The design traces directly to a mold taken from a wooden 5.5 Meter boat in which George O’Day won the 1960 Olympics. In 1967, the yard produced the 24 boats modeled after the Columbia Sabre and called them the Scorpion 32. The resulting hull is nearly identical to the Sabre and is presumed to share the same mold lineage.
Design and Construction
The Scorpion is a fiberglass, fin-keel monohull measuring 9.83 meters overall, with a 6.88-meter waterline, a 1.91-meter beam, and a 1.3-meter draft. She displaces 2,087 kilograms and carries 1,179 kilograms of ballast. Her ballast-to-displacement percentage of 56.49 places her firmly in the lead-ballasted, moderately stiff category for a boat of this length.
Calculated hull speed is 6.37 knots, and she carries 505.40 pounds per inch immersion. Those figures are consistent with a light-displacement racer-cruiser rather than a heavy offshore design. The Scorpion’s origins in a 5.5 Meter racing hull built from an Olympic-winning mold give her an unusual pedigree among production coastal boats of the mid-1960s.
Rig and Handling
The Scorpion carries a fractional sloop rig with 29.26 square meters of sail area. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 18.27, and her S# is 3.13. Those numbers point to a reasonably lively performer in a breeze, though not an out-and-out racer.
A displacement-to-length ratio of 178.60 and a comfort ratio of 24.20 describe a boat that accelerates quickly but remains firmly in the light-to-moderate coastal-cruiser bracket. Her capsize screening formula value of 1.51 is typical of a centerboard-era derivative kept within sensible proportions.
With a fin keel, fractional rig, and Olympic-derived lines, the Scorpion is a responsive, easily driven hull that rewards smooth helmsmanship.
Accommodations
The Scorpion shares her essential hull form with the Columbia Sabre. Because the molding is nearly identical, her interior volume follows the Sabre’s established pattern rather than a unique Ericson layout.
Her 32-foot length and 1.91-meter beam provide the compact but functional space expected of a 5.5 Meter derivative. A 57-liter water tank supports short coastal hops but limits longer cruising.
Propulsion and Refits
Most Scorpion 32s left the factory with outboard wells, although some received small inboards. As a result, a used boat may have either an easily replaced outboard or a modest inboard requiring the usual checks of its cooling and shaft systems.
For an owner, the outboard-well arrangement simplifies maintenance but brings more noise and weather to the helm. The inboard option trades that for enclosed quarters and the need for a deeper systems survey. This variation also means survey expectations will depend on the propulsion fitted to the particular boat.
The Verdict
The Ericson 32 Scorpion is a rare and historically interesting fiberglass derivative of an Olympic 5.5 Meter hull. Built in tiny numbers and closely related to the Columbia Sabre, she suits a sailor looking for a small, light, responsive coastal boat with genuine racing pedigree—not a bluewater cruiser.
Pros
- Direct hull lineage to George O’Day’s 1960 Olympic-winning 5.5 Meter via the mold
- Lively sail plan, with an S# of 3.13 and a 56.49% ballast ratio
- Near-identical to the Columbia Sabre, easing familiarity with parts and layout
Cons
- Only 24 were built, so boats are scarce on the used market
- Minimal 57-liter water capacity limits extended cruising
- Mixed outboard and inboard propulsion complicates survey expectations
