Deb 33 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Deb 33 means chasing a small fleet: fewer than 100 were built from 1969 onward, and the boat remains sought after in her natural East Coast habitat. She is a Sparkman & Stephens centreboard cruiser that appeared in GRP in the Channel Islands in the early 1970s, originally a wooden-design drawn in the 1960s, and the brokerage examples you meet will be solid fibreglass hulls with a retractable plate giving draught from about 3ft 7in to 6ft 7in.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Deb 33 carries a six-berth interior typical of her decade, with three of those berths in the saloon. Because production was limited and the boat was sold with a good inventory when new, most survivors reflect period cruising expectations rather than later open-plan redesigns. The centreboard trunk occupies the accommodation as it does on any plate keeler, and the shoal-draught capability is the layout's defining practical consequence for a buyer who wants harbour access.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market a spinnaker, AIS, and chartplotter are commonly fitted to these boats, the three items a buyer should expect to find rather than treat as upgrades. Beyond that trio, a shopper should assess canvas, sail-handling, and navigation kit on the individual hull. The masthead rig with genoa and spinnaker halyards of 90.6 feet means any replacement running rigging should match those lengths and the 3/8 inch diameter the original spec describes.
What to Inspect
The Deb 33's known character points to two handling traits worth confirming afloat. Yachting Monthly reported that the helm becomes unbalanced if overpressed, a condition a sea trial in fresh breeze will reveal. The same review noted that the offset prop makes handling under power hard work, so a close-quarters docking test matters more than usual.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for the Deb 33 is the United Kingdom. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm the centreboard mechanism and trunk integrity, sail her hard enough to feel the helm balance, and handle her under power to judge the offset-prop behaviour. Expect commonly fitted spinnaker, AIS, and chartplotter rather than missing-electronics projects, and accept the underrigged masthead plan as the boat's nature rather than a defect to refit away.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Deb 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26 | 1 | $33,969 | — |
Where they're listed
Deb 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 | $33,969 | 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
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tartan 34 C | 34.42' | $ 19,900 | 18 | 6 |
| Sparkman and Stephens S&S 34 | 33.42' | $ 27,364 | 17 | 3 |
| Pearson 33 | 32.92' | $ 19,000 | 12 | 5 |
| Downeast 38 Cutter | 38' | $ 35,000 | 7 | 0 |
| Sparkman and Stephens 33You are here | — | $ 33,969 | 1 | 0 |