[1][2][3][4] The design was initially built by Gulf Marine Products starting in 1965 and later by Capital Yachts in Harbor City, California, United States.
It is a cutter riged sloop, with a raked stem, an angled transom, a keel-hung rudder controlled by two wheels, one on the aft cockpit and one in the pilot house.
The galley is U-shaped and is equipped with a three-burner stove, ice box and a double sink.
[2] In a 2016 article in Cruising World magazine, Ken Painter wrote, "nine years ago I decided to take the leap from trailer-sailer to smaller ocean cruiser, and went looking for an affordable, seaworthy and comfortable sailboat capable of exploring the Pacific Northwest and maybe, someday, sailing around the world.
When I first viewed Mariah, a 1978 Gulf Pilothouse 32 I'd found on Craigslist, I was struck by her lines, her interior volume and the flush deck ... Mariah proved herself reliable and comfortable throughout an eight-month cruise from Seattle to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and back to San Diego in 2012 and 2013.