Westsail 32 - Impact

Impact

The Westsail 32 had a tremendous impact on the cruising world, and on the boat industry. The most immediate impact, of course, was on the 800-plus owners of the boats built. With her massive no-nonsense construction, the Westsail largely delivered on the promise of a boat that could take its owners anywhere in the world, and surprisingly many boats have in fact been sailed to exotic locations, even if performance was a disappointment for many owners. The overwhelming majority of the boats are still fully seaworthy, and hold their resale value very well.

Westsails continue to be cited as the epitome of a seaworthy cruising boat. In discussions of seaworthiness versus performance, the design is frequently cited as "one end of the spectrum" (for either good or ill). The Westsail's reputation is usually summed up as "built like a tank, but unfortunately sails like one too". Nevertheless, the boat is still often praised as a design which "has a larger, nicer interior; can carry more, is more comfortable to live aboard at anchor and during passages; will last longer; will be more forgiving of owner neglect and mistakes; has a better chance of surviving groundings and other mishaps; and quite likely will hold its value better".

The success of the Westsail spawned many imitations, and led to a huge revival in "Archer-Atkin" double-ended designs, with boats such as Babas, Tashibas, Pandas, Hans Christians, Lord Nelsons, CTS, Union Cutters, Alejuelas, Tayanas, Willards, Dreadnaughts, Prairie Cutters, Pacific Seacrafts, and more. Subsequent designs, however, have sought to improve on the Westsail's sluggish performance, typically featuring a cutaway forefoot, lighter build, and larger sail plan. Many of these boats were built more cheaply in Taiwan.