Design and Construction
What sets the Edel Cat 33 apart structurally is its dismantlable nature: the hulls and the cockpit or bridgedeck assembly can be separated thanks to an assembly of aluminium beams, a feature almost unknown in production cruising cats anchor. The hull and deck are solid fibreglass, and the boat was built with different keel alternatives, including a bilge keel arrangement that is a twin keel allowing the boat to be beached anchor. At 33.8 feet overall with a beam just under 20 feet, the length-to-beam ratio of 1.66 makes the platform notably roomy for its size; measured against similar sailing catamarans, the design is more spacious than 90 percent of them on that ratio anchor. A displacement-length ratio of 113 places it among what reviewers called “light racers,” with 58 percent of comparable sailboat designs categorized as heavier anchor.
Rig and Handling
The Edel Cat 33 carries a compact fractional sloop rig, a choice that, together with the three-volume superstructure, gives it a visual character unlike modern catamarans anchor. The sail area of 645 square feet on a 7,200-pound displacement yields a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 27.67, consistent with the light-racer classification and its semi-offshore cruising equipment anchor. A simple outboard engine protected by a cover supplies propulsion, keeping the installation minimal and serviceable anchor. The twin-keel draft runs about 2.6 to 2.9 feet depending on load, shallow enough for gunkholing and the beaching the bilge keels permit anchor.
Accommodations
The deck plan is genuinely original for the era: each hull is independent and served by its own companionway, while the central nacelle is set apart by a pair of broad side decks anchor. The boat's topsides structure breaks into three separate volumes, which reinforces the sense of two private hulls flanking a separate central living space. Inside, the boat is equipped with six berths and a fresh water capacity of 250 liters, and headroom is above average for the class anchor. That combination of separated companionways and a roomy beam made the Edel Cat 33 attractive to charter operators who valued simple, redundant access to each hull anchor.
Ownership and Refits
Because the hulls and bridgedeck can be dismantled using aluminium beams, owners have a realistic path to transport or storage that most cats lack, though the kit-built origin means fit-and-finish varied from one example to another anchor. The outboard powerplant remains easy to reach under its cover, and the solid fibreglass hull and deck are straightforward to maintain anchor. The low original price and dealer nickname reflect a boat meant to be assembled and owned outside the full-service brokerage world, which still found favor with professional charter fleets anchor.
The Verdict
The Edel Cat 33 is a pragmatic, light-displacement cruising cat with a genuinely unusual dismantlable structure and a roomy beam for its length. Its compact rig, separated hull companionways, and beaching bilge keels suit shoal-water cruising and simple ownership, even if the rustic kit origins and small production run limit refinement and spares commonality.
Pros
- Dismantlable hull and bridgedeck on aluminium beams for transport and storage
- Roomy beam for length; above-average headroom and six berths
- Bilge keels allow beaching; shallow draft for a catamaran
- Light-racer displacement and fractional rig for lively performance
Cons
- Delivered in kit form; rustic finish and varied assembly quality
- Simple outboard propulsion rather than inboard diesels
- Fewer than 100 built, so limited shared knowledge and parts network
