This recreational monohull has a fractional sloop rig and was offered with a fixed wing keel or optional twin tandem keels. She carries a European Union Category A rating for all oceans.
Design and Construction
The 32s follows ETAP’s established hull-within-a-hull approach. Both skins are hand-laid fiberglass in polyester resin, with closed-cell polyurethane foam injected between them. This hull-within-hull foam construction provides buoyancy and makes the boat unsinkable; Cruising World also noted that it insulates against condensation.
The visible structure is predominantly glassfibre with wood trim. A low, lean hull supports a stepped superstructure that gives the boat something of a deck-saloon appearance. Below the waterline, she has a shallow underbody with a flat run.
The standard fin or Warwick Collins-style tandem keel gives a shoal draft of 4 feet 3 inches. The optional deeper wing keel draws 5 feet 11 inches. The 32s measures 32 feet 3 inches overall, with a waterline length of 27 feet 6 inches and a beam of 11 feet 3 inches. She displaces 8,575 pounds with the shoal keel and 8,157 pounds with the deep keel, and carries 2,425 pounds of iron ballast.
Rig, Steering, and Sailing
The Bermuda fractional rig carries 460 square feet of sail at 100 percent. The mainsheet traveler spans the cockpit just forward of the helm.
Steering is by the distinctive EVS—Etap Vertical Steering—system. Its tiller moves athwartships in a vertical plane, with the vertical post connected to the rudderstock through Delrin rack-and-pinion gears. Push the bar to the left and the boat steers left.
Yachting Monthly found the 32s quick and sporty but easy to handle. She tracked well under sail, offered plenty of feel, and slipped readily into a steady groove. The large spade rudder can load up the helm, but it also keeps her going straight when other yachts begin to round up in gusts. She stands up well to her canvas.
Carol Hasse, judging for the Boat of the Year award, said she enjoyed steering the boat and found it responsive, with a balanced helm.
Accommodation
The 32s sleeps six. A double V-berth fills the bow cabin, while two straight settees run along the main cabin. The aft cabin, to starboard, contains a double berth.
Just forward of the companionway ladder on the port side, the L-shaped galley has a two-burner stove, ice box, and double sink. The navigation station is opposite, to starboard, with the head aft of it.
Yachting Monthly praised the accommodation as generally good, with excellent ventilation and thoughtfully designed stowage for large items. It also noted, however, that the interior offers less room than an equivalent Bénéteau or Jeanneau. The stepped superstructure gives the saloon a near-deck-saloon feel, though without the full volume of those larger-production rivals.
Ownership Context
ETAP Yachting built the 32s in Belgium from 2003. At one time, the design was supported by a class club, the ETAP Owners Association.
The builder’s double-skin construction gives a buyer a structurally buoyant hull. The Category A ocean rating also reflects the yard’s intended bluewater credibility for a 32-footer.
Verdict
The ETAP 32s is a thoughtfully engineered small cruiser, combining an unsinkable foam-sandwich hull with an unusual but effective vertical-tiller steering system. She’s quick under sail, steady in gusts, and practical below, though a little tighter than her French production rivals.
The EVS helm and shoal tandem keel make her approachable for short-handed cruising. Her Category A rating also underscores a serious offshore intent that’s unusual in this size range.
Pros
- Unsinkable hull-within-a-hull foam sandwich, with insulation against condensation
- Distinctive EVS vertical-tiller steering that is responsive and balanced
- Shoal 4-foot-3-inch tandem-keel option for thin water
- EU Category A ocean rating on a 32-foot cruiser
- Roomy aft cabin and a well-ventilated interior with thoughtfully designed stowage
Cons
- Less interior volume than an equivalent Bénéteau or Jeanneau
- Large rudder can put weight on the helm
- EVS system will be unfamiliar to many and was fitted to many, but not all, boats
