This is a purposeful coastal and offshore cruiser rather than a lightweight racer-cruiser. It measures 32 feet 6 inches overall, with an 11-foot-4-inch beam. Displacement is listed as 13,000 pounds over 6,100 pounds of lead ballast, although sources differ: one brochure cites a displacement of 11,400 pounds.
Design and Construction
Caliber built the 33 with a hand-laid solid fiberglass hull and no molded liners or pans. Instead, individual structural components were painstakingly laminated into the hull. Beefy, closely spaced floor timbers are glassed directly to the shell for support and rigidity. Teak-and-plywood bulkheads and furniture are also bonded in place, with extra attention paid to the structural bulkheads.
The deck is cored with small sections of plywood. These are strong but heavy, and they can delaminate if water gets in. At the hull-to-deck joint, an inward flange is sealed with 3M 5200 and through-bolted on six-inch centers. A gasket is formed around the inboard edge, where leaks might otherwise develop. The toerail and stainless rubrail are incorporated into the joint, while square-headed carriage bolts bite securely so they won’t turn loose during tightening. The lead ballast is encapsulated in the keel cavity.
Below the waterline, the 33 has a fairly flat forefoot that turns sharply downward at the leading edge of a large fin keel. A full-skeg-mounted rudder sits well aft. Standard draft is 4 feet 6 inches, and Caliber also offered a 4-foot shoal-draft version.
A ballast-to-displacement ratio near 47 percent, low deadrise around the keel, firm bilges, and relatively flat aft sections provide strong form stability and help the boat stand on its feet.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The Caliber 33 is a cutter-rigged masthead sloop with about 525 square feet of working sail. Its deck-stepped aluminum mast carries oversized standing rigging. Inboard chainplates allow tight sheeting angles, and all sail controls lead aft to coachroof stations fitted with stoppers and a winch. The primary sheet winches are also within easy reach of the helm.
The traveler is mounted forward of the companionway, with midboom sheeting that leaves the cockpit clear. Owners describe the boat as agile, nimble, and lively, while the generous skeg-hung rudder provides superior control. They also report a fair amount of weather helm as the wind approaches 20 knots, though a single reef in the mainsail readily corrects it.
The boat isn’t especially close-winded, and the shoal-draft version in particular makes some leeway when sailing to windward. Its flat forefoot can pound occasionally in a chop, but the overall motion is soft—a valuable trait in a cruiser. Given the boat’s heft and the parasitic drag of its keel and skeg-mounted rudder, it remains a little sluggish in light air.
Accommodations
The interior is nicely finished in teak, with a teak-and-holly sole and a white headliner that brightens the cabin. The broad companionway has wide, gradually spaced steps. Full standing headroom throughout is one benefit of the less sleek coachroof.
The galley is to port and provides drawers and lockers rather than bins. It includes double stainless-steel sinks with pressure water and a backup foot pump, an outboard stove and oven, and an aft icebox.
A fold-up, bulkhead-mounted table serves the spacious saloon. The port settee is straight, while the starboard settee is L-shaped. Storage is provided behind and beneath the seats, with full-length shelves above.
The head is to starboard and unusually large for a 33-footer. It has an integral shower and can be entered from either the saloon or the forward cabin. The forward V-berth is more than 7 feet long, with fitted drawers and a hanging locker to port.
Aft to starboard, an enclosed quarter berth has a bi-fold door for privacy. It also contains a tucked-away navigation station. The chart desk is a little small, but the bunk makes an ideal sea berth. Stainless opening ports provide excellent ventilation.
Cockpit, Machinery, and Storage
The cockpit is somewhat cramped, with narrow seats and not much of a bridgedeck. Storage, however, is good in the port lazarette and beneath the helm seat.
The original engine is a Yanmar 3GM30F three-cylinder, 27-horsepower diesel. It is only just adequate for this non-lightweight hull, although fuel economy is good. The 26- to 27-gallon tank yields nearly 50 hours of motoring.
Engine access is good from behind the companionway and through the sail locker, though reaching the stuffing box requires some flexibility. The standard propeller was undersized, and some owners have changed to feathering models. Such a change can recover up to a knot under sail. A few owners have also reported that the shaft came loose from the coupler.
Known Issues and Refits
The original bowsprit was little more than an anchoring platform and proved insufficiently husky. Some units came apart or splintered in heavy head seas. Caliber acknowledged the problem and strengthened the platform, cut relieving slits, changed to heavier schedule 160 tubing, and converted the base to a bolt-on nose piece.
Beyond the factory bowsprit reinforcement, sensible ownership measures focus on the drivetrain. The undersized standard propeller prompted some owners to fit feathering models, while the reported shaft-coupler looseness is another known item.
Several owners were bothered by exhaust grime staining the transom. One owner also reported having to reinforce the bulkhead hardware for the fold-up saloon table.
Verdict
Practical Sailor found the Caliber 33 overbuilt compared with most production sailboats today. Its hand-laid solid hull, encapsulated lead ballast, and carefully sealed hull-to-deck joint give it durability that outclasses many later production boats.
The accommodations are innovative and livable for a 33-footer, and the boat’s handling is secure, if not sparkling in light air. The bowsprit and prop-shaft concerns are known and addressable. For a careful buyer, the result is a quietly competent cruiser.
Pros
- Hand-laid solid hull, glassed-in bulkheads, and a four-seal deck joint for lasting integrity
- Stiff, form-stable hull with a skeg-hung rudder and easy, aft-led sail controls
- Spacious teak-finished interior with a dual-access head and a cleverly arranged quarter-cabin sea berth
Cons
- Undersized standard propeller and occasional shaft-coupler looseness
- Sluggish light-air performance and weather helm near 20 knots
- Cramped cockpit and an original bowsprit that required factory strengthening
