Westsail 32 Owner Advice

[zachduckworth]

Hi all,
I currently have an Islander Bahama 30 which is a coastal cruiser. Looking down the road a few years I'm interested in doing some longer cruises, maybe even to Hawaii and further. Westsail 32s have really caught my attention for this reason. I've been checking them out on their FB group and in my marina. One thing that stands out is how varied they are from the few hundred customized ones that were built. The two 32s one dock over from mine are completely different from each another, for instance. One cutter rigged, one bermuda rigged. One teak deck, one fiberglass. The deck equipment from stern to bow is all different. Im sure inside they are different too.

That said, I was wondering if current or past owners have any advice when looking at Westsail 32s. Are there specific things to look out for when thinking about purchasing one? Are there known build issues? And are there any mods that were done for water sailing">blue water sailing that I should make sure are present?

Also, I understand that the Westsail 32 inspired a lot of similar designs. Are any of those worth looking at? One thing I like about the Westsail 32 is that it seems to be relatively accessible (cheap) compared to the capability you get with it.

[wholybee]

I've never sailed on one, but am familiar with a couple of them. Since they are completed by owners, the quality varies a lot. The 2 I know are quite different. So a really good survey is a must. And yes, sail on one, and try to get into some weather with it.
One I have helped the owner with a number of repairs, and he buddy boated with me for many miles of our respective circumnavigations.
His boat sailed like crud. Not only slow, but it didn't point, hobby horsed badly, rolled badly, and seemed to have terrible motion in general. They are built like a tank, very heavy and solid. Not sure a tank is a good platform for building a boat.
They have a lot of die hard fans, but I sure wouldn't own one.

[Ryban]

I'll start off by saying that there are plenty of boats that can do a Pacific Crossing. My last boat,and Albin Vega 27, was a circumnavigator, and in many ways the opposite of the Westsail 32. That said, I too always loved the Westsails for their double ended appearance, their old fashioned hull design, and their reputation as being bomb proof.

You can get Bud Taplin's owners guide on the Westsail.org or .com website, I forget which. But it has lots of information on things to look out for and suggestions for what to replace. I'd start there.

Off the top of my head, the wooden boomkiin is a known weakness and several boats have lost their rigs due to failures here. Ours is a stainless steel boomkin that Bud sells, and we love it. But you could also fabricate your own. To a lesser extent, the wooden bowsprit should be checked for rot. Some have been replaced with stainless ones, but it's less common. There have been some issues reported with the rudders too, but I'd check the FB group or bud's guidance on this one. The tang that the bobstay attaches to us normally below the painted waterline, and is suspecitible to corrosion, so should be checked for such. Replacing it is possible, but requires the boat to be out of the water in almost all cases.

Below deck, boats can be quite different as a lot of them were owner finished with different layouts. Built quality can also vary pretty widely as a result. Ours was owner finished and is really nice. He was a talented machinist and had the skills to do a good proper job. Other than that there isn't too much to note down below. Keels are all encapsulated lead or iron, or a mix, at least to my knowledge.

The hulls are solid with a thick layup below the waterline. I think some boats do have issues with osmosis, but I don't think it's nearly as prevalent as it is on a lot of other boats that were built in the 70s. It's worth checking though as with any fiberglass boat.

I'd probably go with a cutter rigged boat if you have the choice.

[Bowdrie]

If you check the HIN number, you'll either see a WSS or a WSSK prefix.
WSS = factory boat, WSSK = kit boat.
However, all of the factory parts, (wood and metal,) could be bought by the owner of a "kit" boat for owner installation, and the boats were available in virtually any stage of construction, from an empty hull to an "almost finished" boat.
As a result there is a wide variety of them out there, don't automatically write-off a kit boat, many of them surpass the factory builds.
Early boats had "boiler punchings" for ballast, later boats had lead. The change was ~'74 (there is some overlap).
I'm not aware of any boats that used a combination of the two, (doesn't mean it didn't happen, if it did it would have only been a few).
About '76 the "MK II" hull/deck was introduced, the "sternpost" part of the hull was "filled out" a bit, the rudder and its attachments were changed, the bobstay attachment was changed, and the deck molding was refined, along with the hatches, (all of the changes were for the better).
As with any boat a survey is warranted.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by zachduckworth

Hi all,
One cutter rigged, one bermuda rigged. One teak deck, one fiberglass.

The term "Bermuda rigged" simply means triangular sails, (no gaff/4-sided main sail).
Unless an owner did something strange, they were all cutter rigged.
Teak decks were an option, (along with a million other details both interior and exterior,) for example, you had your choice of ~3>4 different galley stoves.
For a short time, there were some boats built at a facility in, (IIRC,) North Carolina, those boats were built with the original hull/deck/rudder molds.
Should you find one you like, a call to Bud Taplin would provide you with more detailed info.

[GWB]

Originally Posted by wholybee

I've never sailed on one, but am familiar with a couple of them. Since they are completed by owners, the quality varies a lot. The 2 I know are quite different. So a really good survey is a must. And yes, sail on one, and try to get into some weather with it.
One I have helped the owner with a number of repairs, and he buddy boated with me for many miles of our respective circumnavigations.
His boat sailed like crud. Not only slow, but it didn't point, hobby horsed badly, rolled badly, and seemed to have terrible motion in general. They are built like a tank, very heavy and solid. Not sure a tank is a good platform for building a boat.
They have a lot of die hard fans, but I sure wouldn't own one.

Westsail 32 doing ~ 15k

https://www.facebook.com/bill.stange...0122212902182/

[Cheechako]

I have sailed closely with 3 different couples who had W32's over the last 30+ years and have spent hours aboard discussing the boats etc. I have not owned one though. Yes they can each be different. While they take a lot of verbal bashing for pointing ability etc, they are great long distance cruisers.

One boat, called "Inalla" IIRC, had an engine midships and long propellor shaft. That seemed to be a bit troublesome with the long shaft causing some issues. So keep that in mind if you see one built that way.

The other comment I would make is get one with plenty of HP, or at least not marginal HP. It will help you if bashing the blunt bow through heavy wind chop etc.

In my thinking the little Yanmar 3GM30 is not enough engine. It's not a 30 hp engine although the name can be construed to imply that.
One with a good Perkins 4-108 would be perfect. But any good heavy duty diesel developing 35-50 hp at less than 'screaming' rpm would be nice.

Cutter or sloop?
My thinking is the boat is marginally small to be a good cutter, but the W32 is a bigger boat than the name implies... You dont have to use the staysail until you need it. But when it's blowing 30 -35 you can douse the headsail and move well, sailing flat with a good staysail.

Similar double ended strong boats:
Baba 30 (not as big, finely built, a bit better sailor.)
Freyja 33
Nauticat 33
Pacific Seacraft Mariah 31
Prairie 32

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by GWB

Westsail 32 doing ~ 15k

https://www.facebook.com/bill.stange...0122212902182/

Hmmm... While that boat is clearly sailing well, I find it VERY hard to believe that it is maintaining 15 knots or anything close to that speed. 15 kts is over twice her hull speed and that is just about impossible for a fat displacement hull.

Or did you mean 15 kph (kilometers per hour)?

Jim

[oregonian]

Hello Zackduckworth, I noticed your thread title. I notice the very first sentence of a response. “ I have never sailed one, but……”. As a delivery skipper, I have delivered 13 different W-32’s, plus my own, totaling 90,000nm. I also have delivered 150+ other sailboats. Most of which “I would never own…” You have already received some erroneous/misinformation about the W-32. Not all of it by any means. There are better sites available to you for accurate information. The Westsail owners association is full of Westsail owners who have accumulated hundreds of thousands of miles. Cruising, racing, modifying, and everything else. Give them a try. For the record, a Baba 30 is absolutely not faster than a W-32. It’s not even close. Good luck with your search.

[zachduckworth]

Originally Posted by oregonian

Hello Zackduckworth, I noticed your thread title. I notice the very first sentence of a response. “ I have never sailed one, but……”. As a delivery skipper, I have delivered 13 different W-32’s, plus my own, totaling 90,000nm. I also have delivered 150+ other sailboats. Most of which “I would never own…” You have already received some erroneous/misinformation about the W-32. Not all of it by any means. There are better sites available to you for accurate information. The Westsail owners association is full of Westsail owners who have accumulated hundreds of thousands of miles. Cruising, racing, modifying, and everything else. Give them a try. For the record, a Baba 30 is absolutely not faster than a W-32. It’s not even close. Good luck with your search.

Thanks, I have signed up on the group.
I’m going to ask the dock master who owns those two and see if I can get in contact.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Ryban

Off the top of my head, the wooden boomkiin is a known weakness and several boats have lost their rigs due to failures here. Ours is a stainless steel boomkin that Bud sells, and we love it. But you could also fabricate your own.

True, a friend had the boomkin come apart on his W32, but thankfully did not result in rig loss.
A good mod is going to a twin backstay set-up like an Alajuela 38.
It opens up the stern for easier wind vane installation and eliminates a lot of "claptrap".
The redundancy of backstays is a given.
Whatever the speed that boat is truckin right along.
The absence of an "air vane" makes me think they're using a "Tillermaster" of some sort, or hand steering?

[Jim Cate]

The absence of an "air vane" makes me think they're using a "Tillermaster" of some sort, or hand steering?

If you listen carefully you can hear some sort of autopilot sawing away as the tiller moves. But the boat is well behaved and taking minimal correction to stay on a good, straight course. Can't argue with that!

But 2x hull speed? Unlikely!

Jim

[lifeofreilly57]

I bought a Westsail 32 at auction years ago, it was one of the better boats profit wise that I bought and sold, they kind of have a cult following.
The one I bought was bought as a kit and finished by a Swede shipwright with the intent of circumnavigating.
The workmanship was as good as I've seen on any boat, including some high end custom boats from name builders. The quality and layout will vary from boat to boat, so look at a few until you find one that fits your needs. as for the build of the hulls, they really are bomb proof. Originally they were scorched for being slow, but improvements in the rig as time went on made them pretty decent for a full keel boat, you can always make a faster boat go slower, you can't make a slow boat go faster, so pay attention to the rig dimensions and type. A cutter rig with a removable inner forestay would be optimum. They dont go to wind well, 45 degrees to windward is about it, but if your sailing long distances and planning on tradewind sailing thats not an issue. Our current boat is similar in upwind sail angles but does perform well in that groove, even better on beam reaches.
Its a full keel boat with a stern hung tiller rudder, which is fairy easy to adapt a windvane steering system to.
If it has teak decks, do a very thorough inspection and moisture check on the decks. Many came with a Perkins 4108 in them, but motors vary due to owner preference,the 4108 is also bomb proof, just put a catch tray under one of so equipped, they have rope main crank seals and do leak a little, but a negative pressure intake kit can solve that and make it quieter at the same time.
Its a great boat for a couple or single hander.
Since they were built in the mid 70s there is much to inspect, some have been meticulously maintained and others look like floating wrecks, it depends on your budget and skills whether you buy one cheap and upgrade it or pay up for a well maintained vessel, still, it's a used boat, so you'll be doing a refit no matter which one you buy.
If well found and properly equipped its a rugged, sea kindly vessel that will take you anywhere, even on and off a reef.
The sailboat in the perfect storm was a 32, the owner set up his beacon when abandoning the vessel, the boat sailed itself to Canada, beached, and then was dragged off the beach and sailed back to New Jersey. The boat could handle the storm, the crew could not.

[Ryban]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

The sailboat in the perfect storm was a 32, the owner set up his beacon when abandoning the vessel, the boat sailed itself to Canada, beached, and then was dragged off the beach and sailed back to New Jersey. The boat could handle the storm, the crew could not.

The captain of this boat was reluctant to leave, but was more or less forced to by the coastguard. There's a good write-up here about it: https://www.westsail.org/satoristorm

I believe Satori is still sailing.

[Knotical]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Hmmm... While that boat is clearly sailing well, I find it VERY hard to believe that it is maintaining 15 knots or anything close to that speed. 15 kts is over twice her hull speed and that is just about impossible for a fat displacement hull.

Or did you mean 15 kph (kilometers per hour)?

Jim

I can imagine seeing 15k on screen while surfing down those waves, albeit only for a brief period.

15k through water - impossible.