Design and Construction
Bianca A/S built the Blue Leth 32 with a hand-laid fiberglass hull. The deck is also hand-laid fiberglass, but uses sandwich construction for insulation. Original documentation credits this construction with insulating the cabin from cold water and reducing condensation below.
The lead keel is bolted to a fin that draws between 5.58 and 5.88 feet, depending on load. At a displacement of about 8,047 pounds, with 3,593 pounds of ballast, the Blue Leth 32 has a ballast ratio of 45 percent—higher than 73 percent of comparable sailboat designs. Her length-to-beam ratio of 3.21 makes her slimmer than 54 percent of them.
A displacement-to-length ratio of 278 places her among “heavy cruisers,” while an immersion rate of about 144 kg per centimeter points to a stiff, slow-to-sink hull form.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Blue Leth 32 carries a masthead sloop rig with a conventional northern European sail inventory. The specified jib and genoa sheets are 9.6 meters long and 12 mm in diameter. The mainsheet is 24.1 meters long, also with a 12 mm diameter, while the spinnaker sheets are 21.2 meters long.
Under power, she may be fitted with an 18-horsepower inboard diesel driving a shaft, for a calculated maximum speed of about 5.3 knots. Under sail, her displacement hull has a theoretical maximum speed of 6.5 knots for a boat of this waterline.
Her capsize screening value is 1.94, and her Motion Comfort Ratio ranges from 22.6 to 23.5—more comfortable than 46 percent of similar designs. Together, those figures frame her as a stable, though not plush, coastal and offshore cruiser. Her relative speed performance of 62 puts her ahead of 62 percent of similar sailboats despite her heavy-cruiser classification.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below, the Blue Leth 32 has two cabins and six berths, with mahogany joinery, a galley, and a toilet facility. Fresh-water capacity is 26 US gallons, while the fuel tank holds 16 US gallons. Those capacities are better suited to weekend and shorthanded cruising than to long, unsupported passages.
The two-cabin layout and six-berth count suggest an owner-forward double and a convertible saloon rather than private aft staterooms—a typical Danish family arrangement of the period.
Verdict
The Blue Leth 32 is a thoughtfully engineered small cruiser from the Elvstrøm & Kjærulff office. Its sandwich deck directly addresses cold-climate condensation, while its ballast-to-weight profile lends it stability that is rare in this size class.
She isn’t a lightweight racer, but the numbers point to a seakindly, reasonably quick hull that performs above what her length might suggest in comfort and ballast authority.
Pros
- Lead fin keel and a high 45 percent ballast ratio for a 32-foot cruiser
- Sandwich deck construction that insulates the cabin and reduces condensation
- Stable motion profile, with a capsize screening value of 1.94
Cons
- Modest 16 US gallon fuel and 26 US gallon water capacities limit range
- A displacement-to-length ratio that classifies her as a heavy cruiser, so she isn’t quick in light air
- Only two cabins and six berths within a 31-foot hull
