Camper Nicholson 32
Description
The Camper & Nicholsons 32 (commonly known as the Nicholson 32 or Nic 32) is a legendary British classic cruising sailboat, one of the earliest successful fiberglass production yachts designed specifically for series building. Designed by Charles A. Nicholson and his son Peter Nicholson in 1961–1962, it was built by Camper & Nicholsons (with hulls molded by Halmatic Ltd. in Portsmouth, UK) from 1962 to 1981. Around 369 hulls were produced across multiple marks (Mk I to Mk XI), with minor evolutions like increased freeboard (Mk X/XI added ~3 inches and slight length to 33 ft LOA) and interior tweaks for better accommodations. This boat pioneered robust GRP (fiberglass) monocoque construction—hull, deck, ballast, bulkheads, and furniture all bonded for exceptional strength and integrity. It's renowned for its seaworthiness, comfortable motion in heavy weather, and "go-anywhere" pedigree—many have completed long ocean passages, circumnavigations, or served as reliable family cruisers despite modest size.
Construction Details
| Designer | Charles A. Nicholson |
|---|---|
| Builder | Camper and Nicholsons |
| Length | 32.000 ft |
| LOA | 32.000 ft |
| LWL | 24.000 ft |
| Beam | 9.250 ft |
| Displacement | 12200 lb |
| Ballast | 6834 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.670 ft |
| Year Built | 1961 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 37 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 12.25 ft |
| p | 33.10 ft |
| e | 14.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 ft | 12.25 ft | 33.10 ft | 14.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Camper Nicholson 32 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 33.1 ft - (10089 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14.25 ft - (4343 mm) |
| Leech | * 35.38 ft - (10784 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 35.58 ft - (10845 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 235.55 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 32 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 31.18 ft - (9504 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.32 ft - (4974 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.92 ft - (8205 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 14.09 ft - (4295 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 219.62 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 32 - GENOA
| Luff | * 37.03 ft - (11287 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 19.86 ft - (6053 mm) |
| Leech | * 34.74 ft - (10589 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.38 ft - (5602 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 340.14 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 32 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 37.03 ft - (11287 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 22.05 ft - (6721 mm) |
| Foot | * 22.05 ft - (6721 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 694.03 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.