Just over 100 Tempests were completed before 1993, when Westerly reworked the hull, interior, and rig to create the Regatta 310. That model nominally remained in production until 1997, although only five hulls were built during its six-year run.
Dubois, who drew 17 Westerly designs between 1979 and 2000, intended the Tempest as a more cruising-friendly alternative to the existing 32-foot Fulmar. It reflects his stated emphasis on performance and comfort while retaining the moderate-displacement character for which Westerly cruisers were known.
Design and Construction
The Tempest 31 is a moderate-displacement monohull. Its ballast-to-displacement ratio is 29.8, while its displacement-length ratio is 274—figures that place it among coastal cruisers rather than light-displacement racers.
The boat carries 2,690 lb of iron ballast. The standard fin-keel version draws about five feet. Westerly also offered a bilge-keel version with twin well-angled keels with bulbs at the base, intended to keep the center of gravity low. This version carries slightly more keel weight than the fin-keel boat.
Both the hull and deck are solid fiberglass. Compared with the earlier Fulmars, which were conceived as racing-capable boats, the Tempest received higher-quality joinery. That change reflected its repositioning toward the family-cruiser market rather than the regatta course.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Tempest has a masthead-sloop rig and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 14.8. That leaves it somewhat underpowered beside high-performance designs, but the figure is entirely consistent with a comfort-oriented coastal cruiser.
A capsize screening score of 2.1 and a comfort ratio of 22.2 reinforce that coastal profile. The theoretical hull speed is 6.6 knots, and wetted surface area is about 290 square feet.
Period data provides estimated sheet sizes rather than builder specifications. It lists 12 mm diameters for the jib, genoa, mainsheet, and spinnaker sheets, with the mainsheet the longest at just over 76 feet. These figures provide useful context for an owner planning to re-rig.
Accommodation
The original layout sleeps up to six in three cabins. It has two spacious double aft cabins tucked beneath the cockpit, plus a forward V-berth cabin with access to the sail locker. Most Tempests were sold in this twin-aft “Original” configuration.
At the end of 1988, Westerly introduced the “Classic Option.” This replaced the two aft cabins with a single larger aft cabin, added aft heads, and used a conventional V-berth forecabin. The revised arrangement also gained a much larger cockpit locker.
Both layouts met the family-cruiser brief. The choice came down to whether an owner preferred separate aft guest cabins or more stowage and a larger head. Both versions sleep six.
Verdict
The Tempest 31 is a small, finite-production Dubois cruiser that exchanged the Fulmar’s racing bias for broader aft sections, better joinery, and a genuinely usable interior—either with three cabins or one large aft cabin.
Its ratios identify it as a moderate-displacement coastal cruiser, not a bluewater greyhound. The bilge-keel version extends its grounding tolerance at the cost of slightly more keel weight.
With just over 100 boats built and a short-lived successor, the Tempest remains a comparatively scarce but well-documented Westerly. In 1993, the hull design, interior, and rig were reworked and renamed the Regatta 310. That model nominally remained in production until 1997, with only five built.
Pros
- Dubois performance-cruiser pedigree, with broader aft sections than the Fulmar
- Two distinct six-berth interior layouts
- Large cockpit locker in the Classic Option
- Moderate displacement and a 2.1 capsize screening score suit settled coastal cruising
Cons
- A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 14.8 leaves it underpowered beside modern performance boats
- Just over 100 were built, making it scarce on the used market
- The bilge-keel version carries more keel weight, trading some fin-keel balance
