Tartan 33 Sailboats for Sale

What the buyer needs to understand going in is that this is a fractionally rigged, Scheel-keel boat with a very specific character. The big mainsail — roughly 300 square feet, comparable to what you'd find on a masthead-rigged 37-footer — is the engine of the sailplan, and the boat rewards those who sail it flat and reef early. It is not a flyer, but it is honest, well-balanced, and satisfying to sail. Those who need more performance should look specifically for the 33R variant, which pairs a deep fin keel with a masthead rig and is nearly 30 seconds per mile faster — though it was built in far smaller numbers and its deeper draft rules it out in shoal-water cruising grounds.

Layouts on the Used Market

The Tartan 33 was produced in two interior arrangements, often referred to by owners as the original plan and the "B" arrangement. In the original layout, the icebox was positioned across from the galley just forward of the nav station, which compromised the port settee as a sea berth. In the revised B arrangement, the settee was lengthened, the pilot berth eliminated, and the icebox shifted into the galley on the starboard side. The B layout is generally considered the more practical of the two for cruising, and later production hulls carried this arrangement, making it the more commonly encountered layout on the used market. Either way, the galley is aft to starboard, the nav station sits just forward with a generous quarterberth behind it, and the saloon features facing settees with a fold-away table. The full-width head that spans the boat — with bi-fold doors to both the saloon and forward cabin — is a distinctive feature that owners either appreciate for its generous shower space or find inconvenient when guests are aboard. A comfortable V-berth fills the forward cabin with a water tank stowed below.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Boats commonly seen on the market tend to arrive fitted with a chartplotter, dodger, and spinnaker gear, reflecting years of use by owners who sail the boat seriously. Short-handed sailing setups — halyards led aft through the fairleads molded into the dodger breakwater, a feature Tartan thoughtfully engineered from the outset — are a frequent sight and well worth seeking out. Air conditioning appears on a meaningful share of boats, particularly those that have spent time in warmer American coastal waters.

Among owner upgrades, a bimini is a common addition, and autopilots are regularly fitted on boats that have done more offshore miles. Some owners have moved to asymmetric spinnaker arrangements in place of the original symmetric setup. Self-tailing winches were not standard when the boat was built, so a previous owner who has upgraded the Lewmar 40s to self-tailers has done future owners a practical favor worth factoring into an evaluation. Halyards led aft — if not already done — represent a straightforward and commonly seen improvement. Stove conversions from the original pressurized alcohol setup to propane or unpressurized alcohol are widespread, with propane now the most common choice among owners who have modernized the galley. A saloon hatch is a frequently seen addition that improves below-decks ventilation considerably.

What to Inspect

The 33's balsa-cored hull and deck demand thorough surveying. Sound the decks carefully for signs of delamination, and have the surveyor put a moisture meter on the hull to check for water intrusion into the core. The starboard water tank has a known tendency to leak and can cause delamination of the sole in that area, so inspect this carefully and probe around the bilge for any softness. Hull blistering has been reported and should be assessed during the survey; owner survey data has found blistering concentrated in pairs of sequential production numbers rather than spread uniformly across the fleet, so a thorough osmotic assessment is worthwhile regardless of hull number.

Check the mast step, the bridge, and the base of the mast for corrosion, as this has been reported along with related wiring problems. The keel bolts are accessible from the bilge and should be inspected for weeping or rust staining; the Scheel keel is externally bolted to a stub, and a surveyor familiar with the model will know to check both the bolts and the stub-to-hull interface. On the 33R deep-keel variant, be aware that the same keel stub is used for both models, resulting in a void along the stub that is not structural but should be understood.

Inspect the chainplates carefully. Standing and running rigging should be evaluated for age-related wear — these boats have accumulated many decades of service, and any rigging that has not been replaced in recent years warrants close attention. The swept-back upper spreaders carry significant load in lieu of running backstays on most standard 33s; the geometry puts high compressive loads on the shroud bases. Steering cables should also be inspected. When examining any deck or hull fittings, confirm that exposed balsa has been properly sealed with epoxy — unsealed balsa around hardware penetrations is a vector for moisture intrusion that can be expensive to address. Hull-to-deck joint integrity is generally solid on these boats, with Tartan's combination of butyl and polysulfide bedding performing well over time, but it warrants checking all the same.

The Universal Atomic 4 or its diesel successor is the expected engine, and the original 24-hp Universal diesel is found in most boats, which speaks to its reliability. Assess hours, cooling system condition, heat exchanger, and impeller service history. The aluminum fuel tank under the port quarterberth should be inspected for corrosion given its age.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Tartan 33 is concentrated in the northeastern United States, with the Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, and the Great Lakes producing the largest share of available boats. Many examples spent their lives in fresh water, which tends to result in cleaner hulls and less corrosion than saltwater-kept sisters. A smaller contingent appears in Canadian freshwater sailing areas. This is not a boat with global distribution — buyers in Europe or the Pacific will need to search harder — but within North America the supply is steady enough that a patient buyer can wait for a well-maintained example rather than settling.

Buyer's checklist:

• Confirm arrangement (original plan vs. B) and decide which suits your use case before viewing
• Identify whether the boat is a standard 33 (Scheel keel, fractional rig) or a 33R (fin keel, masthead rig) — they look similar on deck
• Survey balsa core in hull and deck with moisture meter and sounding; probe around the starboard water tank and sole
• Inspect mast step, mast base, and wiring for corrosion
• Check keel bolts from bilge for weeping or rust staining
• Examine chainplates, standing rigging, and steering cables for age-related wear
• Confirm all deck and hull hardware penetrations are properly epoxy-sealed around exposed balsa
• Verify halyards-aft modification if shorthanded sailing is a priority; check for self-tailing winch upgrades
• Test the Universal diesel and review maintenance records; inspect aluminum fuel tank for corrosion
• Evaluate stove fuel system — confirm the setup (propane, unpressurized alcohol) is safely installed