The Tartan 33 vs. Ericson 32
By Bob Perry
Last issue, we looked at two 28-foot boats, both would be ideal for a young family just getting into cruising. In this issue, we’re going to look at two boats in the 33-foot range, and look at the advantages that another 5 feet of boat buys you.
The Tartan-33 was built from 1979 to 1984, comprising a run of over 200 hulls. The design is from the prestigious firm of Sparkman and Stephens. Some may be inclined to say “designed by Olin Stephens”, but given the size of the S&S design office, it’s highly unlikely that Olin was doing any drawings. S&S had a cadre of great designers working for them, and if you could find the original drawings of a design you’re interested in, you’d see the initials of the person who did the drawing.
The Tartan-33 was designed after the International Offshore Rule (IOR) was the accepted racing rule, but I don’t see anything in this design to make me think the IOR had much influence, if any. The Tarten-33’s L/B ratio is 3.07 and the D/L ratio is 186.3, indicating a boat of moderate displacement. The ends are on the full side, not what you’d see with a full-on IOR boat. You could have your choice of a standard (shoal-draft) keel at 4,56 feet, or a deep-keel option at 6.25 feet.
I like this interior. There is a cozy double quarter-berth to port, and forward of that a small nav-station. To starboard, there is a minimal galley. It’s relatively unusual to see pilot berths in a boat this size, but there is a pilot berth to port behind the settee, and on starboard, a full-length settee that extends inboard but not enough to make it a double berth. A pilot berth makes a great sea berth, and a handy place to stow your guitar.
The approximately 5 extra feet you get with the longer LOA is used to make a large enclosed head. But the door to the head is also the door to the v-berth area, which effectively means the head extends the full width of the boat at that point. You can close off the V-berth area for privacy, but with that door closed, it is a very snug space. There is a large hanging locker to port in the head. This boat could sleep five people comfortably, or six people in a pinch, if two of those people really like each other.
It is unusual to see a boat designed in this period of the IOR with a fractional rig, but if you look at today’s crop of cruising/racing boats, you’ll hardly find examples without fractional rigs. Having the big mainsail on a boom makes sail handling easier, and with the mast slightly forward from where it would be on a masthead rig, headsails can be smaller. Having the mast farther forward also helps open up the main cabin area.
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