Design and Construction
Magnusson designed the Contrast 33 to a clear cruiser-racer brief. She has a 10-foot-1-inch beam, a 27-foot-3-inch waterline, and a 5-foot-4-inch draft. Displacement is 8,200 pounds, including 3,748 pounds of lead ballast, for a ballast-displacement ratio of 45.7 percent. Her displacement-length ratio is near 181, and wetted surface is roughly 312 square feet. These figures place her firmly among the moderate-displacement Nordic 33-footers.
The hull is solid fiberglass, while the deck uses sandwich construction. Contrastbåtar AB built the boat, as did other yards. Some hulls were also sold as home-completion kits, so finished quality can vary from one example to the next.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Contrast 33 carries a 5/6 fractional rig. Total sail area is 440 square feet, centered on a 25-square-meter mainsail and a 32-square-meter genoa 1.
Period comparison data puts her rig among the largest third of similar sailboats. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 17.3 using the designer’s reference, or 19.2 with a 135 percent genoa. That helps explain the lively performance owners associate with the class. An LYS rating of 1.16 and a relative speed performance index of 79 place her among the quicker midsize cruisers of her era.
A capsize screening value of about 1.93 to 2.0 and a motion comfort ratio around 20 mark her as a reasonably steady seaboat without making her a heavy voyager. With a Yanmar 2GM/SD20 diesel, she has been logged at 7.5 knots; theoretical displacement-hull speed is about 7.0 knots.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below, the Contrast 33 has three cabins and six berths, along with a galley and toilet facility. As on many Nordic boats of her period, the interior is finished in mahogany. The 3.05-meter beam provides usable interior volume for a boat of this length, while the three-cabin arrangement offers more privacy than the typical open-plan 33-foot racer-cruiser.
Tankage is modest but adequate for weekend cruising. The boat carries 26 gallons of water, plus 20 liters in the heater, along with 8 gallons of diesel and a 55-liter septic tank.
Known Issues
The only structural caveat raised in the record concerns the home-completion route. Because some Contrast 33s were sold as kits for owners to finish, the hull-to-deck joint, tabbing, and systems installation can’t be assumed to be uniform across the fleet. On an owner-finished boat, a buyer should treat every system as potentially non-standard until it has been verified.
The Verdict
The Contrast 33 is a well-balanced Scandinavian fractional sloop with a large rig, a stiff, lead-ballasted hull, and a practical three-cabin interior. She’s quick for her length and composed in moderate conditions. Home-completed examples, however, introduce a variable that calls for individual inspection.
Pros
- Large 5/6 fractional rig, exceeding two-thirds of comparable sailboats in size
- Lead fin keel, 45.7 percent ballast ratio, and 8,200-pound displacement
- Three cabins and six berths, with a mahogany interior
- Logged speed of 7.5 knots under a Yanmar 2GM/SD20 diesel
Cons
- Some hulls were home-completed, so build quality varies
- Modest tankage limits extended off-grid cruising
