Design and Construction
What sets the Curlew 32 apart is the intent behind her looks. Yachting Monthly described her as a delightful way to sail in pre-war style with the benefits of low-maintenance GRP construction anchor, and the woodwork below is a reflection of the shipwright's rather than the joiner's art — a telling distinction that speaks to framed, structural craft rather than styled cabinetry. The hull is solid fibreglass with a solid fibreglass deck, and the keel is a long type available in deep or shallow configuration, with centreboard or bilge-keel variants also offered. At 32 feet overall, 26 feet 8 inches on the waterline, and 10 feet 4 inches in beam, drawing between 3 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches depending on keel choice, she displaces around 15,000 pounds. That mass, paired with 6,000 pounds of lead ballast, gives a ballast-displacement ratio of 40 percent and a comfort ratio in the mid-30s — numbers that place her firmly in the traditional cruiser camp rather than the lightweight racer lineage.
Rig and Handling
The Curlew 32 was offered in both cutter and masthead sloop rig, and her sailing character is best summed as steady but rewarding anchor. She is stiff and directionally stable, holding her line without fuss, and Yachting Monthly judged her a good passage-maker — a boat that asks for considered seamanship but gives back 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 essential hull manners.
Accommodations
Below, the boat follows traditional thinking, and the interior is spacious for the length with five berths including a quarterberth anchor. The layout favours the classic cruising plan rather than an open modern loft, and the shipwright-built woodwork gives the accommodation a hand-made, period feel that matches the exterior styling.
Variations to Know
Because the model ran as a long-lived production boat and continues as a custom commission, buyers and admirers will meet several permutations. Beyond the cutter-or-sloop choice, the keel alone comes in deep long, shallow long, centreboard, or bilge configurations — each shifting draft and grounding behaviour. None of these alter the core 32-foot hull, but they matter when matching a specific boat to intended waters.
The Verdict
The Rossiter Curlew 32 is a traditionalist's cruiser: a glassfibre boat with the soul and detailing of an earlier era, built to be sailed steadily over distance rather than raced. Her long production run and continuing one-off construction mean she is not 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 quarterberth
- Low-maintenance GRP with traditional shipwright woodwork
- Multiple rig and keel variants for different cruising grounds
Cons
- Retro design limits appeal for those wanting modern open layouts
- Draft range and keel type vary widely between individual boats
