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The "T" Word

3K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Valiente 
#1 ·
Okay, I sailed that T****N 33 that I have been looking at, last evening. 12 kts of wind or so in Solomons, MD, and a lovely warm evening. I just wanted say that, no matter what the issues are with cored hulls in general, this 1981 T****n 33 is a spectacular boat. Solid, tight, great to windward. Turns on a dime. And the boat is beautifully maintained. All of 2 spider cracks on the original gelcoat. I am in lust (and it has nothing to do with TB's family pictures).
 
#3 ·
Cuncur you are right V. But there have been numerous and contentious threads concerning (ssshhhhhhh) balsa cored hulls, which the '81 tartan 33 has. No reported problems with bottoms on these boats that I can find, and the magnificent condition of the boat gives me confidence. This guy is a sailor's sailor, and has loved this boat well. We shall see....
 
#5 ·
Bardo -- Cored hulls usually elicit that knee jerk reaction you allude to because some people like to scream "fire" for no good reason. There are thousands of cored hulled boats out there doing just fine. And there are thousands of solid glass boats out there with voids in them. Go figure. In either case, a good surveyor will find any problems and then you take it from there. A good boat is a good boat no matter what the hull construction is. The T-33 is a great boat. Go for it!
 
#6 ·
BTW, I generally would prefer foam core materials for the hull, rather than balsa. The more compressible foams are better in terms of dealing with damage and may absorb an impact enough so the inner laminate isn't breached. It is also not subject to rot in the case of a laminate penetration, but still needs to be surveyed quite carefully.
 
#7 ·
We owned one for 17 years.

The 33 is a great boat.

Second the advice on getting a good surveyor.

Guy that did ours is in the midwest and has done several.

Spreader thru bar on original mast. water in rudder and water in deck around stanchions, rails and chainplates are key areas to look at.

e-mail for furher info if you want. johnvito at sbcglobal dot com Happy to tell you what we know!
 
#8 ·
balsa cored hulls:
if its ok with everett pearson, j/boat and a host of others, I'm not going to crank on 'em. just get a survey. :)
 
#11 ·
Bardo...re: cored hulls.
My problem with them is for cruising to distant places and the difficulty of repairing such hulls should they be broached. Assuming you get a clean survey from a good surbeyor and don't do anything to let water in between the "sheets", I don't see any reason not to get one for US Coastal cruising.
The difficulty of surveying such a hull has been noted before so you might want to ask around about who the racing sailors use for surveys since most of those hulls are cored and you want someone with experience.
 
#12 ·
Bardo,
I have a 30 year old T-37 with partial coring and have owned the boat for twelve years. I have not had a problem at all with the coring and have drilled a couple of thru holes for seacocks, the outer skin of glass is quite substantial and could stand on its own. I'm not sure if the T-33 shares the same fibreglass layup, but they are both S&S hull designs so they could.
As others have said, get a good survey and you'll be fine. If you have to do a repair on it, it's not technically difficult, but could be expensive if you get a yard to do the work. Good luck, sounds like you've found a great boat.
 
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