When I first saw pictures of the Ofcet 32 I thought to myself: another small fast cruiser racer with a basic cruising interior; nice, modern but nothing really new. I was wrong, at least in what regards the new SC version. This boat has a beautiful quality interior with a very smart layout and a very unusual natural lighting allowing for a great all around view to the outside, including forward.
Everything on the boat is well thought and nicely done. I am not usually so positive regarding the boats I review but I confess that this one surprised me very positively. I was expecting a nice boat but not such a practical good taste cruising interior.
Ofcet started some years ago building mini racers and good fast ones, since they won the Mini Transat in 2015 (1st and 2nd on the production class). This boat benefits from the savoir faire in what regards building strong and light sailing boats.
They use vacuum infusion, vinylester resins and cored hulls and decks. From the keel structure to the shrouds and chainplates supports all is impressive, well made, strong and at the same time light, allowing for a displacement of 3200kg.
The boat has a relatively high freeboard on the middle and forward sections, very well disguised by an inverted bow, a chine at the top and the shape of the hull “window”. The freeboard allows it to have a surprising 1.85m headroom on the cabin.
It has a good forward cabin (for the size) and a king size back cabin with a view. Marc Lombard, the designer, used an unusual trick to manage that: the cabin stairs are better than usual and that creates space for the small.engine. All the technical stuff is not central, behind the engine, but more to the starboard side resulting in a big cabin and a smaller storage space on the other side, with access through the head.
And talking about storage, besides that interior space, that is big, it has, on the outside, a dedicated space for a liferaft plus some more storage under the cockpit accessible by two small hatches.
The hull length is 9.80m while the LOA is 11.00 meters due to a big fixed integrated bow sprit that serves also as anchor stand. The anchor locker has a very reasonable size partially due to the rounded shape of the bow and it is easy accessible, incorporating a winch.
The cruiser racer has a lead foiled non bulbed keel (to better IRC rating), the cruising version has a torpedo cast iron keel with 1.95m draft. It has a very nice hull with 3.36m beam all of it brought back and hard chines all the way.
The cruiser racer has a lead foiled non bulbed keel (to better IRC rating), the cruising version has a torpedo cast iron keel with 1.95m draft. It has a very nice hull with 3.36m beam all of it brought back and hard chines all the way.Those hard chines increase the stiffness and the power at relatively small angles of heel contributing for an easier boat control, especially downwind, as well as the two rudder set up that ends on a tiller.
A moderately beamy hull with a big stern with hard chines plus the big 40.6% B/D gives it a great stability and allows for a big mast (15.4m air draft) and a huge sail area: 61sqm upwind and 134 sqm downwind.
The sail hardware is of good quality and it has a huge traveler near the stern at easy reach of the tiller man that has on the other side the two primary winches. Two more winches are over the cabin in reach of a solo skipper if he uses a tiller extension.
The only thing I don’t like is the lack of a small opening over the stove and in the head (maybe they can make two small ones on each side of the lateral plexiglas). The head has one but it is way back on the storage compartment and will not be practical to use.
Also, while the 3D sailing system is great for sail control I don’t think it will work well with a furled jib. For that there is nothing like a traveler and the Ofcet has not one for the front sails.
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The bow, upside down |
The standard version price is around 122 000 euro and a decently equipped boat will cost about 158 000 euro, at the factory without VAT. We all know that quality does not come cheap, that a boat with a high B/D ratio is more expensive as well as it is more expensive a light and strong boat. If we consider all this it is a reasonable price for what is offered.
Kind of boat that puts a smile on your face, if you like fast boats and comfortable nice cruising interiors. Size is not all and you may well have more fun and pleasure while cruising with this boat than with a Bavaria 37 that is what you would get for the money if you chose instead a main market mass produced boat.
The Bavaria LOA is just a bit bigger (11.30 to 11.00) it carries just a bit more sail upwind (64 to 61 sqm) but it weights more than the double (7000 to 3200kg). That will give you an idea about the difference in what regards performances. Of course the Bavaria will have a much bigger interior but the Ofcet 32SC will be big enough for a couple with two kids, offering good comfort and and that is quite surprising on a 32ft fast boat.
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