SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

30 vs 33

6K views 29 replies 12 participants last post by  ltgoshen 
#1 ·
Anyone got a comparison of a mid-70s 30 vs a similar vintage 33? Other than 3 feet obviously :)
 
#3 ·
I'm not sure what kind of info you're looking for. Try these for the standard (non-shoal keel):

30': C&C 30-1 (1-506) sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

33': C&C 33 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

The line drawings might give you some insight into the layouts, and the dimensions are all there for comparison purposes. Even with the line drawings, I still have trouble envisioning the boat sometimes, so I find this site helps:
C&C Sailboat Photo Gallery

You can also search Yachtworld or Sailboatlistings to get additional pictures.
 
#7 ·
Flickr: kitfox_C&C's Photostream <--- that one? Nice looking boat, I wonder if she still looks that clean 2.5 years after the photos were taken? she actually ticks a lot of boxes, not white (although I am not ruling out white boats!), and that nice red velour interior, all I need is a pipe, smoking jacket and a couple of lovelies shimmying round the mast and that's the perfect interior :D
The 33 certainly has beautiful lines, one of C&C's most attractive designs I think.
 
#8 ·
Agree... very pretty, classic C&C. I think at a dollar for dollar level I'd go for the 33 if you've got space for it. Very high row-away factor, it's gotta be a more powerful boat than a 30 and has a much larger cockpit.. half the length difference is probably right there.

V-drives are a bit of a PITA though.....
 
#9 ·
Hey Paul,
I agree, the 33 footers' lines are eye candy and just scream C&C.
I hadn't noticed the date stamp on the photos but yah 2 1/2 years can be a lifetime when it comes to boats. Still a good looking tub though. I see some water stains on the wood but it looks pretty clean otherwise, espiecially the motor.
As far as the regatta goes check out this link, Canoe Bay Sailing Club, Sidney B.C.
There are not a lot of boats registered yet, but it's a pretty layed back bunch of guys we sail wiith and some people just show up on the day. It would be nice to catch all three races but that will depend on how my hand feels.
 
#16 ·
FWIW I thought the thread was about mid-70s 33s, which would mean Mark I, the vessel in that picture is not a Mark I. Aside from differences in bottom and keel shapes, the Mark I did not have floor boards. Yes to a C&C Mark II. The Mark I's, in both the 30 and 33 were fairly indestructible hulls.
 
#13 ·
The damage itself is evidence that it has been run aground. Bent rudder, loose and out of plumb keel, what else do you need to know. Any actual impact damage can be easily filled and painted.
 
#14 ·
I've owned a 30 and sailed over 30 years on a friend's 33.

Both are sweet boats.

I preferred the 30, the reason I bought one. The primary reason is that the 30 has a more useable interior. The 33 has a sloping foredeck that removes the headroom forward of the mast, and the head is open to the v bearth. Having cruised both boats, I consider the 30 to be more liveable.

Secondly, over years of PHRF racing the several 30s in the fleet would consistently beat the several 33s, period, boat for boat. Not always, but regularly. Occasionally when the class breaks had the 33's starting 10 minutes earlier, on a breezy day the 30s would still beat them.
 
#18 ·
Like the poster above, I own a 30 and compete frequently against a 33, both Mark 1, mid 70s. He and I swap the club season trophy back and forth between us. I think we've monopolized it for the past 10 years. Our only real competition is a same vintage C&C 38. I think the 33 has nicer lines, the 30 looks chopped off in the stern. Interior is about a toss-up but the 33 has a quarter berth which is a plus. He can reliably outpoint me by 5 degrees but his tracks are located farther inboard than mine and I think that makes the difference. I don't think you could go wrong with either boat. Both are quintessential C&Cs. Agree the V drive is a pain- the stuffing box is unreachable.
 
#20 ·
I think the 30 is the stiffer of the two; my best shot at beating the 33 is in the nasty stuff, but the 33 also loves to sail when the wind and waves are up. Personally, if I had the choice between the two boats in equal condition I'd take the 33. That said, I love my 30.
 
#21 ·
The 30 Mark I well earns its reputation as the stiffest C&C design. My personal experience racing the 30 Mark I, was that in 18 knots of beeze or more, the 30 Mark I performed well above its rating, and we would frequently beat many of the bigger boats that started 10 minutes ahead of us across the finish line. The magic of the design is that it also sailed to its rating from 6 and up...

That said, the 33 Mark I does have sexier look and is a sweet boat in any regards.
 
#22 ·
Paul,
I would never try to talk anyone out of a C&C-- they're really great boats. However, I would make one qualifying statement based on my own experience. The 70's vintages (and the later ones for the most part) don't adapt well to dodgers and biminis. They weren't meant to. You won't see many C&Cs of any vintage carrying canvas.
On the 30 Mk 1 the boom is so low over the companionway that fitting a dodger is problematic- it has to be made so low that it's not very usable. Likewise, biminis have to be made very short to clear the boom. The Mark 2 is better because they raised the boom about a foot.
For all its good qualities, my wife really doesn't like the boat because of the lack of shade and wind protection. If that's an important feature for you or your wife, you may be better off looking at other boats. For something of comparable quality and feel that tends more toward the cruising side of cruiser/racer, look at the CS.
 
#23 ·
Yep, main problem is the only CS30 listed anywhere around here is at $40k, and that is a long way out of my budget (at the moment all boats are out of my budget on account of still having Tangerine :D). I've looked at a couple of C&C30s with dodgers, one was a late model Mk1 where the boom was also raised a foot so the dodger was actually pretty decent.
 
#25 ·
I mentioned it on another thread too, but check out a Yankee 30. It's a very stiff 30 footer, they fit a dodger, and around here (at least on the south side of the border) they are about as common as a C&C 30. They are faster too.

Neither worked for me in the end since they are missing a quarterberth. Another downside is that most either have an Atomic 4 (also common in C&C 30s) or an obscure diesel.

Islander 30 should be about as stiff as the C&C and is also really common and does have the quarterberth.

I found that my wife hates unexpected boat movement (so it's motion in heavy water) more than a lot of heel. The Pearson heels quickly before stiffening up and that usually works pretty well for us. The extra weight still makes my Pearson get blown around a lot more (especially with following seas) than my friends Yankee 30.

The Yankee 30 is a really heavy boat, but it has a lot of sail area to match it. That's why it can be fast and very stiff. Most of the weight is in the keel, it's B/D is a lot higher than the C&C 30, which is already higher than many similar boats.

The Tartan 30 is also a lot like the Yankee 30 (both are S&S designs), though with a bit more beam and B/D that is like the C&C 30.
 
#26 ·
I've seen a few adverts for the Yankee, looks a nice boat, not as pretty as the C&C, would have to see one in person to get a better idea of the layout below as well. Not very common round here, closest one is Seattle which is a good trek for me.
 
#27 ·
This is where sailboatdata could really use a "find boats like this one" feature (that sorted based on B/D, SA/D, etc). I'm certain that there are other common enough PNW boats with a design similar to what you are looking for, but finding them one at a time isn't as easy as it should be.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top