North American 32 (Douglas 32)
Description
The North American 32 (also known as the Douglas 32) is a classic fiberglass long-keel cruising sailboat designed by renowned Canadian naval architect Ted Brewer (Edward S. Brewer) and built by North American Fiberglas Moldings Ltd. in London, Ontario, Canada, starting around 1972. It evolved from the earlier Douglas 31 (designed in 1967) by extending the reverse transom for added buoyancy and aesthetics, with production continuing under various builders until about 1982 (total series ~200 units across variants like Hullmaster 31 and Alcona 31). This masthead sloop emphasizes seaworthiness, stability, and simplicity for coastal or light offshore cruising, with a full keel for excellent tracking and forgiveness in heavy weather. The interior is cozy for 4-5: V-berth forward, U-shaped galley, saloon with convertible settees, enclosed head, and quarter berth aft, finished in teak under ~6' headroom. Standard power was a small diesel or gasoline inboard (20-30 hp).
Construction Details
| Designer | Edward S. Brewer |
|---|---|
| Builder | North American Fiberglas Moldings Ltd. |
| Length | 32.083 ft |
| LOA | 32.083 ft |
| LWL | 24.500 ft |
| Beam | 9.500 ft |
| Displacement | 11500 lb |
| Ballast | 4000 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.667 ft |
| Year Built | 1972 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 37.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 12.66 ft |
| p | 32.17 ft |
| e | 13.83 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.50 ft | 12.66 ft | 32.17 ft | 13.83 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
North American 32 (Douglas 32) - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 32.17 ft - (9805 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.83 ft - (4215 mm) |
| Leech | * 34.37 ft - (10476 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 34.57 ft - (10537 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 222.17 ft² |
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North American 32 (Douglas 32) - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 31.66 ft - (9650 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.92 ft - (5157 mm) |
| Leech | * 27.25 ft - (8306 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 14.56 ft - (4438 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 230.44 ft² |
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North American 32 (Douglas 32) - GENOA
| Luff | * 37.6 ft - (11460 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.58 ft - (6273 mm) |
| Leech | * 35.23 ft - (10738 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.99 ft - (5788 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 357.05 ft² |
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North American 32 (Douglas 32) - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 37.6 ft - (11460 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 22.79 ft - (6946 mm) |
| Foot | * 22.79 ft - (6946 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 728.37 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.