The Westsail 32 is a direct descendant of John Hanna's Tahiti ketch, which
was, in turn, derived from a North Sea pilot boat. Pilot boats were evolved
to be good at staying in one place, regardless of the weather. Westsail
32's were good at that. The ability to get somewhere is another question.
DSK's comment re the succession of builders and their QA issues is spot-on,
so a thorough survey is a very good idea.


"Charlie Morgan" wrote in message
...
I'm interested in opinions on Westsail 32's in general. The one I'm
considering
is factory finished with the dinette layout. It has been constantly
maintained
and upgraded since new, so condition is not a big worry. This is not a
bargin
priced derelict. Of course I'll have a survey done if things progress that
far.

This one was made without teak decks, which to me, is a major plus. Low
hours on
the Yanmar. I'm more interested in hearing about how the boat sails and
what it
is like to spend long periods aboard. I already like the looks and the
size,
although I've also considered some larger boats. The boat would be used
initially for frequent daysails (often single handed) long weekends, and
cruises
of a week or two at most. In a few years, we'd be on the boat for six or
more
months at a time. Once we transition to the longer term situation, we
might even
consider leaving it somewhere nice like the Med, and flying to the boat.
I've
long admired these boats, but I've never spent more than an afternoon on
one.

CWM

"Jim Conlin" wrote in message
news
The Westsail 32 is a direct descendant of John Hanna's Tahiti ketch, which
was, in turn, derived from a North Sea pilot boat. Pilot boats were
evolved
to be good at staying in one place, regardless of the weather. Westsail
32's were good at that. The ability to get somewhere is another question.
DSK's comment re the succession of builders and their QA issues is
spot-on,
so a thorough survey is a very good idea.

One of the most serviceable and seakindly cruising boats ever made, imo, is
the Tahiti Ketch built with an "open" accomodation plan. No bulkheads at all
from stem to stern, everything accessible, capable of sleeping 20 if they're
all very friendly. But the only one I ever saw built that way was a woodie,
which *must* be lived aboard and cruised in order to keep up with the
maintanance.

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

which itself was based on lines scaled down from the original Colin Archer
pilot boat. I help but think that Akin's "borrowing" of the lines from
someone else was a factor in Westsail feeling free to "borrow" them from
Atkin. I doubt that they would have done it with a design that Atkin drew
from scratch. For that matter, if they went back to the same book Atkin
did, they could have produced the identical boat.

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

--
Roger Long

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

DSK wrote:

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

My memory of early publicity and magazine articles at the time of the
Westsail's introduction (something you may be too young to remember) stated
that the lines were modified by Crealock just enough to accommodate
fiberglass construction. I looked one over out of the water just last
spring and was struck by how clean the flow lines look since the eye sees
the diagonals in 3D instead of the buttock lines that don't really follow
the water flow. It looked pretty much like the Eric lines to my somewhat
experienced eyes but I would love to see an actual lines plan of the
Westsail for comparison. Flare and keel shape could vary a lot without
effecting the basic characteristics of the hull.

--
Roger Long

Jack Hornor's account of the Westsail 32's ancestery argrees with my memory.
See his review he

http://www.boatus.com/jackhornor/sail/Westsail32.htm

--
Roger Long