Westsail 32 - Opinions Needed !

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by GWB

I dont reject them! I just think a Westsail is a faster better boat with "less acres of teak" to take care of

Of course I'm comparing the HC 33 with the W32

Yes the teak... we agree on that at least

cheers,
Nick.

[GWB]

This is just a general post - the thread was started by someone looking at buying a Westsail 32. As a W32 owner I make no apologies for liking my boat and promoting it.

[Target9000]

Dani and I have both sailed on our W32 and our friends HC33 (taking vacations on it). We found that the sailing between the two boats is very close. If you're going to try to buy one based on sailing characteristics, you're splitting hairs. However, the two boats are very different on deck and below deck.

Above deck the HC is more contoured and the W32 is more squared off. Its harder for us to find comfortable places to sit on the HC with all the "back rests" curved around. The HC has a lot more teak. Very beautiful boat.

Below deck there are major differences between the designs. The HC33 we sailed on has a pullman's berth in the center with a head in the forepeak and a pilot berth in the aft starboard. The galley table is a U shaped sort of deal. The engine space is far more difficult to access. Our W32 has the conventional v-berth, head, galley with a table instead of a booth, and then engine space.

We love the look of the HC33. Its a beautiful boat. Sails a lot like our W32. We joke with our friend that we should have a race one day. Its about the only boat we could race against around buoys, though he'd win with his spinnaker (which we don't have yet). I like the midship queen sized berth though not sure if I'm okay with the head in the forepeak (nice to have a dedicated shower but not nice to be bucking around up there while under way on the commode). The pullman's berth is awesome for privacy (it has a door) but it sacrifices major access to the engine compartment.

All boats are different. We each pick our own for our own reasons.

For the money, the W32 is a lot of boat. You're getting a known hull with a huge active owners group and a lot of support that goes with it. The Westsail corp made almost 1000 of these boats.

[GWB]

Things I like about my boat:

The interior is spacious for a 32' boat.
The motion through the water is very comfortable
The sense of going somewhere with no fuss or drama when sailing
When the wind pipes up the boat just heels over a bit more - again, no drama. Time to take in a reef.
The thick hull with no core - there is a lot of debris floating around the Oregon coast at this time of year.
The heavy rigging and spar
The way the boat looks - not like a production stamped out boat.... although ironically there were 800 of them built!
The fact that the boat has won races and is capable in the right hands.
My boat has no liner and the hull is accessible everywhere from the inside.
The outboard rudder is bulletproof and a leaking rudder gland will never be a problem.
The boomkin is a perfect place to hang a windvane.
Parts are available from the original manager - and a huge owner support group.

etc etc

One thing I do not like is trying to park it in reverse! (back it into my slip) But I have found that if you give it a good goosing and then shift into neutral, the boat will steer with the tiller pointed in the direction you want to go. Just watch the bow swinging around!

[Paul L]

One other down side to a W32 is that it is a 32 foot boat that fits in a 40 foot slip. Not much of an issue if you are cruising continually, but an issue when paying for a slip.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Target9000

Dani and I have both sailed on our W32 and our friends HC33 (taking vacations on it). We found that the sailing between the two boats is very close. If you're going to try to buy one based on sailing characteristics, you're splitting hairs.

Exactly, which is why I made the comparison with the HC instead of a Tayana 37 as so many do (not that there is much wrong with that comparison btw). I had not expected such anti HC sentiment here though... rather the opposite as both have the same roots

cheers,
Nick.

[GWB]

Originally Posted by Paul L

One other down side to a W32 is that it is a 32 foot boat that fits in a 40 foot slip. Not much of an issue if you are cruising continually, but an issue when paying for a slip.

Here in Brookings there are two choices for slips (for pleasure craft): 40' or up to 30' so that really does not make any difference. If my boat was 30' then I would get a price break but since it is 32' and 38' overall it does not cost me any more for the bowsprit and boomkin.

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Exactly, which is why I made the comparison with the HC instead of a Tayana 37 as so many do (not that there is much wrong with that comparison btw). I had not expected such anti HC sentiment here though... rather the opposite as both have the same roots

cheers,
Nick.

I would just interject that the SA/D for the Tayana 37 is much higher than either the W32 or HC33. Contrary to popular belief, that makes it surprisingly lithe in light air. The Tayana is also a modified (cut-away forefoot) keel instead of a true full-keel, like the W32.

So, you were correct in not comparing them as close analogues.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Never been on a Westsail. But I figure if they built 1,000 and they still have an active following then can't be all bad.

Not sure why different must mean better or worse.........unless to reassure self for own choices.

[GWB]

Originally Posted by sneuman

I would just interject that the SA/D for the Tayana 37 is much higher than either the W32 or HC33. Contrary to popular belief, that makes it surprisingly lithe in light air. The Tayana is also a modified (cut-away forefoot) keel instead of a true full-keel, like the W32.

So, you were correct in not comparing them as close analogues.

Yes, its a common misconception that heavier full keel or modified full keel boats need 15 knots of wind just to move.

I'm always amazed at how well my boat moves in light air. My aperture has been faired and we also have a max prop which helps.

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by GWB

Yes, its a common misconception that heavier full keel or modified full keel boats need 15 knots of wind just to move.

I'm always amazed at how well my boat moves in light air. My aperture has been faired and we also have a max prop which helps.

Its all in a matter of openion and if your 32 moves to YOUR satisfaction in light air, than it has indeed satisfied YOU.. With a PHRF rating of over 200, you are classed with boats of 20 feet like the santana..
and at 20 feet long overall, a 200 rating is moving pretty good, the same rating for a boat of around 32 with a sprit of a few feet more is not so good..
and as far as winning races.. its all in the numbers.. Your 32 rated at 204 (around the mark) against ours for instance (rated 81).. over a 25 mile race, you have a 3075 second handicap over my boat which is 51.25 minutes..
so back to the 25 mile race, you can come in 51 minutes, or almost an hour behind me and still be ahead of me in the numbers, and win over my boat..
its also much easier to flub up with a high numbered PHRF and re-gain the seconds over a faster boat numbered low..
so when talking about a race across the pacific where a westsail wins a race, remember he has a handicap where he can be a good number of DAYS behind the faster fleet but still rank high in his numbers due to the PHRF rating system..
this rating is changing by the way and has already taken affect in many ocean races due to the point of sail the corse is on.. due to the effect of the "Round The Mark" rating with PHRF..
the westsail is a good example, because its rated as "around the mark" but sails better off the wind than it does to weather so a corse from California to Hawaii with its major down wind rumline would give the westsail a numbers advantage due to it not having to go to weather but rated as so..
many offshore races like the transpac have a third number based on that corse.. the SSS is also rated as a downwind race and YRA- Yacht Racing Association is now adding a "Down Wind Rating"

[GWB]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

Its all in a matter of openion and if your 32 moves to YOUR satisfaction in light air, than it has indeed satisfied YOU.. With a PHRF rating of over 200, you are classed with boats of 20 feet like the santana..
and at 20 feet long overall, a 200 rating is moving pretty good, the same rating for a boat of around 32 with a sprit of a few feet more is not so good..
and as far as winning races.. its all in the numbers.. Your 32 rated at 204 (around the mark) against ours for instance (rated 81).. over a 25 mile race, you have a 3075 second handicap over my boat which is 51.25 minutes..
so back to the 25 mile race, you can come in 51 minutes, or almost an hour behind me and still be ahead of me in the numbers, and win over my boat..
its also much easier to flub up with a high numbered PHRF and re-gain the seconds over a faster boat numbered low..
so when talking about a race across the pacific where a westsail wins a race, remember he has a handicap where he can be a good number of DAYS behind the faster fleet but still rank high in his numbers due to the PHRF rating system..
this rating is changing by the way and has already taken affect in many ocean races due to the point of sail the corse is on.. due to the effect of the "Round The Mark" rating with PHRF..
the westsail is a good example, because its rated as "around the mark" but sails better off the wind than it does to weather so a corse from California to Hawaii with its major down wind rumline would give the westsail a numbers advantage due to it not having to go to weather but rated as so..
many offshore races like the transpac have a third number based on that corse.. the SSS is also rated as a downwind race and YRA- Yacht Racing Association is now adding a "Down Wind Rating"

So you are expecting a 32' cruising sailboat to compete boat for boat with your boat, a boat designed for racing and 10' longer? Really?

That is like comparing your boat to Pyewacket. Your boat looks pretty slow in that context doesn't it?

So yes, in light air my boat moves very well. For a 32' cruising sailboat.

And for goodness sake it is "course" not "corse"

[Bash]

I was in a tight anchorage last spring with three Westsail 32s. We all knew we were too close, but we were all determined to make it work. Ended up having a great potluck aboard my boat--what a great group of cruisers.

I've got nothing to say about the boats themselves--they're not my particular style--but I don't know that I've ever encountered a Westsail owner I didn't enjoy. Not a lot of boats I can say that about!

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by GWB

So you are expecting a 32' cruising sailboat to compete boat for boat with your boat, a boat designed for racing and 10' longer? Really?

That is like comparing your boat to Pyewacket. Your boat looks pretty slow in that context doesn't it?

So yes, in light air my boat moves very well. For a 32' cruising sailboat.

And for goodness sake it is "course" not "corse"

you are reading what you want to and have no idea of the PHRF rating system if you can make a remark like that..
Boat for boat, absolutly not. the point of the post was to point out that due to the rating numbers of the Westsail 32, at 204, you have a handicap of 123 seconds per mile over my boat and in a race of of 2000 miles you are handicaped 4100 minutes or 68.3 hours..
With a handicap as your westsail has, and I'm not compairing it to mine in any way but you can be as slow as Molasses and still win races...
For you to say a Westsail wins races is crazy........

[GWB]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

you are reading what you want to and have no idea of the PHRF rating system if you can make a remark like that..
Boat for boat, absolutly not. the point of the post was to point out that due to the rating numbers of the Westsail 32, at 204, you have a handicap of 123 seconds per mile over my boat and in a race of of 2000 miles you are handicaped 4100 minutes or 68.3 hours..
With a handicap as your westsail has, and I'm not compairing it to mine in any way but you can be as slow as Molasses and still win races...
For you to say a Westsail wins races is crazy........

The Westsail can and does win races.

These are simply facts.

Also if you go back and look at the results I posted you will see that the Westsail beats other boats, boat for boat. This is also simply a fact.

Can you explain why the Westsail beat the other boats in its class on elapsed time (that means boat for boat) in a race to Hawaii?