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DE32 Moana

Recently we have been looking at DE sail boats with alternative layouts. Here you can see in one of the pictures that Moana has the area that is normally a chart table enclosed.

Boat Specifications
Moana Polynesian word for “Blue Sea”
Make Downeast Yachts
Model Downeaster 32
Designer Bob Poole
Year 1979
Where Built Santa Monica, CA USA
LOD (length on deck) 32 feet
LOA (length overall) 35 feet 6 inches
LWL (length waterline) 25 feet 10 inches
Beam (width of boat) 11 feet
Draft (depth in water) 4 feet 9 inches
Ballast 5,500 lbs
Displacement (weight of boat) 17,000 lbs.
Engine 27 hp Westerbeke diesel (new in 2002)
Cruising Speed 5 knots (approx 6 mph)
Max Speed 6 knots (approx 7 mph)
Fuel Tankage 60 gallons
Water Tankage 93 gallons in two tanks
Primary Anchor 35 lbs Delta
Primary Rhode 275′ of 5/16 High Test Chain (3,800 lbs breaking strength)
Electrical Storage three group 27 (115 amp hr) and one 8D for a total of 565 amp hours
Instruments Two Garmin GPS 76, Raymarine ST50 wind, depth & speed
Cooking Three burner Hillerange propane stove and oven
Refrigeration Isotherm 12 volt with seawater cooling (yes we can make ice cubes)

What we like about the Downeast 32

cutter rig The rig makes for an excellent sail plan when the weather is above 25 knots.
galley A u-shaped galley with a three burner stove and decent counter space.
sea berths Two excellent sea berths using a lee cloth on the settee and dinette. They are at the waterline and in the center of the boat help us get rest on the passages because they are at the spot with the least amount of motion at sea.
storage space The water and fuel tanks are under the floor leaving the areas under the seating and berths open for storage.
fuel and water tankage We have more fuel and water tankage than many 40 foot boats. Having it low in the boat is MUCH better for overall stability than on the side decks.
bookshelf We are both readers. It’s great to have a large choice of novels just waiting for us to read.
light wind sailing ability A heavy displacement boat does not have to be a motor boat in light winds. You just need more sail area and a little ability to trim those sails correctly. I won’t say she’s an around the buoy racer, but we can keep her moving in 5-8 kts of wind (which means less engine usage).
head We have a good sized head and shower for a 32 foot boat.
Large Main Salon We have enough room to have six to eight guests for dinner or drinks. We’ve been on many 40-45 foot boats that don’t have this luxury.
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