Hi, Rob,

We owned a W32 for nearly 10 years, and dearly love these boats. (It got to
be bit much to handle after we eased into our 70's, so we've since replaced
it with a Lord Nelson Victory Tug--the powerboat counterpart to the
Westsail: slow, fat, heavy, comfortable, seaworthy as hell.) We did a lot
of looking before we bought CAPER, both at factory boats and kit boats. We
saw some kit boats that were FAR superior to the factory boats, having been
built by meticulous craftsmen for their own use, not by hired help at the
factory. There is NO structural difference; the kits started with fully
formed hulls, decks, and cabin tops, and often the engine installed. The
"builders" simply finished the interiors--which was no small job, of course.
Some of the kits boats look like they were finished with a jack knife and
others, as I suggested, were elegant. About 3/4 of the Westies sailing to
day were kit boats, but I don't think you can say they are better or worse
than the factory boats, not in any categorical way. It all depends on the
particular boat, and far more important than the origin of the boat is what
has happened to it since. Some have been well maintained, some have been
trashed. But do go ahead with your Westsail love affair. Go look at any
boat that comes on the market, and don't worry about its origin. You'll
fine one to suit. Ours, as a matter of fact, had been fairly well
neglected, but that put it in reach financially. So over the years we put
her right, and sold it for a decent profit. (Show me a 30-year-old Cal,
Catalina, or just about any other production boat that holds it value so
well.) Once you find one, I'd recommend strongly you get hold of Bud Taplin
at World Cruiser, Inc., and have him do the survey for you. He knows the
boats like no one else, literally, in the world, and his fee for the survey
is typically lower than you can find locally. (If you contact Bud, say
hello for me, btw.)

Hope all this helps.

Dick Behan
M/V ANNIE
(formerly S/V CAPER)


wrote in message
ups.com...
Looking to buy a W 32 and thought I'd hand a question out to you old
salty's who may have known a W 32 or two in your day. Are there any
MAJOR differences in the westsail 32 kits and the factory finished
boats? I know the hulls are the same. And the deck layouts are
similar, based on how the "kit" buyers modified their own deck. I've
noticed the factory W 32's are more expensive due to a greater
attention to detail, i.e. interior casework, and craftsmanship. But,
are there any structural differences in the two? Deck to hull
connection? Or did the kits come with deck already attached to hull?
Any comments, facts or opinions would be helpful. And I don't need to
be redirected to the westsail webpage. I'm just trying to pick at the
R.B.C. demographic for answers. Thanks y'all.
Rob Minton