When introduced, the Renown’s 10,080-pound displacement was considered medium, though she is fairly heavy by modern standards. She carries 4,200 pounds of ballast and has a 9 foot 6 inch beam and a 25 foot waterline.
Design and Construction
The Renown was offered as a fin-keel, centre-cockpit sloop or ketch. On the ketch, a short bowsprit extended the basic 31 foot hull to 32 feet 6 inches.
The hulls were moulded to Lloyds standards, and each carried a Lloyds certificate—a discipline Westerly had maintained since its founding. Later models became the first Westerlys fitted with an all-wood interior. The 31 family was offered in aft- or centre-cockpit layouts, with fin or bilge keels and sloop or ketch rigs.
The Renown’s iron fin keel sits beneath a rudder mounted on a half skeg. In the cockpit, the wheel pedestal and mainsheet traveler divide the space; the traveler also carries the mizzen mast.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig gives the Renown a practical offshore temperament. The boom stands well clear of the cockpit, providing head clearance even for tall crew. With the genoa on a roller and the mizzen mounted in the cockpit, the boat offers easy sail handling.
Many owners treat dropping the mainsail entirely as the first reef, then continue under foresail and mizzen. This approach, typical of ketches, simplifies shorthanded passage work.
The theoretical hull speed under sail is 7.5 knots, while speed under engine is about 6.5 knots. Period assessment found that the Renown sailed rather better than her hull shape alone might suggest—better performance than expected. Yachting Monthly described the type as safe, steady, all-weather cruisers.
Accommodation
The Renown sleeps five or six in three cabins. In the saloon, a long settee berth runs along the port side. The galley is to starboard, with another berth and the chart table aft of it. The original saloon table could be lowered onto shorter steel legs to form a double berth. Headroom is about 6 foot 2 inches.
Forward, the forecabin has a vee-berth that converts into a double. Access is past a hanging locker to starboard and the single head to port.
The aft cabin is reached from the cockpit and contains two single berths. It is somewhat compact, however, and loses headroom entirely when the aft hatch is shut.
On later boats, Westerly moved the galley aft and shifted the chart table from starboard to port. Above, the cockpit provides ample room for six adults, with deep lockers on both sides.
Engine and Access
The usual installation on new boats was a Volvo MD2B diesel driving a three-bladed fixed propeller through a conventional sternshaft, though many of those engines will have been replaced by now.
The engine compartment is spacious and can be reached from both the cockpit hatch and the main saloon. A large section of the forward cockpit sole lifts to provide full engine access, while routine servicing is carried out through the front panel beneath the companionway steps.
A number of Renowns have since been fitted with fixed wheelhouse covers in various designs.
Verdict
The Renown is a very safe, comfortable, and dry boat, well suited to family cruising and regarded as a capable blue-water cruiser. Her centre-cockpit ketch layout, certified hull construction, and forgiving sail plan make her a sensible used-classic candidate. The main caveats are the aft cabin’s limited headroom and the likelihood of engine replacement.
Pros
- Centre-cockpit ketch with easy reduced-sail handling under foresail and mizzen
- Hulls moulded to Lloyds standards and individually certified
- Spacious engine compartment with access from two directions
- Comfortable three-cabin layout for up to six, with 6 foot 2 inch saloon headroom
- Steady, dry, all-weather cruising character
Cons
- Compact aft cabin with no headroom when the hatch is shut
- Original Volvo MD2B often replaced long ago
- Fairly heavy by modern displacement comparisons
