Design and Construction
The Renown was a fin-keel, centre-cockpit sloop or ketch, with the ketch version carrying a short bowsprit that extended the basic 31 foot hull to 32 feet 6 inches. Hulls were moulded to Lloyds standards and every hull carried a Lloyds certificate, a discipline the builder had held since its founding. Later models became the first Westerlys to receive an all-wood interior, and the 31 family was offered in aft or centre cockpit layouts with fin or bilge keels and sloop or ketch rigs. The iron fin keel sat beneath a rudder on a half skeg, and the cockpit itself was split by the wheel pedestal and mainsheet traveler, which also carried the mizzen mast.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig gives the Renown a practical offshore temperament. The boom stands well clear of the cockpit, leaving head clearance even for tall crew, and with a genoa on a roller and the mizzen actually mounted in the cockpit, sail handling is very easy easy sail handling. Many owners regard dropping the mainsail entirely as the first reef, then sailing under foresail and mizzen, a ketches-typical approach that simplifies shorthanded passage work. Under sail the theoretical hull speed is 7.5 knots, about 6.5 under engine, and period assessment found her sailing performance rather better than the hull shape alone would suggest better than expected performance. Yachting Monthly described the type as safe, steady, all-weather cruisers.
Accommodations
Below, the Renown sleeps five or six across three cabins. The saloon holds a long settee berth to port, with the galley to starboard and a berth and chart table aft of it; the saloon table was originally designed to drop onto shorter steel legs to form a double. Headroom runs about 6 foot 2 inches. Forward, the forecabin has a vee-berth convertible to a double, reached past a hanging locker to starboard and the single head to port. The aft cabin is entered from the cockpit and contains two singles, though it is somewhat compact and loses headroom entirely when the aft hatch is shut. Later production saw the galley move aft and the chart table shift from starboard to port. The cockpit itself offers ample space for six adults and deep lockers on either side.
Engine and Access
The usual new-boat installation was a Volvo MD2B diesel driving a three-bladed fixed prop on a conventional sternshaft, though many engines will have been replaced by now. The engine compartment is spacious and reachable both from the cockpit hatch and the main saloon; a large section of the forward cockpit sole lifts for full access, while normal service is through the front panel under the companionway steps full engine access. A number of Renowns have since received fixed wheelhouse covers to varying designs.
The Verdict
The Renown is a very safe, comfortable, and dry boat, well suited to family cruising and regarded as a capable blue-water cruiser. The centre-cockpit ketch layout, certified hull construction, and forgiving sail plan make her a sensible used-classic candidate, with the aft cabin's tight headroom and the likelihood of engine replacement being the main caveats.
Pros
- Centre-cockpit ketch with easy reduced-sail handling under foresail and mizzen
- Hulls moulded to Lloyds standards with individual certificates
- Spacious, dual-access engine compartment
- Comfortable six-berth, three-cabin layout with 6 foot 2 inch saloon headroom
- Steady, dry, all-weather cruising character
Cons
- Aft cabin compact with no headroom when hatch shut
- Original Volvo MD2B often long since replaced
- Fairly heavy by modern displacement comparisons
