Bayfield 32

warns⚙ deck fittings

The owners say the cowl vent above the head leaks when it rains, filling buckets inside. They remove it to work on the seal and drainage path.

repairs⚙ deck fittings

The closing narration reports that the leaking cowl vent has been sealed and restored. Earlier in the episode, the owners discuss resealing it after getting advice from a neighboring boat owner.

repairs⚙ through-hull⚙ hoses

While fixing a leak in the quarter berth, the owners deal with a hose that "is due for replacement". The hose runs to a tee and then out a through-hull, so they close the through-hull first and expect "a fair amount of water" from everything below the waterline, and they put a towel and a catch bucket under it. Very little water spilled.

repairs⚙ deck fitting

Replacing the leaking deck fitting takes about a week of chandlery runs. The first replacement was not tapered like the original, and the second had a taper that bottomed out below the deck, so the nut would not tighten. The owner needed washers, and the opening was too small for them, so he drilled out the middle of the part so the fat section would fit through.

discusses

The presenter gives the numbers: 32 ft overall but only 23 ft on the waterline, a beam of 10 ft 6, displacement "just shy of 10,000 lb" with about 4,000 lb of internal lead ballast, and a draft of only 3 ft 9 in, which opens up the Bahamas, Chesapeake and Intracoastal Waterway.

warns⚙ bowsprit⚙ bobstay⚙ forestay

The bowsprit is one of the most important areas to inspect before buying. The wooden structure under the platform is part of the support for the forestay and bobstay, so rot, cracks, compression, loose hardware or poor repairs need careful investigation. In the presenter's words a weakened structural bowsprit "cannot" wait.

warns⚙ reverse handling

Owners report the 32 can be a handful in reverse: the long keel wants to keep going straight and prop walk starts pushing the stern before the rudder has enough flow. One pair of owners installed a bow thruster. Under sail the same long keel tracks well with a comfortable motion.

discusses

Light air is not its strength: with its displacement, short waterline and substantial hull it needs some wind to move. It does not point as high as modern fin keel cruisers, and reaching and running are more natural. In stronger wind the staysail and a reefed main are described as a manageable combination.

discusses⚙ bobstay⚙ bowsprit

In 1976 Bob Lush used a Bayfield 32 named Freedom Joe for his qualifying passage before the Observer Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race, sailing alone from Miami to England, "approximately 4,400 mi" nonstop in 33 days. He reportedly covered more than 1,000 mi a week for three consecutive weeks and praised the comfort, carrying capacity and downwind performance. In the race itself, pushed to windward, the backing structure for the bobstay fitting began to compress, the forestay sagged and water entered through loosened fasteners.

warns⚙ bowsprit⚙ deck core⚙ chainplates⚙ standing rigging⚙ engine

For a survey the presenter lists the bowsprit and bobstay structure, moisture in the balsa core deck and chainplates, standing rigging, mast leaks, tanks, the engine installation and the electrical system. He says engines vary widely (early boats had unusual hydraulic drives, many are repowered) and engine access is relatively tight.

discusses

A canvas maker installing a dodger says the Bayfield 32 always presents winch-location problems: the genoa winch is kept clear while the staysail winch sits under the side wing, which can be tied back and rolled forward. Because the mainsheet and traveler are at the back edge of the cockpit, the mainsheet runs across the cockpit, so the connector panel has to come out when sailing and only a compact bimini is fitted.