Design and Construction
McGlasson’s design combines a solid fiberglass hull with a lead fin keel. Ballast accounts for 47 percent of the boat’s 9,700-pound displacement—a higher proportion than in 79 percent of comparable sailboat designs and a strong contributor to her steady demeanor.
Her 10-foot beam gives a length-to-beam ratio of 3.25, making her slimmer than 54 percent of similar designs. A displacement-length ratio of 283 places her among the “heavy cruisers” of her size; only 38 percent of peer designs are rated heavier. Wetted surface is about 269 square feet, while an immersion rate of 866 pounds per inch points to a hull that settles predictably under load.
Rig and Handling
The Islander 32 carries a masthead rig with a reference sail area of 454 square feet for the mainsail and jib. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 16.0, rising to 18.9 with a 135 percent genoa. On that basis, she ranks faster in light wind than 42 percent of similar boats.
Reviewers describe her as slightly overrigged, with more rig than 66 percent of comparable sailboats. That suits a cruiser that benefits from extra drive. The standing and running rigging follow period dimensions:
- Main, jib, and spinnaker halyards: about 85 feet each, at 3/8 inch
- Sheets and mainsheet: 1/2 inch, with the mainsheet measuring 81 feet
- Cunningham: 13.5 feet
- Kicking strap and clew outhaul: 27 feet
Accommodations and Comfort
Below, the Islander 32 has four berths, a galley, and a toilet facility—a straightforward cruising layout for a 32-foot boat of the era. Her Motion Comfort Ratio of 25.5 is calculated as more comfortable than 54 percent of similar sailboat designs. That provides a useful point of comparison for couples or small families considering her alongside later, beamier boats.
Performance Under Sail and Power
The Islander 32 isn’t a lightweight racer. Her figures instead describe a predictable coastal cruiser, with a slightly generous rig to provide extra drive in lighter conditions.
Auxiliary power may come from a 30-horsepower Universal Atomic 4 gasoline inboard. This gives a calculated maximum speed of about 6.5 knots, compared with a theoretical hull-speed maximum of 6.7 knots.
A capsize screening value of 1.88, together with the comfort figures above, frames a boat intended for settled coastal cruising rather than offshore surfacing of extreme ratios.
Verdict
The Islander 32 Mk I is a tidy early-1960s McGlasson cruiser: solidly ballasted, sensibly rigged, and weighted toward comfort for her length. She isn’t a lightweight racer, but her numbers describe a predictable, able coastal boat with period-correct accommodations.
Pros
- Lead fin keel and 47 percent ballast ratio, higher than 79 percent of similar designs
- Motion Comfort Ratio better than 54 percent of comparable boats
- Slightly overrigged masthead sloop, with a good light-air speed ranking
Cons
- Displacement-length ratio of 283 puts her in the heavy-cruiser category; she isn’t a light-air flyer compared with modern, beamier designs
- Slimmer than average, with a length-to-beam ratio of 3.25, giving less interior volume than later 32-footers
- Gasoline-powered Atomic 4 auxiliary rather than a modern diesel
