Review of Hobie 33

Basic specs.

The Hobie 33 is a sailboat designed by the maritime architect Hobie Alter together with Phil Edwards in the early eighties. Less than 200 boats have been built. The Hobie 33 is built by the American yard Hobie.

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Keel

The Hobie 33 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

The Hobie 33 is built with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

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.

Drop keel

The Hobie 33 is built with a drop keel. A drop keel is a lifting keel that can be lowered and raised vertically, allowing the boat to enter shallow waters.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.56 - 0.66 meter (1.84 - 2.14 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Hobie 33 is 2.02, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.4 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.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Hobie 33 is about 152 kg/cm, alternatively 851 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 152 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 851 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Hobie 33 is 12.3.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 3% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Hobie 33 is 4.12.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 99% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more speedy hull design. This type of design is also referred to as 'needle'.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Hobie 33 is 45%.

This ballast ratio is higher than 69% of all similar sailboat designs. Since the ballast ratio and the righting moment (i.e. better ability to resist heeling) is strongly correlated, a ballast ratio just above average indicates an ability to resist heeling above average.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Hobie 33 is 63 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

98% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

Over- / underrigged

The Hobie 33 has more rig than 100% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 29m² (312 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.

Rig

Dimensions of sail.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

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.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	28.0 m	(91.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	28.0 m	(91.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	28.0 m	(91.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet	10.1 m	(33.0 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	10.1 m	(33.0 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	25.2 m	(82.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	22.1 m	(72.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Cunningham	3.8 m	(12.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap	7.6 m	(25.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul	7.6 m	(25.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)

Keel Inspection

Keels with moving parts need to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis according to advice given in owner's manual. Manufacturers usually advise which maintenance work can be done by the owner and which work should be carried out by a suitably experienced boatyard.

Boat owner's ideas

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.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Hobie 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.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.