{"id":134067,"date":"2025-01-24T06:13:50","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T06:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?post_type=review&p=134067"},"modified":"2025-01-24T06:14:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T06:14:06","slug":"used-boat-review-cockwells-custom-32-a-work-of-maritime-art","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/reviews\/wheelhouse-walkaround\/used-boat-review-cockwells-custom-32-a-work-of-maritime-art","title":{"rendered":"Used Boat Review: Cockwells Custom 32 \u2013 A work of maritime art"},"content":{"rendered":"

There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time. To be clear, we\u2019re not talking here about three different examples of the same product but the very same boat.<\/p>\n

This achievement is, to our knowledge, unique and that\u2019s very much like the vessel in question: the Cockwells Custom 32 \u2013 a gentleman\u2019s motor launch built in 2005 to a very particular specification by Falmouth-based Cockwells Modern & Classic Boatbuilding.<\/p>\n

Cockwells has been delighting its customers with vessels of exceptional quality for the past three decades.<\/p>\n

It describes its mission as preserving heritage and embracing innovation and there\u2019s no question that its Custom 32 fulfils that brief to a tee. Hand built with an epoxy-sheathed wooden hull and an interior finished in Cornish chestnut with black walnut trim, the boat gleams inside and out.<\/p>\n

In fact, it looks as exquisite today as it did the day it was launched. The pilothouse is also constructed from timber \u2013 solid teak this time \u2013 and completing this woody picture, the remainder of the topsides, cockpit, side decks and foredeck are all teak-laid.<\/p>\n

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In the deep, safe cockpit, a pair of corner seats face aft toward a full-beam stern bench<\/p><\/div>\n

The bad news is that the Custom 32 is one of a very small and select band of wooden Cockwells motor launches. The others are either 33 or 37ft in length so used purchasing opportunities are extremely limited. But fear not, for as sales and technical director Dave Cockwell explains, there\u2019s a very viable alternative.<\/p>\n

\u201cSelling the same boat three times at the show convinced me the demand was there,\u201d Cockwell says. \u201cHowever, hand building boats like these comes at a cost, which limits the market so we decided to go down a different route, which was to launch our Duchy range. These are semi-production models built from GRP mouldings and, as such, are far more affordable. \u2018Semi-production\u2019 also means we can change the joinery and offer some layout choices.<\/p>\n

Article continues below…<\/em><\/p>\n

[collections]<\/p>\n

“And because they are built in numbers, everything is much more tried and tested than you get with a one-off boat. Not that we\u2019ve actually had any issues with the custom ones. It\u2019s more a case that the engineering in a semi-production boat tends to be more refined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Key models in the Duchy range are the 27 and 35, launched ten and five years ago respectively. Currently, there are 37 27-footers on the water and 20 35-footers and that significantly increases your chances of finding a quality used Cockwells motor launch.<\/p>\n

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A companionway between the helm seats takes you down to the forward galley and heads<\/p><\/div>\n

Owner\u2019s perspective<\/h2>\n

Returning to the vessel that spawned the Duchy range \u2013 the Cockwells Custom 32 \u2013 this particular boat has been owned for the past ten years by south coast boater, David Steele, who seems distinctly reluctant to let her go.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to live in Christchurch, down at Priory Quays and kept her on the pontoon right outside the house,\u201d Steele explains. \u201cShe\u2019s beautiful for a day on the water and we\u2019ve really enjoyed having her. But we moved to the West Country and took on a project house which has taken up a lot of our time.<\/p>\n

“We agonised and agonised over it. Do we bring the boat down here or is it time to do other things? My whole background is sailing and, you know, I think I\u2019m more likely to sail with other people down here. It was a close-run decision and every time I go back and think about it, I ask, are we making the right choice? But finally, we have decided.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The instrumentation is set into a stylish dome-topped anti-glare dash panel<\/p><\/div>\n

From the moment David took to sea in the Custom 32, he was able to fully appreciate its handling and abilities. \u201cWe purchased the boat from Cockwells and brought her back up from their base at Mylor Bridge,\u201d he says. \u201cThat journey really convinced me of her fantastic seakeeping qualities.<\/p>\n

“We had quite a big sea coming around Portland and her pilot cutter hull handled the waters beautifully. She just eats up the distance, the waves parting across her bows as she motions on through. There\u2019s no slamming. She cuts through the water rather than skipping over it so it\u2019s a great ride. And for slow speed work, the twin engines make her very manoeuvrable too.\u201d<\/p>\n

But for all its seakeeping qualities, the appeal of this boat is far from limited to its handling.<\/p>\n

In addition to function, form is a massive part of the draw \u2013 and it\u2019s not just the sweeping lines and chin-up bow profile that impress, but also the perfectly balanced contrast between the dark blue hull, the teak decking and the super-glossy woodwork of the pilothouse, cockpit and transom. If ever there was a boat that screams \u2018gentleman\u2019s motor launch\u2019, this is it.<\/p>\n

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It looks great with no guardrails but care needs to be taken<\/p><\/div>\n

External decks<\/h2>\n

In terms of features and fixtures, the Custom 32 continues to excel. With its clean uncluttered layout, the aft cockpit provides a spacious and relaxed area for socialising. A full-beam settee at the aft end is complemented by a pair of cushioned seats to the rear of the pilothouse.<\/p>\n

Each seating area benefits from the protection afforded by the high sides of the cockpit, which rise 12 inches or so above the side decks \u2013 and beneath both the settee and the seats are storage lockers which entirely disappear from view when the cushions are in place.<\/p>\n

While the absence of guardrails helps maintain the clean lines of the boat, security obviously matters too, and with an exposed foredeck and only a small toerail on the side decks, great care needs to be taken when moving around the outside of the boat.<\/p>\n

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The benches can be extended aft for sleeping by means of neat little \u2018trotter boxes\u2019<\/p><\/div>\n

The fender attachment eyes are also worth noting here as they present a potential trip hazard as they rise vertically from the side decks just inside the toerails. On the plus side, the roof of the pilothouse does incorporate a number of handholds, which helps mitigate any risk.<\/p>\n

Pilothouse and galley<\/h2>\n

Moving into the pilothouse, which is accessed by the shiniest door ever seen, the snug saloon exhibits an admirable symmetry throughout. Beginning with a pair of wooden storage units, two three-seater settees then face each other for the main run of the saloon.<\/p>\n

As this boat does not have a cabin, the settees double up as berths. While stretching out for anyone taller than my own 5ft 7in might seem awkward, the aft cushion on each settee can be removed to reveal \u2018trotter boxes\u2019 built into the storage units, adding an extra foot or so to the length.<\/p>\n

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The Custom 32 uses a pair of Yanmar diesels on straight shafts<\/p><\/div>\n

On the floor between the settees are two long hatches which lift out to reveal the boat\u2019s twin shaftdrive Yanmar engines. One of these hatches also incorporates a table socket to transform the seating area into a dinette. And ahead of the settees, two rather grand floor-to-ceiling wooden posts do a good job of separating the saloon from the helm without making the helm feel remote.<\/p>\n

Up at the business end, two very comfortable bolstered seats await the helm and navigator. Sitting or standing, the ergonomics are good with great all-round visibility thanks to the pilothouse\u2019s large windows. The raked starboard steering wheel is integrated into a console with nav aids and radio, while other instrumentation is positioned ahead of the wheel in a stylish dome-topped anti-glare panel.<\/p>\n

A step down from the helm leads to the split galley, which is beautifully crafted and pleasingly spacious by virtue of the fact that this boat has no dedicated sleeping cabins. With its sink to starboard and hob, microwave and fridge to port, plus plenty of worktop and storage on either side, it provides ample room to meet all onboard catering needs without the crew tripping over each other. At the forward end of the galley is a bi-fold door to the heads.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s an excellent galley split across a central companionway ahead of the helm<\/p><\/div>\n

Once again, there is plenty of cabinetry and woodwork on show here and the boat\u2019s toilet, which sits centrally mounted in the forepeak, is framed like a veritable throne! The sink\u2019s tap incorporates a pull-out shower head unit too, and while this makes the heads a wetroom, with all that wonderful timber around, we would be sorely tempted to venture ashore for a shower.<\/p>\n

Cockwells Custom 32 specifications<\/h2>\n

MODEL:<\/strong> Cockwells Custom 32
\nDESIGNER:<\/strong> Ed Burnett
\nHULL TYPE:<\/strong> Semi-displacement
\nRCD Category:<\/strong> C
\nLOA:<\/strong> 32ft 4in (9.85m)
\nBEAM:<\/strong> 9ft 9in (2.96m)
\nDRAFT:<\/strong> 2ft 6in (0.75m)
\nDISPLACEMENT:<\/strong> 5,180kg
\nFUEL CAPACITY:<\/strong> 2 x 190 litres
\nWATER CAPACITY:<\/strong> 430 litres
\nTOP SPEED:<\/strong> 20 knots
\nFUEL CONSUMPTION:<\/strong> 1.56 litres per nm @ 16.0 knots
\nRANGE:<\/strong> 194.6nm at 16.0 knots with 20% reserve<\/p>\n

Cockwells Custom 32 running costs<\/h2>\n

FUEL:<\/strong> 800 litres (Estimated annual fuel burn based on 25 hours at 17 knots and 25 hours at 7 knots)
\nBERTHING:<\/strong> \u00a36,993.50 (based on \u00a3710\/metre for a Hamble River marina downstream of Bursledon bridge)<\/p>\n

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Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht<\/a> world and at the luxury end of the market.<\/p>\n

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There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time. To be clear, we\u2019re not talking here about three different examples of the same product but the very same boat. This achievement is, to our knowledge, unique and that\u2019s very much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":418,"featured_media":134069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1593,344],"review_manufacturer":[],"review_category":[46],"review_type":[],"review_award":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/134067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134067"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/134067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134085,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/134067\/revisions\/134085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134067"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=134067"},{"taxonomy":"review_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_category?post=134067"},{"taxonomy":"review_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_type?post=134067"},{"taxonomy":"review_award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_award?post=134067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}