| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Jan Gougeon |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1990 |
| No. built | 14 |
| Builder(s) | Gougeon Brothers |
| Name | Gougeon 32 |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 1,100 lb (499 kg) |
| Draft | 4.25 ft (1.30 m) |
| Hull | |
| Type | Catamaran |
| Construction | Fiberglass withbalsa and foam cores |
| LOA | 32.00 ft (9.75 m) |
| LWL | 32.00 ft (9.75 m) |
| Beam | 8.3 ft (2.5 m) |
| Engine type | 8 hp (6 kW)outboard motor |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | twodaggerboards |
| Ballast | 1,200 lb (544 kg) water |
| Rudder(s) | two transom-mountedrudders |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Fractional riggedsloop |
| Mainsail area | 187 sq ft (17.4 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 109 sq ft (10.1 m2) |
| Total sail area | 296 sq ft (27.5 m2) |
TheGougeon 32 is an Americantrailerablecatamaran that was designed byJan Gougeon and first built in 1990.[1][2][3]
The design was built byGougeon Brothers inBay City, Michigan,United States. The company completed 14 examples of the type between 1990 and 1992, but it is now out of production.[1][2][3]
Gougeon Brothers is a composite manufacturing company, that has built many products fromcomposite material and also developed their own materials and processes. By 1990 the company had built many custom-built racing sailboats, but had never embarked on a mass-market production boat design before.[1]
The Gougeon 32 was a project that the company embarked upon as a complementary effort while theirwind turbine blade manufacturing was ramping up after three years out of production, following the wind turbine market's 1986 crash. The sailboat design was commenced in 1990 as an intended production commercial product that would also be used to development newcomposite materials and techniques.[1]
The boat's design goals were, "a lightweight, trailerable catamaran that was fast, fun to sail, had weekend accommodations for 2 or 3 and was priced below $35,000." The design was intended to reach abreak-even point at a production rate of two boats per week and would be profitable at three boats per week. The design challenge was to build a boat of this size that could be transported on a trailer behind a mid-sized car, a requirement that restricted the design to a towed weight of a maximum of 2,200 lb (998 kg).[1]
The design used a new manufacturing technique: singlevacuum bag moulded epoxy resin laminate construction, conventional polyestergelcoat and reinforcing fibers fully wetted-out mechanically on a rolling machine. It used low-temperature cured epoxy resin with long cure times to achieve the desired finished physical properties. This process became the company's Pro-Set process, which has been commercially successful.[1]
In 1992 the company sold its wind turbine blade manufacturing business and terminated the catamaran production at the same time, having produced only 14 boats and never achieved full series production.[1]
The Gougeon 32 is a recreationalsailboat, built predominantly offiberglass withbalsa and foam cores, withaluminum spars. It has afractionalsloop rig with a fully battenedmainsail, ajib and provisions for a light wind drifter sail. The twohulls haveplumb stems, verticaltransoms, transom-hungrudders controlled by a centraltiller and adaggerboard in each hull. It displaces 1,100 lb (499 kg) and carries 1,200 lb (544 kg) offlooding water ballast, 600 lb (272 kg) in each hull. The ballast is drained for road transport.[1][2][3]
The boat has a draft of 4.25 ft (1.30 m) with the daggerboards extended, allowingbeaching or ground transportation on atrailer with the boards retracted.[2][3]
The boat is normally fitted with a smalloutboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds 6 U.S. gallons (23 L; 5.0 imp gal).[2][3]
The design has sleeping accommodation for two adults and two children. The cabin floor is padded and can be used for additional sleeping space, as can the open cockpit. The interior seating is made from fiberglass. Thegalley includes a small sink and a single-burnerpropane stove for cooking. Thehead is a portable type. A bow trampoline provides space and also deflects spray when sailing.[2][3]
The mast is a rotating design, hinged for ground transport, folding forward over the towing vehicle. The mast is supported by a single set of shrouds andrunning backstays. The mainsail may be reefed by rolling around the rotating boom, while the jib hasroller furling. There is a full-widthmainsheet traveler and themainsheet itself has an 8:1 mechanical advantage.[2]
The 14 boats in service have won numerous races.[1]
In the 2017Race to Alaska, Russell Brown skippered his Gougeon 32,Incognito, to first place in the solo class.[4]
In a review Richard Sherwood described the design, "the Gougeon 32 is a big, fast, stable catamaran that can besailed by one or two and will sleep two adults and two children. In addition, you can camp out in the cockpit. Six hundred pounds of water ballast may be placed in each hull for stability, but may be drained for trailering.[2]
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