Roger Long wrote:
Jim Conlin wrote:

The Westsail 32 is a direct descendant of John Hanna's Tahiti ketch,


But he's simply wrong.

The Westsail 32 lines are a slight modification of this boat:

http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Sail/Eric.html


Well, we could quibble over "slight modification." Why do we
always end up in these little discussions, Roger?

The Westsail, from what I've seen of their plans & the boats
themselves, have lower & softer bilges, less flare, and less
keel salient. Since those were among the defining
characteristics of shape that gave the Colin Archer
redningskoite their sea-keeping and sailing characteristics,
I feel justified in saying it's not really a Colin Archer.


The Tahiti ketch is a similar type but quite different proportions. I
think the Atkin/Colin Archer boat is the better one, myself.


I have sailed a Gilmer version of the Colin Archers, wherein
he keeps & perhaps even exaggerates. *Markedly* different
boat than the Westsail.

Another thing to bear in mind about the Colin Archers is
that they were innovative in design and construction, and
were considered light displacement for their day. His
expertise in building extremely strong double planked hulls
led to their success as much as anything else. If he were
building boats to day, I have little doubt he'd use some
very strong advanced construction and a higher ballast/disp
ratio.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King