Design and Construction
Dick Carter designed the Carter 33 in 1972 as a scaled-up Carter 30, according to Yachting Monthly. That lineage shows in a hull that combines cruising volume with a racer’s proportions. It’s a monohull with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, measuring 9.9m (32ft 7in) LOA, with a 7.9m (25ft 9in) waterline, 3.4m (11ft 2in) beam, and 1.7m (5ft 5in) draft.
Displacement is 10,318lb, including 2,860lb of lead ballast. The 38 percent ballast-displacement ratio gives the Carter 33 a steady, seakindly foundation without pushing it into heavy-displacement lethargy.
The specifications don’t capture an important change in construction. The first hulls used substantial plywood in the cockpit, while subsequent boats were built entirely of fiberglass. Yachting Monthly recorded the change, which matters more during a used-boat survey than it does under sail.
Rig and Handling
Two rigs were offered, and the choice shapes the boat’s character. The 50-square-meter racing rig performs well. The shorter 45.5-square-meter cruising rig is rather underpowered and suffers from lee helm in light airs.
That lee helm is the cruising rig’s defining weakness. A boat that wants to fall off as the breeze dies can be tiresome on a lazy reach, so buyers should understand the limitation before committing to the smaller sail plan.
Under power, some Carter 33s have sluggish steering at the wheel because their shafts were led off-center. This is a quirk of certain hulls rather than the class as a whole, but a sea trial should reveal it immediately.
Accommodations
Below, the Carter 33 has a conventional 1970s cabin layout with seven berths. Given its 11ft beam, it offers plenty of interior space for the money.
The galley is to port, the chart table to starboard, and the heads forward of the mast. It’s a straightforward cruising arrangement, placing the working stations where a watch-keeper expects them while keeping the sleeping quarters aft and amidships. This is a period layout rather than a modern, open-plan saloon, but the volume is genuine.
Ownership and Known Issues
A thorough survey is essential when buying a Carter 33, and prospective owners would be wise to insist on a sea trial before completing the deal. The offset shaft found on some hulls, the plywood used in the cockpits of early boats, and the cruising rig’s lee helm are all best felt or measured rather than taken on faith.
Find a good one and it will look after you at sea. That quiet endorsement helps explain why these boats continue to circulate in the Mediterranean rather than disappearing.
Verdict
The Carter 33 is a genuine early-production European cruiser-racer with Dick Carter’s design credibility, useful volume below, and a choice of rigs that can favor either speed or simplicity. The racing rig is the livelier option; the cruising rig demands patience in light air.
Early plywood cockpit structure and the occasional offset propshaft are the main points to watch, but a surveyed and sea-tried example is a sound bluewater candidate.
Pros
- One of Europe’s first mass-produced yachts, with Dick Carter’s racing pedigree
- Generous seven-berth accommodation and strong interior volume for its length
- Racing rig performs well
- Lead-ballasted, fin-keel hull provides a steady offshore platform
Cons
- Cruising rig is underpowered and develops lee helm in light airs
- Early boats used substantial plywood in the cockpit; later boats were all fiberglass
- Some hulls have an offset propshaft and sluggish steering under power
