Westsail, the Company That Launched the Cruising Dream

Selling a dream, not just a boat

Snyder and Lynne Vick bought the molds of the Kendall 32 in 1971 and launched Westsail. The boat was a fiberglass adaptation by Bill Crealock of William Atkin's Eric, a 32-foot double-ender based on Colin Archer rescue boats. The Vicks marketed it not just as a boat but as a ticket to freedom, and a 1973 Time magazine article about cruising helped ignite demand.

Westsail sold boats both finished and as kits, and roughly half of the approximately 830 Westsail 32s were completed by owners. The company also built the Westsail 28, 42 and 43, but rapid growth, business inexperience and production inefficiencies led to bankruptcy in 1977, and operations finally ended in 1981.

The Westsail 32 character

The Westsail 32, which we cover in depth, is a heavy, full-keel cutter with a long bowsprit and boomkin. It is slow in light air, which earned it nicknames like Wet Snail, but it is enormously strong and comfortable in heavy weather. One example, Satori, was abandoned during the Perfect Storm of 1991 and came ashore intact, while another, Saraband, won the Pacific Cup on corrected time in 1988.

That combination of toughness and romance keeps demand alive. Westsail 32s are still sought by sailors planning long-distance cruising on a budget.

Buying a used Westsail

Because so many Westsails were finished by owners, quality varies enormously. A factory-finished boat with a documented refit is a very different proposition from an incomplete kit. Prices range from low five figures for projects to the mid five figures for well-sorted boats. The Westsail Owners Association is an excellent resource.

• Determine whether the boat was factory finished or a kit, and inspect the owner's work.
• Check the bowsprit, boomkin and chainplates for corrosion and rot.
• Inspect the deck core and teak decks if fitted.
• Check the iron or lead ballast encapsulation and keel for damage.
• Review engine, tanks and rigging age.