The Soverel 33 is a really good boat. They were fast in a wide range of conditions and reasonably easy to sail at close to speed. Around here they sail to their ratings and for a boat with a very good racing potential have nice interiors. That said their interiors are not what "serious crusiers" would call a cruising interior. In otherwords its a nice layout for coastal stuff but not so good foe anything more extended.
They are very good light air boats and can be handled by fairly small crews. They are not a "family cruiser" and so may not be the right boat for a "young family". They take some skill to really handle them easily.
Some things to be aware of, they were built in three locations and by three different builders. The original Soverels were tough but somewhat crudely assembled and were supossedly a little over design weight. Olsen was hired to produce them on contract and they built a dozen boats. Olsen considered the molds and general details to "not be up to snuff" and completely retooled these boats. These are extremely well built and nicely detailed. Lastly, Tartan built the majority of the S-33''s. They simplifi4ed construction from the Olsen and changed some significant engineering. As a result their shrouds have a tendency to cut through the deck over time, slicing through the deck and dropping the
rig. They is a fix for that but if you are looking at a Tartan build boat you need to find out if the fix was done.
I have always liked the boats. They were quite expensive initially but I think they have settled in at a reasonable price and that price should remain stabile in the Low $20k range and seem to have bottomed out and may be creeping up again like the Laser 28''s have done.
Regards
Jeff
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