Soverel 33 (1983) Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Soverel 33 means weighing a light-displacement racer that was built in small batches by four different yards, so the example you find will differ structurally and cosmetically by who laid it up. Around 90 were produced, and the boat's one-design origins mean most carry racing hardware and a camper-style interior rather than cruising luxury.
Layouts on the Used Market
Belowdecks, the Soverel 33 will sleep four comfortably through 33" deep settees that convert to 24" berths and 9' 6" by 4' 0" quarter berths. The saloon has 5' 10" headroom and an area 9' 8" wide at the settee backs, with 10" deep storage behind sliding acrylic doors running forward. The galley is a shelf for a 25-gallon cooler with a two-burner alcohol stove recess and a cold-pressure single sink; the head is an athwartships toilet with curtain privacy and no shower. Tartan-built boats have better-finished interiors and more amenities than Florida, Republic, or Olson examples.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Factory equipment centered on the race course: Lewmar 43 primary winches and Lewmar 40 cabintop winches, a 15/16 rod-rigged mast, and an 8-hp Yanmar 1GM. On the used market, boats often carry a spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker and a short handed setup, reflecting the cockpit-led controls and checkstay rig. Several owners have moved to transom-mounted outboards up to 9.9 hp in place of the original inboard.
What to Inspect
The documented chainplate defect is the priority: decks cored with balsa or foam in that area lacked sheer strength and the chainplate would creep inward under load, though Tartan-built boats increased lamination there chainplate creep under load. The repair is removing the chainplate, cutting out the coring, and relaminating with solid glass. Early hulls may show oilcanning forward of the main bulkhead, as some new boats shipped with stiffener instructions and post-#16 hulls gained two vertical bow stiffeners. Also note the engine box is lightweight fiberglass providing little sound deadening.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Soverel 33 are the United States and Australia. When inspecting, check chainplate cores for inward creep and verify any solid-glass repair; confirm hull number and builder for weight and interior finish; look for bow stiffeners on early hulls; test engine-bay noise; and confirm winches, rigging, and any spinnaker gear are intact.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Soverel 33 (1983). The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 18,900 | — |
| Dec 25 | 2 | $ 20,000 | +5.8% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 20,293 | +1.5% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $ 28,000 | +38.0% |
Where they're listed
Soverel 33 (1983) listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 4 (80.0%), followed by Australia.
Country view
5 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 20,000 | 4 | 1 | 80.0% |
| Australia | $ 20,293 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |