BoatsAries 32

Aries 32

Masthead Sloop · Fin w/transom Hung Rudder · First built 1972

A heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder, originally built in wood before transitioning to

Designed by Thomas Gillmer, built by C. C. Chen Boatyard Ltd. (Taiwan).

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/transom Hung Rudder

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 44 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 44
CoastalBluewater

At 1.52 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.52
LightHeavy

406 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 406
EasygoingPowered-up

11.9 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 11.9
TenderStiff

28% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 28%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Heavier than ~88% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2778 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
28.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
11.9
Displacement / length
406.4
Comfort ratio
43.9
Capsize screening
1.52
Hull speed
6.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
890
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/transom hung rudder
Construction
FG & Plywood
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Units built
20
Designer
Thomas Gillmer
Builder
C. C. Chen Boatyard Ltd. (TAIWAN), Roughwater Boats

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Spirit 329.48 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
Contest 319.50 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA U. van Essen-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for stability and comfort in a compact hull
Endeavour 329.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthEndeavour's debut model, this masthead sloop evolved from the Irwin 32 hull into a stable, shoal-draft cruiser
Contessa 329.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973 London Boat Show winner with a skeg-hung rudder and a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 47 percent
Islander 329.91 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA J.H. McGlasson-designed masthead sloop that served as the foundational hull for the later Islander 33 and 34 models
Hunter Marine 339.96 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 1977 masthead sloop with a 38% ballast ratio, designed for stability and coastal performance

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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