Halvorsen Island Gypsy 32

Halvorsen, that most iconic of Australian boating badges, once touted the motto "timeless by design". It's a fitting slogan for the elegant marque, and particularly apt for the Island Gypsy 32, an evergreen cruiser first released in 1981 and still going strong.

As I potter down Cowan Creek and marvel at the scenery, Mark Halvorsen, the son of proprietor Harvey Halvorsen, points out the details that have been changed on the Island Gypsy 32 over the years. The resulting boat is a finely-honed cruiser built upon the semi-displacement hull that Harvey designed.

The Island Gypsy 32 is the most popular of all the boats to 80ft built by the Kong and Halvorsen Company in China. There are some 30–40 of the 32-footers in Australia and examples of the fetching trawler can be found throughout America and Europe.

Built by Jet Tern Marine in Hou Sie Town, Dong Guan, in the city of Canton, which makes about 40 boats a year including the Selene passagemakers popular in America, the Island Gypsy 32 is a carefully handcrafted and exceedingly well-finished boat fashioned from solid GRP with vinylester resin.

"More than 70 moulds and 10,000 man hours go into each boat," explains Mark, as we toddle along the waterway that he grew up on as a kid. Recently back from China, he's looking forward to rediscovering his home patch and getting reacquainted with local boaters.

HOME AND AWAY
Compared with the 32 Gourmet Cruiser, the Island Gypsy 32 has a full-length keel protecting its prop and running gear, and walkaround decks. The hard-chined 32ft hull also comes with a bowthruster as standard and a layout that is clearly designed for spending more time aboard than just the occasional sunny Sunday tied to the marina.

Considering its modest waterline length, the boat is a real gem with home-away-from-home amenities, terrific accommodation for two, and a huge amount of deck space. Pitched as the perfect entry-level cruiser, it's the kind of boat that many ex-sailors will consider leaping aboard.

 Powered by a single Cummins 6BT 5.9M 220hp motor, the Gypsy reached a top speed of about 11kt and a controlled cruise of 9kt, which is fast by sailing standards. Trim tabs are provided so you can keep the boat on its optimum running angle, which is said to have the nose up by some 7.4 degrees so that it's not running downhill.

A very complete boat, the 32 seen here had optional electronics including radar and, as with all Island Gypsies, personal soft furnishings, a ground tackle package and more. There was also a dinghy on Weaver transom davits for accessing Cowan Creek's cute beaches, natural waterfalls, and waterfront kiosks.

DECKED OUT
Though not built to survey, the Island Gypsy 32 is made to a standard, namely demanding American AB&YC specifications and equivalent specs in Europe, and that has helped shape the high quality of the engineering. Indeed, the mechanical side of this boat is very impressive, especially compared with an average high-volume production boat.

To keep the kids and dog contained, the walkaround non-skid self-draining decks are virtually survey-height and beautified by the addition of high-gloss teak coamings - one of few areas that will require maintenance. The deck gear, the combination cleats and hawse pipes, for example, are also designed for ease of use, while abundant lighting including courtesy lights will let you find your way around at night.

The boat comes with a decent-sized teak boarding platform with room for a couple of deck chairs from which to wet a line, do breakfast or peel the prawns for lunch. The H/C deck shower and swim ladder will see plenty of service over summer. All the hatches back aboard have drains and the through-hull fittings are bronze, flush, double hose-clipped, and earthed to prevent corrosion.

Storage for accessories like your deck chairs has been improved in recent years by expanding the size of the aperture and hatch into the lazarette. Inside, I noted an emergency tiller, wet exhaust with drain plug in case of overwintering, and a light so you can see what you're doing.

The generous 450lt stainless-steel freshwater tank is forward in the lazarette and equipped with a sight gauge and the lines are pressurised to ensure nice even showers. There are TV and phone connections, Shorepower, a water filler, and fuel fillers on both sides of the boat, and double breathers so you can fill her up fast.

The covered cockpit is big enough to seat a family of four around an outdoor setting, and there is ample headroom under the hardtop. I also noted inboard engine vents to keep the motors breathing cleanly. Amidships are side boarding gates with steps carrying the Island Gypsy emblem.

The door to the starboard-side pilothouse is now hinged with a rubber seal instead of sliding. This gives better protection in winter. All the boat's windows are toughened glass and fitted with internal curtains for privacy at the marina or at anchor.

The stainless steel used for the rails is all 316-grade from Taiwan. Anchoring gear includes a bowsprit with double rollers, and freshwater wash, while the optional raw-water wash would be great for muddy anchorages such as Cowan Creek. The optional ground tackle was fitted on this test boat.

At anchor or underway, the boat's high swooping foredeck should remain nice and dry thanks also to the flared hull. There is seating for two people alongside the windlass (chain counter supplied) and room for a further couple on the cabin top. At anchor, nose to the wind on a hot summer's night, you could do drinks on the bow.

Leaning back against the windscreen was comfortable enough when I assumed the position of a boat owner reading a book. There's another comfortable outdoor seat undercover in the cockpit on the portside behind the cabin.

SKY'S THE LIMIT
The angle of the ladder is a compromise in that it's quite steep so as not to impinge on cockpit space. In recent times, the hatch above the ladder has been increased in size so there's virtually no risk of banging your noggin on the way up.

As with the cockpit, the top deck is traced by nice high rails that improve the boat's safety. Add the non-skid finish and you have an entertaining space in the sky that defies the parameters of a 32-footer. You won't find a better spot than this top deck for watching sunsets, fireworks and the goings-on at anchorage.

The opposing lounges can each seat two people either side of the central adjustable helm chair from which, importantly, you see the back corner of the boat through the hatch when parking. The big stainless-steel wheel is linked to hydraulic steering for fingertip control.

Storage exists under the moulded flybridge brow. Elsewhere, I found 12V and 240V outlets for charging phones or a wine chiller when on the anchor (and fitted with a generator). While there is a lot of white fibreglass, the bimini casts a useful amount of shade over the bridge.

The dash has a Cummins engine panel with gauges, the bowthruster control, trim tabs, and a simple single throttle. The thruster makes it very easy to put this boat where you want to. I did find, however, that the boat had a lot of momentum like a real little ship. She's no lightweight that's for sure.

ENGINEERED TO LAST
While it's never going to be the biggest of engine rooms, there's ample space around the single six-cylinder motor and access to all the key mechanical equipment through a day hatch and additional hatches in case of more substantial work. Despite the motor being below the saloon floor, sound insulation is excellent when underway. There are thick insulation pads and rubber seals on the timber hatches.

With the excellent fuel system you can draw on one or both of the tanks. There is a sump for draining the tank if you have to, though external fuel shutoffs are optional. All the fuel lines are copper and colour-coded. There is a watertight bulkhead forward and a mounting platform for the optional generator back aft, near where the battery-charger had been installed.

The demo boat had a simple 12V electrical system with two 200A house batteries, a separate engine-start battery, paralleling facility and reverse polarity switch, plus Shorepower connection and LPG. An invertor is another option if you want to fit a microwave oven.

All the through-hulls are labelled for easy identification and the saltwater strainer and fuel filter are easy to spot, as is a freshwater tap. The engine sits on solid hardwood bearers atop a drip-pan. The ZF 2.04:1 gearbox has a sump guard and stainless-steel two-inch shaft running through a dripless seal. The prop is a four-blader.

A reasonable 90lt holding tank with gauge (in the WC) is moulded into the boat and, I'm told, it can be dumped with the flick of a switch. Besides the two air intakes, the engine room has three 12V extractor fans, plus manual and automatic bilge pumps.

SALOON VIEWS
The Island Gypsy is a single-cabin boat with a split head and shower, a convertible dinette and lounge for those times when (up to three) grandkids want to camp aboard. Without the kids, the boat is a comfortable weekender for two, boasting everything you need to liveaboard and cruise a big river or bay for a week at a time. For a boat of this size, 450lt of water is generous.

A wide, welcoming companionway leads into the saloon, which features colour-matched, light honey-coloured, Burmese teak joinery. The big saloon windows open and have fly screens, and have been designed to provide views while seated. The amount of sunlight they direct inside the boat and the lofty headroom ensure a nice bright atmosphere and no stuffiness at all.

The saloon has a social seating layout and a handy amount of room for a boat with walkaround decks. The portside lounge can seat up to three and converts into a bed or a place to snooze during the day once the backrest has been removed. Opposite is an L-shaped lounge and timber dinette with compass-rose inlay than converts to a double berth. All the upholstery is cream-coloured leather.

I found plenty of storage, including a moulded icebox under the abovementioned portside lounge that can be fitted with a fridge/freezer element or eutectic plate. The helm seat has drawers beneath it, there's a small chart locker across the way, and some innovation in the galley by way of overhead lockers designed for holding crockery. There's also space for a microwave oven and a dedicated pantry.

 A Corian-like material is used for the counters on the portside galley, where I found 240V outlets, a Smartsensor for the gas three-burner stove/oven and grill, a stainless-steel sink, 12/240V fridge and a nice big undersink storage area. Besides opening windows, the boat has an extractor fan that will help when cooking.

A central handrail on the saloon ceiling helps with your passage forward in a seaway. To starboard, the lower helm has a clever seat with a sliding extension and infill cushion so you could go cruising arm-in-arm with your partner. Alongside is the opening door to the bulwarks. Ahead is the timber wheel, and the teak dash is equipped with autopilot, VHF radio, stereo, switched for wipers (with washers), lights and so on, plus fuel and water gauges.

The timber wheel is a quaint touch. A logical AC/DC control panel flanks the companionway down to the accommodation. From the helm, the views are good despite the boat's high foredeck. All the boat's flooring right through to the cabin is teak and holly.

TESTING THE BEDS, HEADS AND HELM
The forward stateroom includes a generous island double bed, especially for a 32-footer, surrounded by storage lockers with vented doors, hanging lockers with lights, and opening portlights. Curtains, a built-in screen in the escape hatch and a door afford the occupants privacy. Again, headroom is terrific.

Splitting the head and shower creates more space in both compartments, though neither is big by flybridge boat standards. The portside shower has a rose on a slide, instead of being just a handheld number, an opening port and an extractor fan. I found easy access to the sump pump at the foot of the bed. The WC features an electric loo, vanity with porcelain sink just like home, AC outlet and a mirror.

At rest, the hard-chined boat didn't seem to roll around too much, while underway it finds its own path without needing much driver input. The turning circle off the wheel is remarkably tight and, with a bowthruster, the boat is easy to park.

I couldn't help but be charmed by the Island Gypsy 32. On this jaunty little cruiser you can go places on the smell of an oily rag, at an unhurried pace that is all too often lacking in the modern world.

From keel to flybridge, saloon to cabin, this is a very fine boat. It honours its Halvorsen connection and rates among the very best 32-footers I've tested in recent years. While not groundbreaking, the little ship is built to last, well-finished, comfortable, capable and, to borrow a motto, timeless by design.

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