Design and Construction
Paceship Yachts built the Chance 32/28 in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, between 1972 and 1974, completing 41 hulls, while Chantier Henri Wanquiez in France produced another 20 between 1973 and 1976, and Alexander Robertson & Sons of Sanbank, Scotland handled finishing work. The hull is hand-laid fiberglass with unidirectional roving through the laminate, stiffened by a bonded grid of the same material, and the cast lead keel is held on with 15 stainless bolts. The deck is a modified blister type with molded non-skid, laid up over balsa core with mat and woven roving, and the hull-to-deck joint is a silver anodized perforated toe rail. Aluminum backing plates are molded under every winch and track position, which lets an owner relocate deck hardware without drilling into raw laminate.
Rig and Handling
The boat's masthead sloop rig sits on silver anodized Procter aluminum spars, with all standing rigging in 6 x 19 stainless steel and internal jiffy reefing and clew outhaul in the boom. A Seaboard ball-bearing mainsheet traveler and twin Number 24 Barlow genoa winches with recessed tracks handled the standard headsail control, and a racing package added airfoil spreaders, extra winches, and internal halyards for serious buoy racing. With a PHRF of 165 and a design brief aimed at IOR 3/4-ton competition, the Chance 32/28 was built to move, and the skeg-hung rudder with fin keel gives predictable tracking. Buyers could choose wheel or tiller steering from the factory, and diesels were listed as options alongside the standard gasoline power.
Accommodations
Below, the main cabin centers on a convertible dinette seating five with stowage behind and under the seats, opposite a slide-out berth and upper berth. The galley is genuinely equipped for passage work: stainless sink, insulated ice box, and a two-burner gimballed stainless stove with oven, plus dedicated food, dish, and utensil stowage. Opposite the galley, a lighted chart table with chart stowage and a repeater instrument panel above serves the navigator, while a quarter berth with oilskin locker sits beneath. Forward, a fully enclosed cabin repeats the main trim, with V-berths over stowage, teak dresser, and nylon-carpeted hull sides. The head is enclosed with a Wilcox Crittenden unit, molded sink, and a deck vent lite combining light and airflow. Cockpit lockers add exterior stowage.
Known Issues
The construction record shows no structural defect campaign, but two details warrant owner attention over a half-century of service. The balsa-cored deck, laminated with mat and woven roving over the core, is a classic site for water intrusion at fasteners or the toe-rail joint; once saturated, the core loses stiffness and the non-skid surface can delaminate. The 15-bolt lead keel attachment and the aluminum-to-fiberglass toe rail are inspection points, since corrosion at stainless bolts or rail fasteners is a known age-related concern on boats of this vintage.
Refits and Ownership
The molded aluminum plates under deck hardware make winch and track changes clean, and the optional racing package shows the hull was engineered for upgrade paths. An active class club, The Paceship, once supported owners but is now inactive, so technical exchange now depends on general Chance-design and Paceship networks rather than a dedicated association.
The Verdict
The Chance 32/28 is a thoughtfully engineered small racer-cruiser with a serious interior and a hull built for both speed and weekend living. French and Canadian build histories add variety in finishing.
Pros
- Hand-laid hull with unidirectional roving and bonded grid stiffening
- Complete cruising interior with enclosed head and forward cabin
- Molded aluminum plates simplify deck-hardware changes
Cons
- Balsa-cored deck vulnerable to water intrusion and delamination
- Inactive class club limits organized owner support
