"Jim Conlin" wrote in message
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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.