I'm curious about the opinions of others comparing these two boats. First the numbers per sailboatdata.com:
Tartan 33: Cal 33:
LOA: 33'8" LOA: 33'0'
LWL: 28'10" LWL: 27'6"
Disp: 10,000 Disp: 10,800
Ballast: 4,400 Ballast: 4,750
Draft: 4'5" Draft: 4'8"
SA: 531 sqft SA: 555 sqft
SA/Disp: 18.41 SA/Disp: 18.24
Beam: 11' Beam: 11'4"
There is good information on the Tartan 33 available including reviews in Practical Sailor as well as a review by an owner (Tartans in the Middle by J.R. Smith).
There is much less information on the Cal 33 of this vintage. This is a Raymond Hunt rather than Bill Lapworth design.
Some posters from 2003 indicated the Cal 33 may be a good light to moderate air sailor, but may not be good in heavy weather. The reason why was not clear. By contrast, the Tartan 33 is a boat that if in proper condition was considered by Sparkman and Stephens to be offshore capable (and thus capable of heavy weather sailing). Given the review of the numbers above, these boats appear to be very similar. So what would account the different view of these boats abilities over the variety of sailing conditions? Misperception? Some other important difference between the two boats?
Does build quality enter into the picture? I know Jeff H made a post in 2003 indicating that the 1980's was not the best time for build quality for Cal without specifically referencing the Cal 33. Anyone able to elaborate more on the build quality issues of the 1980's Cals?
Tartan 33: Cal 33:
LOA: 33'8" LOA: 33'0'
LWL: 28'10" LWL: 27'6"
Disp: 10,000 Disp: 10,800
Ballast: 4,400 Ballast: 4,750
Draft: 4'5" Draft: 4'8"
SA: 531 sqft SA: 555 sqft
SA/Disp: 18.41 SA/Disp: 18.24
Beam: 11' Beam: 11'4"
There is good information on the Tartan 33 available including reviews in Practical Sailor as well as a review by an owner (Tartans in the Middle by J.R. Smith).
There is much less information on the Cal 33 of this vintage. This is a Raymond Hunt rather than Bill Lapworth design.
Some posters from 2003 indicated the Cal 33 may be a good light to moderate air sailor, but may not be good in heavy weather. The reason why was not clear. By contrast, the Tartan 33 is a boat that if in proper condition was considered by Sparkman and Stephens to be offshore capable (and thus capable of heavy weather sailing). Given the review of the numbers above, these boats appear to be very similar. So what would account the different view of these boats abilities over the variety of sailing conditions? Misperception? Some other important difference between the two boats?
Does build quality enter into the picture? I know Jeff H made a post in 2003 indicating that the 1980's was not the best time for build quality for Cal without specifically referencing the Cal 33. Anyone able to elaborate more on the build quality issues of the 1980's Cals?