Design and Construction
Britton Chance's hand is evident in a hull conceived for dual service: the stated purpose is cruising and regatta, and the numbers support that blend. The 9.75-meter overall length and 8.55-meter waterline give her a long, efficient hull for the beam, while the 5,000-kilogram displacement on a 1.75-meter fixed keel reads as a moderately loaded cruiser-racer rather than a lightweight daysailer. The hull itself is fiberglass, built by Wauquiez as a production cabin cruiser produced by the builder Wauquiez. The sloop rig and 42.6-square-meter sail plan are straightforward, but the area is generous for the length and signals an intention to perform under sail as well as shelter a crew.
Rig and Handling
The Chance 32 is rigged as a sloop with a sail area of 42.60 square meters, a figure that, paired with the 5,000-kilogram displacement and 8.55-meter waterline, places her in the cruiser-racer band where Britton Chance worked. The fixed keel of 1.75 meters gives her a settled lateral plane for windward work, and the 3-meter beam provides the stability platform that a cruising/regatta brief expects. She is a cabin cruiser by classification, but the regatta side of her stated purpose means the rig is sized to move the boat without resorting to oversized canvas.
Accommodations
The standard version of the Chance 32 is arranged with two cabins, a layout consistent with her role as a cabin cruiser built for cruising and regatta use. The 9.75-meter length and 3-meter beam establish the envelope within which those two cabins and the accompanying saloon and galley must fit. As a cruising boat, the two-cabin standard version supports a small crew or a couple with guests, and the cabin-cruiser designation confirms she is built to be lived aboard rather than merely day-raced.
The Verdict
The Chance 32 is a Britton Chance design built by Wauquiez that wears its cruising-and-regatta brief honestly: a fiberglass sloop of moderate displacement, a long waterline for her length, and a two-cabin interior. The boat shows no known structural or systemic defects in the available record, and the picture is of a conventionally built production cruiser-racer with a clear identity.
Pros
- Britton Chance design with a documented cruising/regatta purpose
- Fiberglass hull with fixed keel and 1.75-meter draft
- Two-cabin standard layout as a cabin cruiser
- Sloop rig with 42.6 m² of sail on a 5,000 kg hull
Cons
- Limited published detail on construction specifics beyond fiberglass hull and fixed keel
