Westerly 33

BoatsWesterly 33

See her sail

The Westerly 33, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Wildling Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 30 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 30

CoastalBluewater

1.84 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.84

LightHeavy

277 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 277

EasygoingPowered-up

14.3 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.3

TenderStiff

42% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 42%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

Heavier than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2903 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Westerly 33, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Westerly 33 is a masthead sloop designed by Laurent Giles and built by Westerly Yachts Ltd. from 1977 to 1985, offered with fin or bilge keels and sloop or ketch rigs. It has an LOA of 10.1 meters, a beam of 3.4 meters, and a draft of 1.7 meters, displacing 6505 kg. Initially available in both aft and center cockpit configurations, the aft cockpit version was renamed the Discus 33 in 1979, with the Westerly 33 designation reserved for the center cockpit model. Aboard Wildling Sailing, a Westerly 33 was part of a fleet sailing a 70-mile passage from Italy to Corfu, Greece, encountering light winds and 28-knot gusts.19:37

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

42.2%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

14.3

Displacement / length

277.1

Comfort ratio

29.8

Capsize screening

1.84

Hull speed

7.2 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1136

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/rudder on partial skeg

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Cast Iron

Production

Years built

1977–1985

Units built

235

Designer

Laurent Giles, Jack Laurent Giles

Builder

Westerly Yachts Ltd

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Westerly Yachts Ltd. Discus 3310.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn aft-cockpit evolution of the Westerly 33, featuring a masthead rig and the choice of fin or twin keels

This Is What Sailing Hawaii Actually Looks Like | Hilo to Honolulu from Sailing Sea Dream of Clyde

Rival 3410.36 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 1972 masthead sloop with a 39% ballast ratio, designed for offshore stability and a steady 6.68-knot hull speed

"Inside The Sailmakers Workshop - Learning From a PRO"from The Sailing Brothers

Moody 3410.19 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1980s mid-sized cruiser with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for stability and predictable handling in coastal waters

Moody or Beneteau? - Episode 122 - Lady K Sailing10:36 from Lady K Sailing

Hunter Marine 339.96 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 1977 masthead sloop with a 38% ballast ratio, designed for stability and coastal performance

Why is THIS SAILBOAT so CHEAP?!3:08 from Practical Sailor

Beneteau 3410.34 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 2008 production cruiser featuring a modern fin-and-bulb hull and a 7.42-knot hull speed for efficient coastal sailing

Stefano Gigli’s sailing adventure11:47 from Podcast Maré Sonora ®

King's Cruiser 3310.26 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Pelle Pettersson-designed masthead sloop featuring a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for stable, classic cruising

Day 4: They don't tell you this! 💀 The WORST thing about reviving a sailboat alone1:31 from Piratas Aderiva

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Westerly Yachts Ltd. Discus 33An aft-cockpit evolution of the Westerly 33, featuring a masthead rig and the choice of fin or twin keels Westerly Marine Ltd. Ocean 33The final model built by Westerly in the UK, this Ed Dubois-designed fractional sloop shares its molds with the GK35 Westerly 28A John A. Butler-designed masthead sloop featuring a shallow 0.76m draft and a fin keel with a spade rudder Westerly 25A triple-keel masthead sloop with a shallow 0.76m draft, designed by company founder Denys Rayner for coastal cruising

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