Soverel 33 (1983) Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Soverel 33 is lightly displaced. Original Florida boats came in near 5,200 pounds, although most weigh about 5,800 pounds ready to sail; Tartan-built examples are closer to 5,900 pounds. A 2,800-pound lead keel and an 11-foot beam amidships give the boat a powerful but easily driven platform.

Four builders produced the design. The first 69 boats came from Bill Soverel’s Florida plant. Republic Boats in California built five flush-deck versions in 1984, George Olson’s Santa Cruz operation built 19 in 1985, and Tartan Yachts in North Carolina completed a final small batch.

Core materials varied by builder. Florida hulls and decks used Klegecell with mat and biaxial roving, while Republic used Divinycell and Olson used balsa. Tartan combined Klegecell-cored hulls with balsa-cored decks; its boats also had better-finished interiors and more amenities.

Construction consisted of four modules: the hull, liner, and two deck-cockpit pieces. The liner stiffens the hull amidships and aft of the companionway.

Rig and Handling

The 50-foot-tall rig is a 15/16 fractional sloop with a bendy, double-spreader mast section, Navtec rod rigging, and straight spreaders. Checkstays replaced running backstays, preventing rig pumping without a MORC penalty. The split backstay attaches through blocks at the transom.

The shroud bases sit well inboard, allowing narrow sheeting angles. Bolts at the mast butt provide tuning adjustments that affect sail shape. All halyards and controls lead aft to the cockpit. The boom ends forward of the tiller and well clear of the cockpit sole, while the traveler sits 38 inches aft of the companionway.

In testing, the Soverel 33 sailed close-hauled at 5.7–5.9 knots in 6–8 knots of wind. In 7–9 knots, flattening the boat with weight on the rail added half a knot. She held better than 4 knots on a beam reach in 3 knots of wind, and a .75-ounce spinnaker carried her past 6 knots in 4–6 knots.

Accommodations

Below, the saloon measures 4 feet 10 inches wide at shoulder level and 9 feet 8 inches at the settee backs. Maximum headroom is 5 feet 10 inches. The 33-inch-deep settees convert to 24-inch berths using wooden brackets, and 10-inch storage bins run behind them.

An 8-gallon fuel tank sits beneath the starboard berth, with the water tank under the port settee. The galley has a 25-gallon cooler secured to its shelf, a recessed two-burner alcohol stove, and a cold-pressure sink. Opposite is a 49-inch navigation counter. The head consists of an athwartships toilet with a privacy curtain and no shower.

The quarter berths are enormous, measuring 9 feet 6 inches by 4 feet. Forward sail stowage extends 6 feet 8 inches. The boat sleeps four comfortably and races well with six.

Known Issues

Mark Soverel delivered some new boats with instructions for adding hull stiffeners to reduce oilcanning forward of the main bulkhead. After hull #16, two vertical bow stiffeners became standard.

At the chainplates, balsa- or foam-cored decks lacked sufficient sheer strength, allowing the chainplate to creep inward under load. Tartan increased the lamination in this area. A builder’s bulletin described the repair: cut out the coring and relaminate it solid.

Engines, Refits, and Identification

The original 8-hp Yanmar 1GM, now the 1GM10, powers most boats, although several have been converted to transom-mounted outboards of up to 9.9 hp. The lightweight fiberglass engine box provides little sound deadening.

Hull numbers are non-consecutive and end at 119. Buyers should therefore identify the builder by core material and finish rather than relying on the hull number alone.

The Verdict

The Soverel 33 is a sharp, light racer that bridged one-design ambition and modern sports-boat thinking. With a tuned rig and an active crew, it delivers genuine speed in thin air.

Pros