Tartan 33 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 33 wears the classic Tartan-S&S profile: a rakish entry trailing into a subtle sheer and reverse transom, with a low-profile cabinhouse that blends into a beefy dodger breakwater—a Tartan trademark. One of the design parameters was to reduce brightwork, and in practice there is an absolute minimum of exterior wood, limited to handrails atop the cabin and trim around the companionway. Most boats feature an aluminum toerail that is more than decorative, since the hull and deck are joined on an inward-facing flange and the through-bolts anchor the toerail, making it a structural component of the hull. The joint itself is bedded with both butyl and polysulfide.

Structurally, the hull and deck are balsa cored, with the forward section of the hull solid fiberglass below the waterline. Bulkheads are well tabbed to the hull, and molded liners are used in the forward and aft sections as well as in the galley and head. Both the standard Scheel keel and the deeper fin on the later 33R are externally bolted to a common keel stub, and the keel bolts are easily accessed for inspection in the bilge. The same stub on the deep-keel models leaves a void along the stub, a quirk of the shared tooling rather than a defect in the shoal version.

Rig and Handling

The Tartan 33 carries a fractional, double-spreader rig with the halyards originally at the mast, though the dodger breakwater was equipped with fairleads for routing them aft. Most boats were built before self-tailing winches were standard, and most are not set up with runners, relying instead on swept upper spreaders to maintain rig tension. Wheel steering was standard, with a 32-inch wheel providing good feedback, and the rudder is partially protected by a vestigial skeg.

Under sail, the boat tracks well and likes to be sailed flat, but she is a bit tender and the big main—just over 300 square feet—should be reefed early. The Scheel keel limits pointing, and the fractional rig clearly limits performance downwind, though the 33 can be sailed very effectively under main alone, even off the wind. Most owners seem to think that a 135 is the ideal headsail. The later 33R, with a masthead rig and deep-draft fin, was by most accounts a much faster boat, but the standard 33 has logged plenty of Bermuda passages and delivers rewarding overall performance with a PHRF rating of about 160.

Accommodations

Below, the interior plan is fairly predictable but works well, ideal for a couple or a small family. The B arrangement places the galley immediately to starboard with a large single sink facing aft along with the icebox compartment; later B models boast 22 separate lockers. The original plan put the icebox across from the galley just forward of the nav station, while the B plan lengthened the settee and eliminated the pilot berth. The nav station includes a good-sized chart desk with the electrical panel located there, and later model boats added a chart storage locker below. A decent-sized quarterberth sits behind the nav station.

The saloon has facing settees and a table that folds out of the way on the main bulkhead. With eight opening portlights, cross ventilation is terrific. The head spans the hull once doors to the saloon and forward cabin are closed, and the mast also shares that compartment—a layout that means you cannot get into or out of the forward cabin if someone is using the head. The forward cabin includes a comfortable V-berth with a water tank below and a hanging locker with drawers to port.

Known Issues

The shared keel stub between Scheel and deep-fin models creates a void along the stub in the deep keel versions, a consequence of the production tooling rather than a structural failure. The head compartment's full-beam layout, while generous for showering, blocks access to the forward cabin whenever the head is occupied. Balsa coring in hull and deck demands vigilance for moisture intrusion, though old Tartans have a track record that steadies the nervous. Refitting is not the easiest, and parts can be a challenge to source for this discontinued design.

The Verdict

The Tartan 33 is a thoughtfully executed S&S coastal cruiser that balances traditional Tartan aesthetics with a low-maintenance exterior and a practical interior. She rewards a sailor who keeps her flat and respects the early reef, and her shoal Scheel keel opens shallow harbors without demanding a racing rig. The accommodations are clever if occasionally compromised by the head layout, and the build quality justifies her enduring presence on the water.

Pros