Design and Construction
De Ridder's 32-foot design pairs a 9.48-meter overall length with a 3.18-meter beam, yielding a length-to-beam ratio near 2.98 that reads as moderately beamy for a 1970s racer-cruiser. The hull is solid fiberglass with no core, and the yard offered different keel alternatives — a standard fin and a deeper option — rather than a single fixed configuration. Displacement is 4,200 kg with 1,800 kg of iron ballast, a 42.86% ballast-to-displacement ratio that gives her a settled, weatherly feel. The capsize screening value of 1.99 places her within the range accepted for offshore-capable cruisers under that formula. With a wetted surface of roughly 30 square meters, she is a conventionally proportioned monohull of her generation rather than an ultralight flyer.
Rig and Handling
The Spirit 32 is rigged as a masthead sloop with a total sail area of 34.22 square meters, and her genoa alone measures 37.06 square meters — a headsail-dominant plan typical of IOR-influenced boats. A 79.3-square-meter spinnaker was part of the inventory for downwind work. Her SA/D ratio is cited at 13.41 on one measure and 21.87 on another depending on the calculation basis, but either way she is adequately powered for her displacement. The IOR rating of 23 feet confirms her rule-driven lineage. Draft varies by keel: the standard fin draws roughly 1.59 to 1.69 meters when loaded, while the deep-draft keel reaches 1.83 meters (and yacht-database figures suggest up to 1.93 meters by load), limiting her to major marinas on the deeper foil.
Accommodations
Below, the Spirit 32 provides six berths and 1.85 meters of headroom, a practical volume for a 32-foot hull of her era. The 130-liter water tank and 60-liter fuel capacity support coastal cruising without excessive tankage weight. A 28-horsepower diesel with shaft drive provides auxiliary propulsion — modest but proportionate to the 9.5-meter hull.
The Verdict
The Spirit 32 is a well-documented example of late-1970s Belgian GRP construction: solid, numerically conservative, and shaped by the IOR rule. She rewards an owner who wants a classic masthead sloop with predictable proportions and a known production history.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with 42.86% ballast ratio and 1.99 capsize screening value
- Six berths and 1.85 m headroom in a 31-foot hull
- Multiple keel options including a shoaler 1.59 m draft
Cons
- Deep-keel version draws up to 1.93 m, restricting marina access
- IOR-derived masthead rig is headsail-heavy by modern standards
- Only 60 l fuel capacity limits motoring range
