Design and Construction
Laurent Giles laid down the Longbow as a moderate-displacement cruiser with a good ballast ratio, and the hull carries the typical Westerly profile with a pronounced bow knuckle. The iron fin keel sits beneath a rudder on a half skeg, and the boat was built to Lloyds specifications, meaning the building processes were rigorously monitored. Westerly built the Longbow at its Hampshire works, and early boats used less real wood in the interior trim with more GRP and plastic laminates, while later versions gained more wooden joinery. The 31-foot sloop version measures 31 feet 0 inches overall, 25 feet at the waterline, and 9 feet 6 inches in beam, drawing 4 feet 6 inches with a 9,400 lb displacement and a ballast that sources differ on (one quote gives 4,200 lb, another 4,000 lb). The same hull was also offered as a 32-foot 6-inch ketch, and the wider 31 family appeared in aft or centre cockpits with fin or bilge keels and sloop or ketch rigs.
Rig and Handling
As a sloop, the Longbow carries 206 square feet in the mainsail and a 333-square-foot No. 1 genoa, with a 236-square-foot No. 1 jib also listed; the ketch variant splits the rig with a 150-square-foot main and 54-square-foot mizzen. Under sail the theoretical hull speed is 7.5 knots, and about 6.5 knots under engine, with a 5-knot passage average readily planned given conditions. Writing in Yachtsnet, the reviewer described the sailing performance as good if unspectacular, and the design has long been regarded as a capable blue-water cruiser rather than a racer.
Accommodations
For a 31-footer the interior was considered huge when introduced and remains spacious. The layout runs a conventional forecabin with vee-berths, a separate heads compartment between that cabin and the saloon, and a saloon with a removable table that can form a double berth, opposite another settee berth. Twin quarterberths aft bring the total to as many as seven berths, though the standard count is six with a single head. The chart table is a slide-out panel over one quarterberth, and while alternative layouts were built, the described arrangement is the most common. The engine compartment is spacious and easily reached from both the cockpit hatch and the main saloon, originally housing a Volvo Penta MD2B diesel of about 23 bhp with a 25 UK-gallon fuel tank and 30 UK gallons of water.
Known Issues
By now all Westerlys of this period are suffering from drooping headlinings unless those have been replaced or refastened. On the Longbow the cure is a series of trim battens to re-secure the panel, a straightforward owner task but one worth checking on any candidate.
Refits and Ownership
Beyond headlining work, some Longbows have been refitted with a permanent chart table aft of the galley and a divider in the port settee berthing, improving the sea-berth arrangement. The simple MD2B and robust moulding keep these boats practical to own. Later wooden-joinery versions are visually warmer below, while early laminate-interior boats are easier to live with in damp conditions.
The Verdict
The Longbow 31 is a thoroughly sensible small blue-water cruiser: a Laurent Giles hull built to Lloyds standards, roomy for its length, and mechanically accessible. The sailing is steady rather than sparkling, and the headlining droop is the one universal age issue, but the boat’s construction discipline and accommodation scale make it a credible offshore companion.
Pros
- Spacious, still-modern accommodation for a 31-footer with up to seven berths
- Easily accessed and roomy engine compartment around the standard Volvo MD2B
- Built to Lloyds specifications with a capable blue-water hull and good ballast ratio
Cons
- Headlinings droop on all period Westerlys unless refastened or replaced
- Sailing performance characterized as good if unspectacular
- Early interior trim relies on GRP and laminates rather than wood
