Review of Westerly 33

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The boat is equipped with 2 cabins, 5-7 berths, a galley, 170.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

Rig of Westerly 33 anno 1979.

The boat has more than one rig.

One option is a ketch rig. A ketch rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a ketch allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.

Another option is a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

The Westerly 33 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

The Westerly 33 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.

Westerly 33 can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.65 - 1.75 meter (5.41 - 5.71 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Unknown keel type

This keel is also made of iron.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.65 - 1.75 meter (5.41 - 5.71 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The Westerly 33 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Mercedes-Benz OM 636 diesel engine at 42 hp (31 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.8 knots

Alternative 2:

Westerly 33 may be equipped with an inboard Beta B -35 diesel engine at 35 hp (26 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.2 knots

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

The fuel tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 132.0 liters (34 US gallons, 29 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Westerly 33 is 1.84, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Westerly 33 is about 197 kg/cm, alternatively 1104 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 197 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1104 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Westerly 33 is 29.7.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Westerly 33 is 2.98.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Westerly 33 is 42%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Westerly 33 is 279 which categorizes this boat among 'medium weight cruisers'.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)
Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind:
- Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15
- Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20
- Racers have ratios above 20
- High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24
Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 14.26

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 33m² (355 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Westerly 33 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.