Enderlein deliberately ignored racing handicap rules when drawing the boat. The result is a slender, heavy cruiser intended for comfortable passage-making under sail or power rather than racing performance.
Design and Construction
The Mistral 33 measures 33 feet 5 inches on the hull and 25 feet 2 inches at the waterline, with a beam of 9 feet 10 inches. She displaces 11,500 pounds and carries a 5,310-pound keel, placing her among the heavy cruisers of her size.
Construction combines a fiberglass hull with a high-gloss varnished mahogany superstructure. That handsome wooden topside distinguishes the Mistral from later all-fiberglass production boats; only the first hull was built entirely of wood.
The hull-to-deck relationship follows a separated keel-and-rudder arrangement beneath a sugar-scoop-style transom. Together, these features give her a tidy cruising profile rather than a performance-oriented shape. Enderlein’s late-1960s lines produce a length-to-beam ratio of 3.37, making the Mistral slimmer than two-thirds of comparable sailboat designs. Her displacement-to-length ratio of 324 confirms her place in the heavy-cruiser category. Wetted surface is roughly 279 square feet.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Mistral carries a masthead rig with a stated sail area of 560 square feet with jib. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 17.21, modest for a 33-footer and consistent with a motorsailer that leans on its engine as much as its canvas.
Calculated maximum speed is about 5.5 knots, below the theoretical 6.7-knot barrier for a displacement hull of this length. The capsize screening value of 1.76 would, by that formula alone, admit her to ocean races.
A Motion Comfort Ratio of 30.1 indicates that she rides more comfortably than 76 percent of similar designs. That figure follows from her heavy-cruiser displacement and slim beam; it isn’t a statement of sea-kindliness from the builder.
The slim beam also aids maneuvering in marinas.
Accommodation
Below, the Mistral sleeps six in a teak interior with a galley and toilet facility. The saloon has a U-shaped sofa on one side and a straight settee opposite. It’s a straightforward cruising arrangement that uses the narrow beam well without pretending the boat has more volume than it does.
The wooden superstructure carries the warm interior character through to the deckhouse.
Engine, Maintenance, and Refit Considerations
The standard engine is a Volvo Penta MD2B, a two-cylinder diesel rated at 25 horsepower (17 kW). It’s a modest but appropriate engine for a motorsailer of this displacement.
On all but the wooden prototype, the mahogany superstructure requires the usual vigilance for varnish failure and moisture ingress. The sources describe no particular failure mode or repair campaign.
Buyers will find a small worldwide population of 216 hulls, all built before modern rigging and electrical norms. Any prospective owner should therefore judge a boat’s refit history against the standards of its period.
The Verdict
The Mistral 33 is a period motorsailer whose wooden superstructure and heavy-cruiser displacement reflect a different design philosophy—one unconcerned with racing handicaps and focused instead on comfortable passage-making under sail or power.
She’s a niche boat: too slender and too slow to excite the performance crowd. For the right buyer, however, her comfort ratio and construction record make her a credible used-cruiser candidate.
Pros
- High-gloss varnished mahogany superstructure over a fiberglass hull; only the first hull was entirely wooden
- Comfort ratio better than 76 percent of similar designs
- Heavy-cruiser displacement for stable motion
- Separated keel and rudder, with a slim beam that aids marina maneuvering
- Six berths and a teak saloon with U-shaped and straight settees
Cons
- Sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.21 reflects limited sailing performance
- Calculated maximum speed of about 5.5 knots, below the theoretical displacement hull speed
- Wooden superstructure requires continuing varnish and moisture maintenance
- Only 216 built, leaving a limited pool of boats
- Period-standard rigging and electrical systems throughout
