The Ontario 32 Sailboat

There were two versions of the Ontario 32 sailboat produced: the standard version and the tall mast version. The main difference between them was the height of the mast, which was about 2.0 ft (0.61m) higher in the tall mast version. This affected the sail area, the PHRF rating, and the performance of the boat under different wind conditions.

The tall mast version had a larger sail area of 481ft² (44.686 m²), compared to 461ft² (42.828 m²) for the standard version. It also had a lower PHRF rating of 177, meaning it was expected to be faster than the standard version with a rating of 186. However, the taller mast also increased the windage and the heeling moment of the boat, which could make it more difficult to handle in strong winds or gusts.
The other features and specifications of the Ontario 32 were the same for both versions.

Ontario Yachts was founded by Dirk Kneulman Senior and his wife, Maria Kneulman, in 1961 in Oakville, Ontario. Dirk Kneulman Sr. was a master craftsman who learned to build wooden boats in his native Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He immigrated to Canada in 1950 and started building wooden dinghies, kayaks, and Snipes.

In the late 1960s, Dirk Kneulman Sr. learned fibreglass boat construction from Dwyer Boats in Rhode Island and began to produce fibreglass production boats, such as the Viking 22 and the Albacore. He also built Olympic-class boats, such as the 5.5 Metre, and was the Canadian Olympic Sailing Team shipwright in 1968 and 1972.

In 1975, Ontario Yachts began to build the Etchells, a racing keelboat that is still in production today. Ontario Yachts is the North American manufacturer of the Etchells and has built boats for some of the world's best sailors.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ontario Yachts also built cruising sailboats designed by C&C Yachts, such as the Viking 28, Viking 33, and Ontario 32. These boats were popular among sailors who wanted a no-nonsense cruising boat with respectable performance and high standards.

In the mid-1980s, Dirk Kneulman Jr. and Don Oakie took over the helm of Ontario Yachts and continued to uphold the quality standard of composite boat building established by Dirk Sr. They also diversified into other lines of fibreglass work, such as building the fibreglass support for the pitcher's mound for the Toronto Skydome.

Ontario Yachts is now based in Burlington, Ontario and specializes in boat repair and refurbishment, as well as building Etchells. The company is run by Dirk Kneulman Jr., who is also a competitive sailor himself.

Some of the pros of the Ontario 32 are:

• It has a spacious and comfortable interior with plenty of headroom and an open main salon;
• It has a deck anchor locker, which was a North American first;
• It has a lavish use of teak in refined interior cabinetry;
• It has a T-shaped cockpit that allows easy access to the stern ladder;
• It has a wide-for-her-length beam that provides stability and roominess.

Some of the cons of the Ontario 32 are:

• It has a relatively shallow draft that may limit its performance in heavy winds or choppy seas;
• It has a long fin keel that may make it harder to manoeuvre in tight spaces or shallow waters.

The price of an Ontario 32 depends on its condition, age, equipment, and location. According to some online listings, the average asking price for an Ontario 32 ranges from $25,000 to $45,000 USD as of July 2023.