SO 32

[bajj]

Hi All,
I am new to the forum and have enjoyed reading the threads. I had a little Sun 2000 for 4 years but sold it two years ago (family of land lubbers) however No. 1 son has finally taken a keen interest in sailing and as I miss owning a boat so much I am going to take the plunge again. I have too many years sailing experience and am still actively racing (cans and offshore) on a friends Elan 40. I enjoy sailing a boat well and where as I have absolutely no intention of racing my own boat (how could you??) I do want the boat to sail well. The boat will be used for coastal cruising and the occasional jaunt across the Irish sea. I have narrowed my choices  to a SO 32 (YEAR 2002) and a Bene 31.7 (year 2000). I am leaning towards the 32 as I have previous Jeanneau ownership and I think the 31.7 may be too race orientated despite what the blurb states.
I would be interested and grateful to hear if anyone has an opinion on which boat is more appropriate. I would particularly like to hear from SO32 owners regarding sailing characteristics and also suitability for cruising / long weekends live aboard and overnight sailing.
Many thanks in advance.
BJ

[kenlewis40]

Hi

I have very little experience of sailing other yachts except a Hunter Horizon 27, although I have had plenty of experience racing dinghies. I must say I love my SO32 (2004). For my wife and I the cabin layout is ideal. The kitchen area is large for a 32 footer with a big fridge to keep the food and beer cold. My wife, plus clothes uses the rear cabin and I sleep forward. There is plenty of storage for a week away. The water tank is a little small 70lts but other than that, it is perfect for what you want.



On deck my only gripe, and as a racer you will find the same, is the mainsheet pulley system. When on a beat there is no way to get the boom into the middle of the boat, no matter how hard you try. It has no mainsheet traveller so the boom is always well off line. There is a thread (Improving the standard mainsheet system for £0.00) by a fellow SO32 owner who has improved his pulley system. I intend to try it soon.



The sailing characteristics as far as I am concerned are excellent but my only tip is to reef early as there is no advantage in having the gunwales under the water. The SO32 sails well when reefed. It is a cruising boat but defiantly not a racer.

I hope this helps.

Ken

[bajj]

Hi Ken,
Thanks for your reply. I am aware of the issue with mainsheet,I picked up on it during my research. I am surprised Jeanneau didn't pick up on this earlier. Its an easy fix though and something I think I would do  immediately as it would annoy me. Another thing that surprised me is that the cars on the genoa track can't be adusted in use. again though an easy fix..
I do like the layout of the boat, it seems to do a lot of things well so a couple of small issues can be fixed ar not a deterrant. I am looking at one next week and we'll see how I get on.
Again Thaks
BJ

[kenlewis40]

Hi BJ
As I said, it is a cruising boat, so the adjustments to the genoa track in use is not a problem. You will probably never buy a boat that ticks every box. I use mine as a week away cruising boat, I am happy to switch on the autopilot sit back and watch the world go by. For this the SO32 is a great boat for us.

I hope the boat you are going to view fits the bill. 
Good Luck
Ken

[rodgerg]

My wife and I can handle our 32 with ease and have taken two weeks holidays on boatd around the Mull of Kintyre around, Islay, Jura and as far as Mull so far. She is a everything we need. Not interested in racing at all. We have made a few changes loke LED bulbs to save on battery power, upgraded batteries. carry additional water on long hauls however have never ran out yet.

[psychotiller]

The only thing more exciting than buying a boat is helping someone else buy a boat because it doesn't cost me a thing 

We have a 2004 Sunfast 32i and would buy it again a hundred times over.  There are of course a few differences between the SF and SO, the SF has a deeper draft/keel, bigger sail plan and tiller steering (which I love) and cockpit traveler & end boom mainsheet system.  Probably some other hardware differences too so I'm not the best person to comment on the exact sailing characteristics of the SO 32 compared to the SF.  But even with the extra performance enhancements we can easily cruise it with just myself and the lady admiral including in heavy air.

From what I understand the interior and cabin accommodations are the same in the SF and SO.  I'm sure some will have a different opinion however I think it would be very difficult to find a better planned out cabin and living space in a 32' boat and lots of headroom as well.  For us the SF 32i was an easy choice, it's not a rocket fast racing boat but pretty quick (phrf between 120-141) for a boat which is very livable for a week or so at a time.  We live a couple hours away from our boat so most of the time we spend the weekend there, sometimes longer and have always been very comfortable.  We've also taken a few longer trips with other couples and even with 4 people on board it felt to have plenty of room, especially for a 32 ft boat.  My vote is YES! pull the trigger and buy it, you will love it.  

[rattler]

Hi BJ,

Good choice! I have a SO32 which I use for mostly day/weekend sailing but I'm also a keen racer (not in the SWO32). When I bought the boat I found two things that upset me were the main sheet position and the prop walk with the fixed two blade prop fitted as standard. I purchased a Barton removable main sheet track and that make a big difference but not as much as changing over to a two blade Flexofold folding propeller, the speed increase under motor as well as sail was one thing but the handling of the boat when the wind was gusty was transformed for the better.

www.bartonmarine.com/news-2013/187/your-installations-explained-%C3%82%E2%80%93-removable-mainsheet-traveller-system/

Regards,

Rattler

[bajj]

Gents,

Thanks for all your replies and particularly information on the mainsheet issue. Unfortunately by the time I went to see the boat I was interested in the owner had decided to take it off the market. 
So back to the search.
BJ