Downeaster 32

BoatsDowneaster 32

See her sail

The Downeaster 32, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Sailing Solé

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 moderate beam gives 39 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 39

CoastalBluewater

1.71 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.71

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 440

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.6

TenderStiff

32% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 32%

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

Heavier than ~77% of boats her size on file
Beamier than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 428 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Downeaster 32, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Downeaster 32 is a cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Bob Poole and built by Down East Yachts from 1975 to 1980. It has a long keel with a transom-hung rudder, measures 9.8 meters LOA, 3.4 meters beam, and 1.4 meters draft, with a displacement of 7711 kg. Its length with bowsprit is 35.5 feet.6:45 A 1978 Downeaster 32 was offered at a Long Beach boat auction in late summer 2026 but failed to sell, unlike a 1978 Catalina 38 and a 1978 Ericsson 32, which both sold for $500.16:00

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Downeaster 32 on video

Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East 38Practical Sailor

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

32.4%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Cutter

Ratios

SA / displacement

14.6

Displacement / length

440.4

Comfort ratio

38.9

Capsize screening

1.71

Hull speed

6.8 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1015

Hull

Hull type

Long keel w/trans. hung rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1975–1980

Units built

134

Designer

Bob Poole

Builder

DownEast Yachts, Down East Yachts Inc

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Westsail 329.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA fiberglass adaptation of William Atkin's Thistle design, this heavy-displacement cutter saw 834 hulls built.

EP#351 Colin Denker in Person Aboard his new Westsail 324:21 from Sailing Into Oblivion

Alden 32 Motor Sailer9.60 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterOriginally known as the Winsome Class, this masthead sloop features a long keel and was available in both sloop and ketch

I SOLO SAILED to THE ISTHMUS18:45 from Sailing Solé

Nauticat 3310.11 mSame hull family0.4 m longerSiltala's inaugural production model, this long-keeled ketch offers a stable, high-comfort platform for extended cruising

Our camper is for sale | Renovated 1993 Toyota Itasca Spirit from cruisincasa

Cape George 319.45 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA William Atkin-designed cutter with a heavy ballast ratio and long keel, built for stability and offshore comfort

Cape George Cutter For Sale. Project, Cheap.from Sailing Magic Carpet

Cape Dory 3310.07 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 1980s production masthead sloop with a 41% ballast ratio, occasionally factory-fitted with a Volvo diesel

EP#248 Cruising the Bahamas with @SailinWithTrout30:03 from Sailing Into Oblivion

Allied Yachts Luders 3310.06 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Bill Luders-designed masthead sloop featuring a long keel and heavy displacement for stable, classic offshore cruising

33 Foot Sailboat for Less Than $10,000!0:55 from Lady K Sailing

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.

Downeaster 38A 1974-era cutter with a 35.4 comfort ratio, built for stable, long-distance voyaging on a heavy-displacement hull Downeaster 41A rare masthead sloop derived from the Downeaster 38, featuring a long keel and a heavy-displacement hull for steady cruising O'day 32A 9.6-metre masthead sloop with a deep-draft keel-centerboard configuration designed for versatile coastal cruising Cape Dory 32A short-run 1986-1988 masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for steady, traditional cruising Eo 32A Ted Brewer-designed cutter sold under four different names, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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