Design and Construction
The Comfortina 32's exterior geometry is defined by restraint: modest freeboard keeps the topsides from looking bloated, while the low, sleek coachroof preserves the visual line of a deck built to move. Fine ends sharpen the entry and exit, and the deep, 2-ton lead fin keel anchors a ballast relationship that lets the hull carry sail without wallowing. The solid fiberglass hull and deck are unremarkable in composition but honest for the era, and the 5ft 7in draught marks her as a boat content to trade shallow-water access for upwind grip.
Rig and Handling
She carries a good spread of canvas and stands up to it well, thanks to her deep, 2-ton lead fin keel, which explains much of why the Comfortina 32 is rewarding to sail, particularly upwind. One caveat noted by period testing is that she heaves-to only reluctantly, a trait that matters to anyone who expects to lie ahull in a blow rather than run or motor through it.
Accommodations
Climbing down the companionway, you arrive in a large, open space with chart table and heads to port, and galley to starboard, an arrangement that puts the working stations immediately at hand without a separate passage. The saloon is well forward in the hull, so the settees are quite close together, and headroom is about 6ft by the companionway but constricted further forward, a direct consequence of the low coachroof that gives the boat its exterior elegance. A V-berth in the forecabin and a double cabin aft bracket the central volume, and stowage is excellent throughout, which compensates for the tight settee spacing when living aboard for a week or more.
Known Issues
The source material for this model is thin on defects, and no documented structural or systemic failures appear in the surveyed review. The one handling caveat is the reluctant heaving-to noted above; otherwise the period review treats the boat as sound. The constricted forward headroom is a design compromise rather than a fault, and buyers should simply understand that the low sleek coachroof limits stand-up room outside the companionway area.
Refits and Ownership
Production ran from 1982 to 1998 under the Arvika builder, with 860 examples completed. A YM Test Report on the Comfortina 32 was published in May 1988, giving owners a period benchmark against which to judge a specific boat's equipment and condition.
The Verdict
The Comfortina 32 is a coherent 1980s cruiser-racer: a hull that looks quick because it is quick upwind, an interior that trades stand-up room forward for stowage and a low profile, and a keel that lets her stand on her canvas. She is not a boat for the sailor who wants to heave-to and wait out weather, but for directed passage-making she remains a disciplined companion.
Pros
- Rewarding to sail, particularly upwind, on a deep lead fin keel
- Excellent stowage throughout a compact but open interior
- Honest solid fiberglass construction from a defined 860-boat production run
Cons
- Heaves-to only reluctantly
- Forward headroom constricted by the low, sleek coachroof
- Settees quite close together due to the forward saloon placement
