Design and Construction
The Curlew’s distinctive looks are central to the design. Yachting Monthly described her as a delightful way to sail in pre-war style while enjoying the benefits of low-maintenance GRP construction. Below, the woodwork reflects the shipwright’s rather than the joiner’s art—a telling distinction that suggests framed, structural craft rather than styled cabinetry.
The hull and deck are both solid fibreglass. Keel choices include deep or shallow long keels, as well as centreboard and bilge-keel variants.
The Curlew measures 32 feet overall, 26 feet 8 inches on the waterline, and 10 feet 4 inches in beam. Depending on the keel, draft ranges from 3 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. Displacement is around 15,000 pounds, including 6,000 pounds of lead ballast. That gives a ballast-displacement ratio of 40 percent and a comfort ratio in the mid-30s—figures that place her firmly among traditional cruisers rather than lightweight racers.
Rig and Handling
The Curlew 32 was offered with either a cutter rig or a masthead sloop rig. Her sailing character is steady but rewarding. She is stiff and directionally stable, holding her line without fuss. Yachting Monthly judged her a good passage-maker: a boat that asks for considered seamanship but delivers dependable motion in a seaway.
The long-keel variants and the centreboard or bilge-keel options broaden her reach from open-water cruising to shallower harbours without changing the hull’s essential manners.
Accommodation
Below, the Curlew follows traditional cruising practice. The interior is spacious for her length, with five berths including a quarterberth. Rather than a modern open-plan layout, she has a classic cruising arrangement. Shipwright-built woodwork gives the accommodation a handmade, period character that matches the exterior.
Variations to Know
Because the Curlew had a long production run and remains available as a custom commission, buyers and admirers will encounter several permutations. In addition to the cutter-or-sloop rig choice, keel configurations include deep long, shallow long, centreboard, and bilge versions. Each changes the boat’s draft and grounding behaviour.
None alters the core 32-foot hull, but the differences matter when matching a particular boat to its intended cruising waters.
Verdict
The Rossiter Curlew 32 is a traditionalist’s cruiser: a glassfibre boat with the character and detailing of an earlier era, intended for steady passage-making rather than racing. Her long production run and continued one-off construction mean she isn’t a rare curiosity, yet each hull carries the mark of considered woodwork and a stable, passage-friendly hull form.
Pros
- Stiff, directionally stable, and a proven passage-maker
- Spacious five-berth interior with a quarterberth
- Low-maintenance GRP construction with traditional shipwright woodwork
- Several rig and keel variants for different cruising grounds
Cons
- Retro design may not appeal to sailors who want a modern, open layout
- Draft and keel type vary widely among individual boats
