Design and Construction
Macalpine-Downie's late-eighties drawings produced a fibreglass catamaran built by Carlson Marine with solid fiberglass hulls and deck. The 30-foot waterline and 6,150-pound displacement place the boat in a light-displacement class; the displacement-length ratio of 101.69 anchor categorizes her among what reviewers termed "light racers" rather than cruising ballast boats. A centreboard keel gives a variable draft of roughly 1.51 to 1.81 feet dependent on load, allowing the hulls to be dried out or tucked into shallow anchorages that a fixed-keel multihull could not reach.
Rig and Handling
The Ultimate Concepts 32 is built with a masthead sloop rig, a configuration that keeps the sail plan straightforward and places the genoa's clew low and forward for windward work. Combined with the light-displacement hull and narrow beam, the masthead layout reinforces the boat's character as a light racer first. The centreboard's liftable geometry means the underwater profile changes with the crew's draft choice, trading deep-board upwind grip for shoal-water freedom as conditions and moorings demand.
Accommodations
The narrow 2.40 length-to-beam ratio suggests the living space was secondary to the racing brief, but the available material does not itemize how the volume was used.
The Verdict
The Ultimate Concepts 32 is a specialized late-eighties catamaran that wears its light-racer pedigree openly: a solid-fiberglass Macalpine-Downie design from Carlson Marine with a liftable centreboard and masthead sloop rig. She will appeal to a buyer who values shallow draft and low displacement over cabin volume, and who understands that the boat was drawn as a performer rather than a floating condominium.
Pros
- Light-displacement catamaran (DL-ratio 101.69) with a genuine light-racer character
- Centreboard keel yields 1.51–1.81 ft variable draft for shoal cruising
- Masthead sloop rig keeps the sail plan simple and windward-oriented
Cons
- Narrow 2.40 length-to-beam ratio limits accommodation breadth
