The Eclipse 33 sits firmly within Moody’s long tradition of family cruisers, but its deck saloon and CE category A / RCD A-Ocean rating distinguish it from a sheltered-water weekender.
Design and Construction
The Eclipse 33 measures 9.91 metres overall and 8.54 metres on the waterline, with a beam of 3.40 metres. Displacement is roughly 5,910 kilograms, and lead ballast accounts for about 32 percent of that figure.
Buyers could choose between a 1.45-metre fin keel and a 1.12-metre twin-keel arrangement. The twin-keel version adds about 300 kilograms but provides access to shallower water.
The hull and deck are solid fibreglass. The builder also produced drawings for a P-bracket installation and a transport cradle.
One structural detail is worth flagging. The mast step incorporates a laminated wooden block that can rot if moisture gets in, causing it to lose both function and strength.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Eclipse 33 is a masthead sloop with a 13.56-metre mast and 448 square feet of sail area. Its halyards and control lines lead aft, an arrangement testers credited with providing a sense of security when moving forward.
The deck-saloon version can be steered from inside as well as from the cockpit, although the inside station provides no access to the sheets. The original wheel-in-saloon arrangement also has drawbacks. YACHT found that its long ropes and extra linkages make the helm sticky and insensitive. The later Mk-II replaced the inside wheel with an autopilot, freeing space in the saloon and improving helm feel with the pilot off anchor.
Under sail, the Eclipse 33 isn’t a sporty accelerator; pressure builds only once the boat is moving. In seven to nine knots of breeze, however, it will make five knots at 60 degrees off the wind. In stronger air it remains safe and easy to control.
A bilge-keel test boat tacked through 88 to 90 degrees, hove to impressively, and showed no weather helm even in a 24-knot gust. Off the wind, its weight becomes more apparent and speed drops markedly, though a cruising chute or spinnaker would readily offset that weakness.
Accommodation and Deck Layout
The raised saloon is the heart of the accommodation. Large deckhouse windows bring plenty of light into the saloon, galley, and navigation areas, while the elevated seating provides a near-complete view of an anchorage. The saloon seats four for meals or six for drinks.
Headroom is 1.80 metres in the saloon, heads, and forepeak, increasing to 2.09 metres in the galley and 2.00 metres in the aft cabin. Six berths are provided by a large forward vee-berth measuring 1.97 by 1.65 metres, a roomy 1.80-by-1.50-metre aft double, and a pull-out berth in the saloon. The wet room includes a sit-down shower.
Owners praise the deep, cosy cockpit. The high saloon provides shelter, and the sprayhood makes the cockpit fully weatherproof. Wide gangways run alongside the superstructure, making the route to the foredeck feel safe.
Known Issues
The galvanised-steel keel bolts are the main inspection point. Unlike nobler alloys, they reveal their condition by rusting, so corrosion is visible rather than hidden.
Writing in YACHT, testers noted that the same survey found that railing supports tend to leak and the engine compartment is quite cramped, making servicing more difficult. The turbocharged Volvo option can also become a problem over the life of the boat.
Early boats’ sticky, insensitive inside-wheel steering is another drawback. As noted above, the later Mk-II replaced the saloon wheel with an autopilot.
Refits and Ownership
The owners’ association holds drawings for windlasses, wheel-steering systems, prop shafts, and water-tank senders. It also has a shaft-change note covering the Perkins-engine variants shared with the 336 and 35, so owners have good support when researching spares.
The Mk-II’s conversion from an inside wheel to an autopilot was the model’s most consequential factory evolution. The Eclipse 33 remains highly sought-after on the used market.
The Verdict
The Moody Eclipse 33 is a thoughtfully arranged deck-saloon cruiser that offers liveaboard comfort and all-weather cockpit protection beyond what its 33-foot length might suggest. Its handling is predictable and well-mannered, and it carries an offshore rating as a deck-saloon cruiser.
Its main weaknesses are concentrated, visible, and manageable: galvanised keel bolts, leak-prone railing supports, and a cramped engine compartment.
Pros
- Bright, roomy deck saloon with six berths and a sit-down shower
- Safe, easy control in strong winds, with no weather helm in gusts
- Twin-keel option for shallow-water cruising
- Deep, well-sheltered cockpit with full weatherproofing
Cons
- Galvanised keel bolts and leaking railing supports require vigilance
- Cramped engine compartment; turbocharged Volvo is a potential long-term risk
- Sticky inside-wheel steering on early boats
- Marked slowdown off the wind
