration compared to a cockpitmounted mainsheet track or pad eye. If
the helmsman cannot handle the
mainsheet without leaving his perch,
quick adjustments become tricky.
To get a fuller picture of some of the
modern 32-footers, I asked owners for
their personal assessments. I selected the
Hanse 320, Bavaria 32, Dufour 325 and
Southerly 32 – a varied cross-section of
today’s market.
23 esH
nanse 320
■ Waterline length in proportion to overall
length has gone up, resulting in minimal
overhangs, increased speed potential and
more space inside.
■ The beam-to-length ratio has increased.
This improves accommodation (especially
in the stern) and adds to basic form
stability, which is needed because ballast
ratios have tumbled. True, IRC (the latest
handicap rule) has reduced penalties on
bulbs on keels; so modern keels are bulbed,
throwing the CG (centre of gravity) lower
and increasing righting moment. But a
ballast ratio of say 25% or 30% means that
a boat has less immersed weight and bulk.
It is unlikely to punch into a head sea as
effectively as a slimmer yacht with more
ballast unless crew sit on the side to keep it
‘flat’. And who wants to do this, unless
they are racing around the cans?
■ What’s more, many modern fin keels
have less lateral area than previous designs,
especially at the root. A foil with a narrow
chord will have less grip and more
propensity to stall that a wider one. This
won’t concern the racer, but is not ideal for
a cruising crew.
Lateral area helps keep a yacht ‘in the
groove’ and reduces leeway. The less keel
you have the more you must concentrate
hat’s nine of my Top Ten, so now for
the tricky bit: to complete my list I
need to select one from the current
crop of 32-footers. There have been
quantum leaps in the design and
manufacture of these boats. Builders strive
to increase volume (for increased living
space) and to reduce building costs
(gaining price competitiveness). To be
cynical, neither of these factors improve
seaworthiness or performance but the
former definitely improves comfort when
living in harbour or making passages in
moderate seas and friendly breezes. The
rest of the equation boils down to that
dreaded word: compromise.
The following paragraphs give a few
points to bear in mind, but boat buyers
should always try out a new design in a
stiff breeze, and pay heed to any reports
from reputable magazines who have
conducted tests in such conditions.
the Hanse 320 a winner. Other
considerations were the self-tacking jib,
the layout of the bright, roomy interior
and the large companionway, making
access below decks safe and easy.
‘Although price was not a determining
factor I needed to take this into
consideration. The Hanse 320 was
competitive. I used to own a Moody 27
and sailing the new Hanse has given us
a new appetite for longer cruises with
overnight stops along the Devon coast
and farther afield.
➜
33
17/2/10 15:30:32
3 ai r aB
vavaria 32
Boats
David Harding
Bavaria 32
T
he new Bavaria 32, recently tested by
PBO, is another contender. It draws
0.20m (8in) more than the Hanse,
weighs much the same, but its ballast is
180kg (397lb) lighter. Its deep, heavilybulbed keel has a narrow foil. One can see
race-boat designer Bruce Farr’s influence
here. With fine entry, wide stern and
Bavaria
32this yacht will fly off the
slender
keel foil
wind. As with others of her type, flattened
and reduced sail area is needed to go well
upwind in a breeze.
Masses of room
But, once again, it’s the accommodation
that astonishes. There’s a prodigious
amount of space. Lez Williams, a recent
buyer, said: ‘I decided to buy this 32-footer
mainly because of the external size for my
pontoon; but it meant I also got a lot more
internal space for the price. I have owned a
Bénéteau and a Jeanneau before. I now
enjoy family sailing (hence the extra space)
and I sailed the Bavaria 32 when Clipper
did an open weekend. I found the new
Bruce Farr hull design much more spirited;
it just felt right, with clean lines, well
balanced and easy to sail.
‘I will have enjoyable, fun sailing with
the benefit of comfort for the family; and I
haven’t paid over the top for the privilege.
I love the boat’s modern look and am
excited about taking delivery.’
Says it all, doesn’t it?
David Harding
A slender keel and wide stern improve the Bavaria’s performance off the wind
Dufour 325
T
he Dufour 325 is another popular
32-footer. It won the Australian
Marine 2008 Award for yachts up
to 10m. The judges said: ‘The new 325 is
fun to sail, light and responsive, and
easily manoeuvred single-handed. At
only 9.75m (32ft) it offers a lot of
interior room for six people. Below decks
it has a feeling of space and light from
the generous roof and hull port-lights
and hatches, and a quality finish with
extensive use of mahogany and woodpanelled floor. The cockpit is large and
roomy, enhanced by a folding wheel. A
well-appointed value-for-money boat.’
David Harding
Crew of two
To confirm this judgement, I contacted
Nick Leaver (a Yachtmaster Offshore
with 45 years’ sailing time, the last 18 in
cruisers). He told me: ‘In 2008 I was in
the market to buy a new sailing boat. It
had to be easily handled by two people
– I usually sail with just my diminutive
50kg (110lb) wife as crew – and no more
than about 10m (32ft 10in) long, to keep
marina charges down to the nearsensible level.
‘As an ex-dinghy racer, I wanted a boat
The quality of fixtures and fittings, together with the space on offer, make the 32 a strong contender
34
Poland 32's_pt3_dpSN.indd 34
Practical Boat Owner 520 April 2010 • www.pbo.co.uk
17/2/10 15:30:56
3 yl r eht S
uoutherly 32
10 best 32-footers – PART 3
Southerly 32
David Harding
23 r uoD
f ufour 325
Extensive use of
mahogany gives the
Dufour a quality feel
The Southerly may be weighty in this company but it’s a strong performer in all breezes
F
that was light, very responsive and just a
bit challenging, with an asymmetrical
spinnaker, mainsheet track in the
cockpit, second foresail halyard (for
storm jib) and a Category A rating. And I
wanted a proper nav station. My wife
wanted wheel steering and all the
comfort of a floating caravan below.
‘We looked at the Hanse, Elan, Dufour,
Bénéteau, Jeanneau, X332, HallbergRassy and Najad. The last three we ruled
out as they were too expensive. At the
time of purchase, only the Dufour had a
cockpit mainsheet track as an option, so
the helmsman can trim the main from
the wheel. So no choice at all really!
‘In 30-35 knots, the boat is manageable
upwind but I sail at least 45 degrees off
apparent wind to maintain boat speed
through the waves. Otherwise, as the
boat has a shallow entry and near
vertical bow, waves of over a metre are
inclined to stop it. Off-wind, the boat is
very exciting and will surf at over 10
knots in Force 5 or above.
‘Critically, at no time have we felt
either unsafe or uncomfortable, or found
the vessel in any way unmanageable in
heavy winds.’
inally, if you have deeper pockets, the
new Southerly 32 fulfils different
needs. Designed by Stephen Jones,
this lifting keeler has much to offer. Thanks
to twin rudders and Jones’s clever
displacement-producing ‘nacelle’ under the
yacht’s aft sections, this wide-transom
32-footer continues to plough a straight
furrow, even when over-pressed in a
breeze. The Southerly is no lightweight at
7,192kg (15,855lb), with 2,718kg (5992lb)
in the ballast shoe and lifting keel. A
generous-sized fractional rig combined
with Jones’s knack of making any yacht
sail well gives her a lot of appeal, as does
her voluminous accommodation plan.
Recent buyers Tony and Anne Scales
wrote: ‘Before buying the 32 we had a
Hawk 20 (cabin version). Having chartered
over several years in warm climates and
sailed with friends, most recently around
Scandinavia in a Malo 43, we wanted the
opportunity to cruise in a boat of our own.
We like the Southerly 32 because she is
easy to sail and the in-mast furling and the
self-tacking jib make her well suited to a
And Number 10 is…
The Dufour 325. It has a longer fin keel than
the Hanse and Bavaria, with more chord
helping directional stability. Designer
Umberto Felci drew a handsome yacht. Its
performance is excellent and its comfort
and space down below are endorsed by
charter company Nielson, which says its
325s are extremely popular with hedonistic
charterers.
The 325 may cost a bit more than a new
Bavaria, Hanse and Jeanneau, but I think
it’s worth it. Countless readers will disagree,
of course, but that’s the way with yachts;
despite all the research, there’s always an
element of emotion in making a choice.
PBO boat tests
■ Bavaria 32 – January 2010
■ Dufour 325 – August 2006
■ Westerly Fulmar – March 1993
Light and airy accommodation provides plenty
of storage options for a crew of four
Practical Boat Owner 520 April 2010 • www.pbo.co.uk
Poland 32's_pt3_dpSN.indd 35
short-handed or not too energetic crews.
The performance is excellent too, especially
with the gennaker out. The lifting keel has
also lived up to expectations.
‘Inside, there is an amazing amount of
natural light and space – to sit in, stand in
and sleep in. The storage capacity is
generous too, even with our extra fresh
water tank. In short, we are very happy
with our 32.’
Buy boat tests and Parts 1 and 2 of
this series online from www.pbo.co.uk
or by calling tel: 01202 440832
35
17/2/10 15:31:18