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Westsail 32
1971–1980 · designed by William Atkin (hull), W.I.B. Crealock (rig and interior) · built by Westsail Corporation
A heavy-displacement double-ended offshore passagemaker, descended through William Atkin's Thistle and Eric from Colin Archer's Norwegian rescue-boat hull. The design credit is routinely misassigned. Larry Kendall's group picked Atkin's 32ft Thistle and had Bill Crealock modify the lines, selling it as the Kendall 32 from 1969; when Snyder Vick bought the moulds in 1971 and founded Westsail, Crealock drew a trunk-cabin deck and much of the interior. His own account, published by the owners' association: "I did not touch the lines. We wanted to keep the basic Atkin design." She became a touchstone of 1970s self- sufficient voyaging and favours seakeeping and structural margin over speed. The most important fact for a buyer is commercial, not technical: much of the fleet left the factory as kits or bare hulls and was finished by owners, so quality varies boat to boat as it does not on a factory-built class.
This is a general read on the Westsail 32 class — informed
background, not a verdict on any individual boat. Condition, refit history,
and how a particular hull was sailed and stored matter far more than class
reputation. Use it to know what to look for; for a read on a specific
listing, run a free FairKeel report on that boat.
At a glance
- LOA
- 32'
- Hull form
- Full Keel
- Ballast type
- Encapsulated Lead
- Rudder
- Transom Hung
- Mast step
- Deck Stepped
- Hull construction
- Fiberglass
- Production
- 1971–1980
- Built in
- USA
What the Westsail 32 is known for
- Proven offshore hull form — an Atkin double-ender descended from Colin Archer rescue-boat practice, kept deliberately intact when the boat was commercialised. Delivers genuine seakeeping and a comfortable motion in open-ocean conditions that lighter designs cannot match.
- Solid hand-laid fiberglass hull with generous scantlings for the size — well-maintained examples have survived significant ocean passages and remain structurally sound after a proper refit. (We have not found a primary source for the often-quoted laminate schedule, so it is not repeated here.)
- An unusually active owners' association that publishes the company history, hull-number records and technical forums — a real asset when you are buying a fifty-year-old boat and need to check what left the factory.
- Deck-stepped mast sits on a heavily reinforced plywood base with a compression post, making the step accessible for inspection and service — an advantage over masts that hide their step below sole level.
- Encapsulated lead (or lead-and-iron) ballast set in resin inside the integral keel eliminates external keel bolt failure, a common weakness on other full-keel designs of the same period.
Known trade-offs
- Very heavy displacement and full keel produce genuinely poor windward performance — the boat is slow to tack, makes significant leeway, and is frustrating in light air or against wind and current.
- Nearly all boats in circulation are 40–50 years old with deferred maintenance, meaning a true offshore-ready refit typically costs as much as or more than the purchase price.
- A large part of the fleet was sold as kits or bare hulls and finished by owners, so "Westsail 32" describes the hull and not the boat. Fit-out quality ranges from professional to alarming, and it is not visible from a listing photograph. Treat establishing who finished this particular hull, and to what standard, as the first question of the survey.
- Interior volume is modest despite the 32-foot LOA — beamier contemporaries offer significantly more living space for liveaboard use.
- Original engine installations — Volvo MD2B on most boats, MD11C on some — are past end-of-life, and repower is close to a universal requirement, adding to acquisition cost on unrefitted boats.
- Deck core and chainplate issues are nearly universal in the fleet — buyers should enter a survey expecting to find wet plywood core and should budget accordingly rather than hoping for an exception.
Age-related quirks to expect
Osmotic blistering — early hull laminates severity: High affects: 1971–1977
Deck core moisture intrusion at chainplates and deck hardware severity: High affects: 1971–1980
Original Volvo MD2B (most boats) or MD11C diesel at or well past service life severity: Medium affects: 1971–1980
Owner-completed kit boat — build quality varies hull to hull severity: High affects: 1971–1980
Bronze seacock degradation and dezincification on through-hulls severity: High affects: 1971–1980
Chainplate knees and bulkhead tabbing delamination from standing rig loads severity: High affects: 1971–1980
Standing rigging well past replacement interval on unrefitted boats severity: Medium affects: 1971–1980
Systems to check before you buy
Hull and deck laminate — blistering, wet core, chainplates priority: offshore, coastal, liveaboard, weekending Two laminate questions on one boat. Below the waterline, early hulls used a polyester laminate prone to osmotic blistering — sound the hull and judge the quality of any past blister repair as carefully as the blisters themselves. On deck, the plywood core is almost universally wet or soft on boats of this era, especially around chainplates, stanchion bases and deck hardware, and the chainplate knees below frequently show rot or delamination from water tracking down the rig. Tap the whole deck, probe every chainplate attachment, and expect to find something.
Engine and raw-water cooling system priority: offshore, coastal, liveaboard, motor Most factory boats left with a Volvo Penta MD2B; owners also report the MD11C. Either is now 40–50 years old. Owners on the class association's engine forum are consistent about where these fail — raw-water cooling is the weak point, valve clearances and impellers need annual attention, and many boats have already repowered (Beta is the common choice). Assess hours, compression, exhaust smoke, heat-exchanger condition and impeller history, and treat a repower as a baseline assumption on an unrefitted boat rather than a surprise.
Through-hulls and seacocks priority: offshore, coastal, liveaboard Original bronze through-hulls and seacocks of this era are dezincification-prone and frequently seized. Every through-hull should operate freely; a surveyor should apply torque. Failed seacocks are a sinking hazard offshore. Budget full replacement with quality bronze or Marelon fittings on any boat with original hardware.
Standing rigging and mast step priority: offshore, coastal, weekending Deck-stepped mast with original or early-replacement wire rigging is a common failure point. Inspect swage fittings for cracking at the barrel, look for wire strand failure at terminal ends, and check the mast step and the structure carrying it for rot or deterioration. A rig collapse offshore is existential; replace any rigging older than 10–15 years without documented inspection history.
Completion quality on owner-finished boats priority: offshore, coastal, liveaboard, weekending Westsail sold kits and bare hulls alongside finished yachts, and the class association's own company history records that kit sales were central to the business. The consequence for a buyer forty years on is that two boats with the same hull number range can differ completely below the joinery — wiring, plumbing, tankage, chainplate installation, engine beds and ballast work were done by whoever finished that particular boat, to whatever standard they held. Establish first whether the boat was factory-finished or owner-completed, then survey the structural and systems work on its own merits rather than on the class's reputation. This is the single largest source of boat-to-boat variation in the fleet.
How it fits your plans
- Offshore
- The Westsail 32 was designed for offshore bluewater passagemaking and remains capable of it in well-maintained, properly refit form. Its heavy displacement, full keel, and double-ended hull deliver a stable, forgiving motion in heavy weather. The caveat is that most boats in circulation are 40–50 years old and require a disciplined refit — a neglected example is a liability, not an asset, offshore.
- Coastal
- Usable for coastal sailing but the displacement and narrow sheeting angles make it slow and frustrating in light air or upwind work on short passages. Sailors who accept the pace will find it comfortable and confidence-inspiring.
- Liveaboard
- The interior volume is modest for a 32-footer but the boat was designed with long-duration ocean use in mind — tankage, structural integrity, and layout suit liveaboard use better than performance designs of the same era. Comfort at anchor and offshore is the appeal, not marina amenability.
- Weekending
- Technically capable but its slow passage speeds and dated systems make weekend use a commitment rather than a convenience. Better suited to longer passages than short weekend hops.
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