Westsail 43?

[jdinafrica]

I am looking for a solid offshore/liveaboard. What are your thoughts on the Crealock designed Westsail 43.

[Valiente]

I thought it was the Westsail 42...

OK, I found it: WOA: Westsail 43

If Hal Roth likes it, I would probably like it too. It's plastic and only an inch longer than my steel boat LOA (bowsprit), but it weighs three and a half tonnes more. That should tell you something about both its performance in light airs (not much!) and its structural integrity.

Westsails (aka "Wetsnails") are pretty well the definitive '70s distance cruiser. Ferenc Mate wrote a cranky, funny boat called "From a Bare Hull" about building a 32 in kit form that gave me a sense of the type of skipper who likes them. I've since met a couple in real life, and they don't disappoint: "Satori", the sailboat that beached itself mostly undamaged in "The Perfect Storm" was a Westsail 32.

Which one do you like (I am seeing four for sale on Yachtworld). I like the look of the "tall rig" one in Mexico: the rudder's rigged for a Saye's windvane, a good choice for offshore.

Unlike a lot of old cruisers, they are probably worth restoring, like Camper-Nicholsons or Morgan OI 41s, if you intend to keep it for years or to go a-voyaging. It's old-fashioned by today's standards, but it practically defines "solid offshore/liveaboard".

EDIT: I found a specific Westsail 43 page. Should help you decide: HOME

[sailingfool]

Can't speak to a 43, I'll pass on the criticism the PO of my boat, regarding his experience with a W32 - he found the bows so blunt and the boat so un-weatherly that she would not sail upwind in a strong breeze, and he feared operating near any lee shore...something to think about.

[Valiente]

Yeah, but W32s just make a run for shore and self-careen on the beach.

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by Valiente

Yeah, but W32s just make a run for shore and self-careen on the beach.

That's one strategy - I guess the one in The Perfect Storm auto-beached by itself. Can get dicey if the beach turns out to be a rocky shore...

[jdinafrica]

I am not sure if a westsail 32 and a 43 are the same boat. As far as i understand a 32 is designed by Colin Archer and the 43 by Crealock. The 43 was made by westsail, known for its solid construction, but designed by crealock known for designing well regarded offshore boats. i would be happy to ear from someone who knows the 43. We all know the 32 as a slow, but sturdy cruiser, but not a boat I would choose.




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[Dewey Benson]

The Westsail 43 sails rather well indeed. She is quite heavy and requires some knowledge of trim to get her going. as with many full keel vessels she points better as the wind pipes up. Nice motion in a seaway without any evil caricteristics. a kick ass cruising boat.

The 32 had the interieor redesigned by the esteemed Mr. Crelock at the request of westsail , the desiners name is unknown (although there is a strong resemblance to the colin archer designs this creature is a "shudder" clone). The 32 has a sailing weakpoint ....upwind in light air. Not her best suit. Can go down wind like hell and upwind in a gale... well 40 degrees anyway.

Dewey

[jdinafrica]

Thanks Dewey, I really appreaciate your feadback. Can you tell me what the cockpit size is like. I do appreciate a smal cockpit for safety reasons but is it considered too small for lougning in comfort when at anchor.

[btrayfors]

jd,

Check out the Westsail Owners Association website:

WOA Web Site

I agree with the previous post: the Westsail 43 is a very different boat from the 32. It's a much better sailer, built like the proverbial ceramic privy, and has an easy motion in a seaway.

I recently saw one in Annapolis which had been lovingly restored by an obviously very well-heeled owner. It was much BETTER THAN NEW, with many custom-fabricated fittings. Just looking at it from dockside I could see that well over $100K had been invested in the makeover, possibly twice that much. Somebody really cared. This was a real museum piece!

Bill

[drdcwdc]

The Westsail 32 hull design was taken from a William Atkin design called Eric, which was a scaled down version of a 37' Colin Archer designed double-ended ketch. Both were wood boat designs (Atkins-1920's-30's? / Archer-1900).

W.I.B. Crealock was commissioned by Westsail to design a cabin, interior and sail plan for the originally flush decked fiberglass versions of the Eric. He apparently had nothing to do with the hull design except maybe to raise the bulwarks 6".

The Westsail 42 (center cockpit) and 43 (aft cockpit) are designed by Crealock and don't have the bluff bow of the 32.

Westsail 32's have won 1st in their class in ocean races such as the transpac, Newport-Bermuda and most recently Anigua classic. It's a great boat. It takes good sails and good sailors to make it win races. Otherwise, it's still a very seaworthy, comfortable and forgiving boat that will take good care of its' crew. Most "modern" designs are not as forgiving, and likely would not survive the "perfect storm" unattended as Sartori did.

A W32 will sail to windward just fine in light air with a genoa. Once a heavy boat is moving, it has momentum. It's going to windward in steep-faced seas over 3-4' high when the bluff bow of the 32 requires one to bear off about 5 degrees to steer through and over waves, rather than trying to bash through them. She will refuse to do that, where-as a narrower boat will cut through the waves, often at the expense of pounding into the trough off the backside of waves, beating up both crew and boat.