Design and Construction
The Watkins 32 is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, carrying a raked stem and an angled transom. Period reviews noted the freeboard is high while the cabin is kept low to reduce windage, a profile that trades some visual heft for a contained silhouette aloft. Both the keel and the rudder are medium in depth, with a fixed fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller. At 32.50 feet overall with a 26.58-foot waterline, a 10.17-foot beam, and a displacement of 10,800 pounds carrying 5,500 pounds of ballast, the boat sits as a substantial coastal cruiser. The four-foot draft with the standard keel fitted keeps her shoal enough for gunkholing, a quality testers flagged as a practical advantage in shallow anchorages.
Rig and Handling
The boat carries a masthead sloop rig with internally-led halyards and outhaul, a factory-equipped topping lift, and internal jiffy reefing. Two jib sheet winches are standard, while halyard winches remain a factory option rather than a default fitting. The sail plan measures a total of 468.53 square feet, split between a 202.13-square-foot mainsail and a 266.41-square-foot jib or genoa on a foretriangle of 38.75 feet hoist and 13.75 feet base. The skeg-hung rudder and tiller steering, paired with the moderate fin, give a direct helm feel suited to the boat's cruising intent rather than racing responsiveness.
Accommodations
Below, the Watkins 32 lays out a practical cruising interior. The galley is to starboard and can be fitted with a two-burner alcohol or propane stove plus a refrigerator. Forward, just aft of the forepeak V-berth, sit the head and a hanging locker. A port-side dinette table converts to a double berth, and a quarter berth occupies the main cabin alongside the port-side navigation station. All interior doors are louvered teak, and ventilation comes from six opening ports plus a forward hatch over the V-berth. An anchor locker is fitted in the bow, and the boat is supported by an active class club, the Watkins Owners.
The Verdict
The Watkins 32 is a small-production Tripp-designed cruiser that repurposes Columbia 32 tooling into a low-cabin, shoal-draft coastal boat with a straightforward tiller-driven fin-and-skeg hull. Eight built means rarity, but the active owners' club makes the design approachable for a hands-on cruiser.
Pros
- Four-foot draft enables gunkholing and shallow-water access
- Low cabin profile reduces windage per period observations
- Internally-led halyards and jiffy reefing simplify deck handling
- Louvered teak doors and six ports plus hatch give ventilation and warmth
Cons
- Only eight examples built, limiting brokerage availability
- Halyard winches are a factory option, not standard
- High freeboard may not suit those seeking a low-profile sheer
