Westsail 32 - Opinions Needed !

[barnakiel]

Westsnails are sailing tubs. Depending on built and condition they are either excellent sailing tubs or neverending project sailing tubs.

If you can, jump onboard a real sailing boat of similar displacement (say a J-boat) and compare - which of the boats better meets your idea of sailing (or living aboard - if this is your plan)?

I love Westsails so I am biased. I think that if you can find a sound, clean example that fits your bill, and if that's what you want to have / how you want to sail, then have one.

PS I think what I like most about them is that you can actually crawl around the engine.

b.

[barnakiel]

PS The deck stepped mast thing (if tabernacle) is very good stuff - you can lower the mast for repairs, etc. without the need for a crane!

b.

[GWB]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Not sure which races you are referring to, but winning a sail race does not say as much about how fast a boat is, as it does the preparation and crew quality. Transpac and Pacific Cup are both handicapped races, so winning does not mean the boat was fast.
The Westsail Saraband was very capably sailed in the 1988 Pacific Cup to Hawaii. She was first in PHRF B division and first overall in the fleet on corrected time. All this while being the last boat in the crewed divisions to cross the finish line. In other words all the boats sailed the course faster, but the Westsail corrected out with a rating near 200. Also, a race to Hawaii is generally a reaching and downwind race, so the poor windward ability would be less an issue.
Not sure what other race win you are referring to.
Wanting a W32 for its positive qualities is fine, but it is ridiculous to hype it as a fast, race winning, light wind boat.

Please look at the elapsed time in these results

http://pacificcup.org/archive/pcupre...%20results.pdf

[roverhi]

Saraband won it's class in the 2010 single handed TransPac. She finished in the middle of the pack and ahead of supposedly faster boats like a Valiant 40. That year, the TransPac had several holes with very low winds so was not ideal conditions for the Westsail.

[GWB]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Saraband won it's class in the 2010 single handed TransPac. She finished in the middle of the pack and ahead of supposedly faster boats like a Valiant 40. That year, the TransPac had several holes with very low winds so was not ideal conditions for the Westsail.

Also with a broken boom for the last 3 or 4 days.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by GWB

Please look at the elapsed time in these results

http://pacificcup.org/archive/pcupresults/PCup%201990%20(1)%20results.pdf

Cool, I was looking at the 1988 win.

[bazzer]

Check latest issue of Latitude 38 online, http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/...1-10-10&dayid= a 84 year old gentleman is setting off from the USA to attempt to round the Horn, again, in his WS32. Says he going to do it this time. He obviously like his boat
Bazzer

[Billy Higgins]

I have questions for the group on carrying a rigid dinghy on the Westsail 32. How much distance abaft the mast is available for a dinghy? What are the specific disadvantages or advantages of using the foredeck space for a rigid dinghy? (I am aware of the generic disadvantages of doing this, having carried a Mirror dinghy once thru the Caribbean on the foredeck of a 38 ft. ketch). Finally, is there sufficient boom clearance for a nesting dinghy? These stack a little higher than a one-piece dink.

[roverhi]

We stowed our half inflated Avon Redcrest on the deck aft of the mast. Keeping it half inflated made it quicker to get ready to launch after we dropped the hook. Like the Redcrest because it has two compartments, fore and aft instead of side by side. With it half inflated it made a lounge chair on the cabin top. We rowed that dinghy all over the Pacific, sometimes several miles, without any problems.

We also carried a hard dinghy on the foredeck. It was about as small a hard dinghy as it's possible to get, something like 5'. Don't remember if there was space for a larger dinghy but would assume there was, especially if it was a Pram style.

I am not fond of outboards. They are cantankerous, require carrying gasoline and take up space. We deep sixed our outboard after it quit on us one too many times. Would have liked to have had a sailing dinghy to do some longer range exploring and just gunkholing around.

One couple in an Ingrid used their boat as a dinghy. With an electric windlass, raising the anchor was so easy, they moved the Ingrid to whatever dive spot they wished to explore. Watched them move their big boat about six times in one day as they explored dive spots behind the reef in Moorea.

[sailingpup]

Hey All,
Thanks for all the input. We finally settled on a Westsail32 out of Port Orchard, WA 'Emotional Rescue' (the name is being changed to 'Blue Tale'), we took possession on Friday, yeah!!!!!! She's good looking boat, but needs some love.
Rob & Sophia

[Bash]

Congrats on the new boat. May she always meet with fair winds.

[mellowseas]

congrats! I love my W32

[GWB]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Cool, I was looking at the 1988 win.

Paul, not to labor the point too much but its worth noting that the in addition to winning her class on elapsed time in the 90 race - which I was alluding to in my post, Saraband also did not finish last on elapsed time in the 88 race. That honor belongs to the C&C 31 "Sorcerer"... now do you ever hear people calling the C&C 31 slow and wet?

We owe it to people who read these posts to be honest....there are many who exaggerate or lie about certain models of boats for reasons unknown.

[oregonian]

Ahoy GWB,
Thanks for correcting Paul L. on the error he made concerning the Westsail Saraband. I have heard that story a hundred times. I wonder how many C&C owners heard that story, knew it was not true, and never corrected it?
Happy Birthday

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by GWB

there are many who exaggerate or lie about certain models of boats for reasons unknown.

Oh, I think the reason why is pretty easy. They want to believe that the choice that they personally made, for themselves, is the very best possible choice. So they have to convince themselves that everyone who makes a different choice--mo matter the different circumstances--really only made the WRONG choice. In their minds (dare I say small minds?) they believe that for them to be right, everyone who chooses differently has to be wrong.

It's an idiotic attitude, obviously, but there it is. You see it in virtually every internet discussion at some point or another. There seem to be a whole lot of people out there who are perfectly willing to make themselves look completely idiotic so long as they don't ever have to admit that they made a mistake. Now why THAT is, I don't know. But why people will lie about this or that to defend their own, personal preconceptions is easy. The one-word answer is, ego.