Lyle Hess 32 (Cruising 32)
Description
The Lyle Hess 32 is a custom wooden gaff cutter sailboat designed by the renowned American naval architect Lyle Hess (1917–2010) in the late 1970s. Hess, famous for compact, seaworthy cruisers like the Bristol Channel Cutter (28 ft) and Nor'Sea 27, created this design as a larger, blue water-capable evolution for couples or small families seeking traditional aesthetics with offshore reliability. Built primarily as one-off or limited custom projects (e.g., in Malaysia or by individual builders), only a handful exist (estimated 5–10 units), with notable examples like a 1991 Malaysian-built hull and the 1988 "SKYE" (strip-planked Port Orford Cedar). These boats emphasize heavy displacement, full keels, and gaff rigs for gentle motion in heavy weather, proven on Atlantic crossings and regattas (e.g., Antigua Classics wins in 2008–2013).
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 41 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18 ft |
| p | 35.75 ft |
| e | 16 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 ft | 18 ft | 35.75 ft | 16 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 35.75 ft - (10897 mm) |
| Foot | * 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
| Leech | * 38.36 ft - (11692 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 38.65 ft - (11781 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 293.66 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 35.82 ft - (10918 mm) |
| Foot | * 25.49 ft - (7769 mm) |
| Leech | * 29.45 ft - (8976 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 20.7 ft - (6309 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.99 ° |
| Area | * 370.75 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 42.54 ft - (12966 mm) |
| Foot | * 30.5 ft - (9296 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.15 ft - (11933 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 574.26 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 42.54 ft - (12966 mm) |
| Foot | * 29.7 ft - (9053 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.14 ft - (11930 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 948 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 42.54 ft - (12966 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 32.4 ft - (9876 mm) |
| Foot | * 32.4 ft - (9876 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 1172 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMJIB |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 24.63 ft - (7507 mm) |
| Foot | * 14.7 ft - (4481 mm) |
| Leech | * 18.21 ft - (5550 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 10.8 ft - (3292 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19 ° |
| Area | * 133.03 ft² |
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.