Design and Construction
The hull and deck are hand-laid and vacuum-bagged, with vinylester and orthophthalic resins worked into biaxial rovings and mat wrapping a foam core anchor. That method yields a structure displacing little more than a ton while keeping the center of gravity low through a 1,336-pound lead bulb on a low-aspect keel and a large spade rudder. The 20-foot waterline and 6-foot 10-inch beam give her a displacement-length ratio of 153, a number that explains the nimbleness owners and the builder both describe. She is, in the builder's words, light and nimble and able to climb to windward with exceptional grace, a quality that the 22.8 sail-area-displacement ratio supports without making her a handful.
Rig and Handling
What makes the Hood 32 so approachable is the self-tacking jib paired with a carbon fiber tiller and a complete absence of winches on board anchor. The builders worked out a barber hauler that pulls the jib's clew toward the centerline when sailing hard on the wind, so the boat stays balanced without crew grinding. Owners confirm the result: Dr. Frank Morse calls her everything he hoped for in appearance and handling, and Joshua Summers, who has sailed faster and roomier boats, says he has never experienced the ease, performance, comfort, and beauty this 32-footer delivers. She is easy to single-hand and roomy enough for a crew, and Summers sums up the routine as easy to rig, easy to sail, easy to enjoy, and easy to put away.
Accommodations and Purpose
This is a true daysailer, not a cruiser with berths to fill. The builder states plainly that there is nothing onboard to distract from her purpose, and the 285 square feet of sail on a fractional sloop drive a boat whose comfort comes from the cockpit and the quality of motion rather than interior volume. Summers calls her perfection as a day sailor; Morse, a lifelong racer returning after a hiatus, was looking for a performance-oriented daysailer and found the Hood 32 a true home run. The awards bear out the consensus: she won Sailing World's Daysailor of the Year in the Boat of the Year Awards and Sail Magazine's Daysailor of the Year in the Best Boats Awards.
The Verdict
The C.W. Hood 32 succeeds as a purpose-built daysailer that strips sailing back to its essentials without sacrificing performance. The vacuum-bagged foam-core construction keeps her featherlight and trailerable, while the self-tacking jib and winchless deck make her a single-hander's delight. Judges and owners alike praise her windward grace and the unusual combination of ease and beauty in a 32-foot package.
Pros
- Light, trailerable construction at 2,750 pounds displacement
- Self-tacking jib with barber hauler for windward balance, no winches to manage
- Easy to single-hand yet roomy enough for a crew
- Multiple daysailer-of-the-year recognition from Sailing World and Sail Magazine
Cons
- Purpose-built daysailer with no cruising accommodation distractions by design
