Elizabethan 33 Buyer's Guide
The Elizabethan 33, designed by David Thomas and built by Peter Webster Ltd., is a long-keeled heavy-displacement cruiser that has passed into the used market as a traditional, seaworthy 33-foot sloop or ketch. Shoppers will find a boat with a solid fiberglass hull, a practical six-berth interior, and a reputation for strength rather than speed—a sensible candidate for coastal cruising or slow passages if the hull and deck are sound.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most boats are masthead-sloop rigs, though some were completed as ketches. Below, the traditional split-cabin arrangement gives a forecabin V-berth and an aft quarter berth to starboard with a navigation station opposite. The saloon converts to sleep extra crew, and a port-side galley with a two-burner oven stove faces the starboard head. Headroom is a full 6 feet; only the 5-foot-3 quarter berth is child-sized. Cockpit access to the engine is through a locker, and the tiller-steered cockpit is roomy with high coamings.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Original deck gear is largely stainless or bronze—winches, cleats, chainplates—and the cockpit came with a compass and sprayhood. Buyers should look at energy and sail-handling upgrades such as a Bukh diesel care history, plus canvas and rigging improvements like a replaced sprayhood or added winches. Navigation upgrades from period compasses to modern instruments are common. Comfort additions may include the original brass lamps and cushions or later galley and water-system refinements, but the manual-pump sink suggests checking any pressurized-water conversion.
What to Inspect
The solid GRP hull using woven rovings is fundamentally strong, but verify the foam or cork insulation between skins has not trapped moisture hull insulation between inner and outer moulding. Check the deck core—balsa or plywood in flat areas, solid only at hardware mounts—for softness where fittings penetrate. Confirm the iron keel attachment and the anti-slip deck surface, and inspect the tiller, chainplates, and bronze or stainless fittings for corrosion.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Regional availability follows typical brokerage markets for British-built cruisers of the era. For a purchase checklist: confirm hull and deck-core integrity, review the Bukh engine service history, verify keel and rigging attachment, and assess the quarter berth's limited adult use. A sound example rewards the careful buyer with a stable, well-built traditional cruiser.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Elizabethan 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $9,936 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contessa 32 | 32' | $ 32,972 | 68 | 20 |
| Westerly 33 | 33.27' | $ 26,625 | 46 | 8 |
| Conyplex 33 | 32.25' | $ 24,500 | 15 | 4 |
| Moody 333 | 33' | $ 29,809 | 11 | 4 |