Design and Construction
The 33.5 has a conservative basic hull shape, with a short bow overhang and a broad stern. Hunter used that stern to extend sailing length, enlarge the cockpit, and create more room aft. The broad stern extended sailing length, enlarged the cockpit, and created more room aft. The hulls were solid fiberglass below the waterline, with no core material. Behind the gelcoat, they had a skin coat of chopped strand mat applied by chopper gun, and the ballast was carried externally.
Hunter developed an unusually broad keel program, designing four configurations: the house bulb-wing, a deep fin, an elliptical wing keel, and the Collins tandem keel. The builder then used polar plots and real-life trials with two identical hulls to compare them. Hunter claimed that the deep fin and bulb-wing proved superior, with the bulb-wing delivering slightly better performance in all conditions during those sailing trials.
The bulb-wing is a modest appendage. Its tiny wings angle down about eight degrees, and its bulb is shaped like a squashed ellipse.
Rig and Handling
The tall fractional rig follows the Bergstrom-Ridder layout, with double swept-back spreaders, double shrouds, and lowers led to inboard chainplates. The tall fractional rig follows the Bergstrom-Ridder layout, and the backstay splits to keep the helm clear of interference. One trade-off of the swept spreaders is that they limit how far the boom can be eased.
The 33.5 handles well under both sail and power. Its shoal-draft fin with bulb-wing and spade rudder allows it to turn quickly in close quarters. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of around 17 and a displacement-length ratio near 243, it falls into the moderate-performance cruiser category rather than the light-displacement racer class.
Accommodations
Below, the layout centers on a sociable dinette to starboard and a split head-sink arrangement forward. The galley sits as far aft as the hull allows, keeping the cook clear of traffic. A large double berth tucks under the cockpit, making good use of the broad stern’s volume.
The standard equipment list even included a copy of Chapman’s Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling, a telling detail of the boat’s outfitting as delivered.
Known Issues
Owners of the 1990 335 report no option for an anchor roller and no practical way to add one. That’s a real limitation for cruisers who prefer roller-mounted ground tackle at the bow.
The Verdict
The Hunter 33.5 is a thoughtfully packaged midsize cruiser from Hunter Marine’s late-1980s era. It combines a conservatively shaped, solid hull with an unusually well-tested keel program and a roomy, forward-thinking interior.
The shoal-draft bulb-wing opened shallow harbors to the boat without sacrificing quick, confident handling. Its fractional rig and split backstay also reflect a genuine effort toward performance cruising rather than simply maximizing accommodation volume. For the dedicated cruiser, the lack of an anchor roller is the one clear ergonomic gap.
Pros
- Broad, well-tested keel program, with the bulb-wing favored in builder trials
- Quick-turning shoal-draft hull with a spade rudder
- Roomy, aft-focused interior with a dinette and large aft double berth
- Clear helm provided by the split backstay, with inboard chainplates
Cons
- No anchor-roller option or practical retrofit path on the 1990 example
- Swept spreaders limit how far the boom can be eased
