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Garage, Galley & Hangar
GG&H
Technical Owner's Manual
Westsail 32FIG. 1
32' 0" on deck
WESTSAIL CORPORATION
Westsail 32
The Complete Owner's Reference
REV 1.0 · 140 PP
SAILBOAT · 32' 0" on deck
GARAGE, GALLEY & HANGAR
9 chapters · 98-term glossary · 76-entry index
Sailboat · Westsail Corporation

Westsail 32

The Westsail 32 is the heavy, full-keel, double-ended cutter that defined the 1970s American bluewater dream, its Colin Archer / William Atkin lineage rendered in thick solid fiberglass by W.I.B. Crealock and built by Westsail Corporation of Costa Mesa (roughly 830 hulls, about 1971 to 1980). With a displacement-to-length ratio near 419 it is a slow, sea-kindly, load-carrying passagemaker for the sailor who wants toughness and an easy motion over speed. The honest catch is that roughly half left the factory as owner-finished kits, so build quality varies wildly, and the highest-consequence weak points live in the bowsprit, boomkin, and bobstay end fittings that carry the rig.

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A sample of what's inside

Specifications

Length overall32 ft 0 in on deck (about 40 ft including bowsprit and boomkin)
Beam11 ft 0 in
Displacement19,500 lb (near 10 tons)
Keel / rigFull keel, encapsulated 7,000 lb ballast, transom-hung rudder; masthead cutter; 5 ft draft
EngineVolvo Penta MD2B (25 hp) or MD3B (35 hp), or Perkins 4-108 (about 50 hp) diesel
Used market~$35k to $70k, condition-driven (a premium over era production 32s for offshore capability)

Known issues, covered honestly

  • About half were owner-finished kits, so bulkhead tabbing, wiring, tankage, and engine beds vary from excellent to alarming: survey this specific hull, not the model's reputation.
  • The double-ender's rig loads pass through end fittings, and a narrow early boomkin stay tang, bent bowsprit bolts, or a rotten wooden crosspiece have each dropped whole rigs.
  • External stainless chainplates crack from the bolt holes and hide crevice corrosion on their backside, and stainless does not reveal its weakness until it fails.
  • Vibration from underpowered soft-mounted engines breaks mount brackets, wears the shaft and cutless bearing, and cracks exhaust components, the biggest engine-install problem on the boat.

…and the full survey guide, service schedules, systems, and parts sourcing in the complete volume.

Custom Edition

Make it your boat.

We fold in your year, your engine, your electronics and refits, your hull number, and your vessel name and your own boat's photo on the cover. The book stops describing the boat that left the factory and starts describing the one in your slip.

$260
personalized to your vessel