The design reflects a late-1950s approach to the offshore cruising racer. It combines a centerboard hull and masthead rig with modest ballast and a fine entry characteristic of Rhodes’s long experience with cruising-yacht lines.
Design and Construction
The Swiftsure 33 measures 10.08 meters overall, with a 6.99-meter waterline, a 3.05-meter beam, and a displacement of 5,216 kg. Her keel/centerboard hull draws a maximum of 2.01 meters with the board down and 1.07 meters with it raised. That range allows access to shallow coastal waters while providing more windward grip when the board is down.
Ballast is 1,542 kg, giving a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 29.56%. Along with a displacement-to-length figure of 425.63, that places her among moderately loaded cruisers rather than lightweight racers.
The fiberglass hull and solid construction are finished with wood trim. Original boats have bronze deck hardware and mahogany, while the later COMMODORE SWIFTSURE version uses stainless steel and aluminum hardware with teak. Both versions share the same hull shape, exterior deck layout, and sailplan, although displacement and ballast differ slightly.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Swiftsure 33 has a masthead sloop rig with about 46.5 square meters of sail area, divided between a 23.13-square-meter foretriangle and a 23.34-square-meter mainsail. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.82 and S# of 0.95 describe a steady cruiser with enough sail to move in a breeze without becoming easily overpowered.
Maximum hull speed is 6.42 knots. She carries 819.96 pounds per inch of immersion, a figure that indicates how reluctantly she settles farther into the water when loaded or meeting a chop. A capsize screening value of 1.78 and comfort ratio of 31.83 characterize her as a stable, accommodating coastal and offshore hull rather than a twitchy planing type.
Accommodations and Centerboard Controls
Early Swiftsure 33s have a permanently mounted cabin table with two leaves that fold down when not in use. At the table’s aft end, a hollow stainless-steel pole rises from the cabin sole to the ceiling and encloses the housing for the centerboard control cable.
The later model, built mostly by Royal Netherlands Aircraft, replaces the fixed table with one that folds completely away. It also has a new centerboard mechanism, with the control cable routed inside the port cabinetry. Beyond the changes to exterior hardware, these two cabin arrangements provide the clearest distinction between early and later boats.
Known Issues
A surveyor should understand the centerboard-control path. Early boats route the cable housing through the pole at the aft end of the table, while later boats conceal the cable inside the port cabinetry.
Verdict
The Swiftsure 33 is a period-correct Rhodes cruiser with a useful range of draft from her centerboard arrangement. Her two build generations are readily distinguished by their cabin tables and deck hardware.
She isn’t a modern light-displacement racer, but her design, numbers, and fittings may suit a buyer looking for a traditional 33-foot sloop with a recognizable lineage.
Pros
- Centerboard hull with 1.07 m board-up draft for shoal access and 2.01 m board-down draft for windward grip
- Traditional masthead sloop rig with balanced foretriangle and mainsail areas
- Two distinct build eras with identifiable trim and table arrangements
- Stable cruising figures: 1.78 capsize screening value and 31.83 comfort ratio
Cons
- Gasoline Universal Atomic 4 auxiliary power, typical of the era but less favored today
- Differences in ballast and displacement on the later Commodore version complicate like-for-like comparisons
- The fixed cabin table on early boats occupies saloon space when deployed
