Its full coach roof immediately distinguishes the Ontario 32 as a cruising boat rather than a racer-cruiser. With 11 feet of beam, it’s also among the beamiest cruisers of its size—a dimension that shapes both its interior volume and its behavior under way.
Design and Construction
Below the waterline, the Ontario 32 has a long, trapezium-shaped, flat-bottomed fin keel. Its semi-balanced spade rudder marked a sharp departure from the swept, scimitar-shaped rudders and keels found on C&C racer-cruisers of the period. As on several C&C designs, the propeller shaft is offset and exits the hull at an angle.
Above the waterline, the boat has a deck anchor locker—a North American first—and a T-shaped cockpit that is deep, protected, and roomy. Below, refined cabinetry makes lavish use of teak.
Rig, Sailing, and Handling
The Ontario 32 isn’t a competitive club racer, but its wide beam-to-length ratio makes it a solid off-wind cruiser. Performance is decent for its shape and size, although it takes a fresh breeze to get the boat truly up to speed.
Owners who have sailed the boat hard report that it’s forgiving and absorbs a beginner’s mistakes. In knock-down situations, it simply side-slips and carries on.
The same wide beam and high topsides bring drawbacks under power. The Ontario 32 doesn’t motor well into steep chop, and the offset shaft can allow the propeller to cavitate in some rough conditions, making the boat slow to get moving.
Accommodations
Interior space is one of the Ontario 32’s defining features. Owners describe an amazing amount of volume for a 32-footer, and the layout supports that assessment. There’s plenty of headroom and an open main saloon, along with a conventional arrangement forward comprising a V-berth, a head with shower, and a hanging locker.
In the main saloon, a starboard settee has a pilot berth just above the saloon bench. Opposite, an L-shaped settee extends forward to the head bulkhead. Moving aft along the starboard side, there’s a smallish U-shaped galley, followed by an aft-facing chart table and navigation seat.
Ownership, Durability, and Refits
Hull #45, Salut, remained dry and comfortable 18 years on. Its owner reported that the boat had never leaked around the portlights or hatches.
Owners have also used the Ontario 32 as a platform for practical cruising upgrades. One replaced the stock 12-horsepower diesel with a 20-horsepower model, yet still found the boat slow when motoring into steep chop because of its beam and topsides. The same owner added bow anchor rollers, increased freshwater tankage to 66 gallons, and installed a larger, 40-gallon holding tank. These modifications show the boat absorbing modern cruising expectations without compromising the original C&C-designed package.
The recurring operational caveat remains the offset propeller shaft, which can cause cavitation in some rough conditions and sluggish acceleration under power.
The Verdict
The Ontario 32 is a thoughtfully designed small cruiser that trades racer-cruiser sharpness for liveaboard volume and steady off-wind performance. Its C&C pedigree shows in the hull and in a rudder design that departed from the company’s contemporary racer-cruisers. The interior remains generous for a boat of this length.
The offset shaft imposes a real, if minor, limitation under power. Even so, long-term owners describe the Ontario 32 as a dry, durable yacht.
Pros
- Exceptional interior volume and headroom for a 32-footer
- Beam-driven off-wind stability and forgiving handling
- A semi-balanced spade rudder distinct from those on C&C racers of the period
- Long-term owners report dry hulls without portlight or hatch leaks
Cons
- The offset propeller shaft can cause cavitation and slow acceleration under power
- Wide beam and high topsides hinder progress when motoring into steep chop
- Not suited to competitive club racing
