Contessa 33 Buyer's Guide
Rob Humphreys drew the Contessa 33 as a cruiser-racer built by J.J. Taylor & Sons Ltd. in Toronto in the early 1980s, intended to replace the Contessa 32 with more modern performance lines in a 32.67-foot hull. She is a rare fiberglass monohull, so any used Contessa 33 is one of a small surviving population rather than a common production boat. A buyer is looking at a compact cruiser-racer with a 25.42-foot waterline, 11.08-foot beam, 8,988-pound displacement, and 5.82-foot draft — figures that reward careful inspection of an individual hull's history and provenance before purchase.
What to Inspect
On Peter Bruce's Owl, wiring fault ignited the engine bay insulation off the Lizard, so a buyer should closely examine the wiring runs near the engine and look for any scorched or brittle insulation, melted loom covering, or amateur repairs that hint at past heat damage. On the same boat, a dog trod heavily on the gear lever and sent the vessel ahead at full revs, which tells a viewer to test the gearshift for a loose, easily depressed lever and to confirm the control detent holds firmly in neutral and gear. A neglected example such as the one found at Shamrock Quay in December 1991 may need years of refit, so assess the hull's current cosmetic and mechanical state rather than assuming a quick cosmetic flip.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
A shopper should treat the Contessa 33 as a scarce Humphreys design and judge each used example on its own condition, since regional availability is not tracked here and the boat's low production means these yachts appear on the market only occasionally. View any candidate with the same care owed a rare performance cruiser.
- Inspect engine-bay wiring for burnt insulation
- Test the gear lever detent and free play
- Confirm refit scope on any neglected hull
- Verify the fractional rig and sail inventory
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Contessa 33. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | 1 | $26,508 | — |
Where they're listed
Contessa 33 listings appear across 1 country. United Kingdom has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $26,508 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic 33 | 32.58' | $ 24,999 | 15 | 5 |
| Elan 33 | 33.96' | $ 30,589 | 12 | 2 |
| Contessa 33You are here | — | $ 26,508 | 1 | 0 |