Nicholson 32 1963
Despite the advances in materials, most new designs in the early 1960s still had traditional hull shapes, with a long keel. Fibreglass construction therefore tended to mirror the shapes of wooden hulls, even though many different shapes were possible. The Nicholson 36 of 1960, for instance, was a very traditional long keel design with a wooden deck, coachroof and coamings. Few people who see one today are likely to guess that the hull is made of fibreglass.
Two years later the Nicholson 32, of which almost 370 boats were built by the time production stopped in 1981, was of all-fibreglass construction. It was heralded as one of the best long-distance cruising yachts of its time and still fulfils that role for budget constrained owners. Aleko Steffan, for instance, who featured in last month’s PBO, recently sailed his 1964 example Beduin (pictured above) from Greece to the Pacific, sailing out via the Magellan Straits and returning via the Beagle Channel and Falkland Islands.
The design benefitted from many improvements through the years, most notably with the launch of the Mark X in 1972. This added 3in of freeboard, 1ft of overall length, a new deck and coachroof, plus a higher standard of fit out. This resulted in a larger and more comfortable cockpit and a noticeable increase in accommodation space. While the hull shape still appealed to traditionalists, these changes hugely modernised the boat and are undoubtedly key reasons for its almost 20 year production life.