J/33

Description

The J/33 (1988–1992) is a 33′6″ high-performance racer-cruiser that many experienced sailors quietly rank among the very best pure-sailing J/Boats ever built. At 10,800 lb displacement with 4,800 lb in a deep 7′0″ lead fin (or 5′8″ shoal), it carries 664 sq ft upwind on a tall fractional rig—delivering a blistering SA/D of ~28 and D/L around 145—numbers that made it an instant IMS and PHRF terror in the late 1980s and early ’90s, winning Key West Race Week overall, multiple North Americans, and distance races outright. The cockpit is huge and race-optimized (all lines aft, big wheel), yet below is a surprisingly comfortable two-cabin, one-head layout with full galley, nav station, and 6′2″ headroom—enough for real coastal cruising or a Bermuda trip. Built bullet-proof by TPI, it sails light on the helm, accelerates like a sportboat, and still planes into the mid-teens under spinnaker; PHRF 78–90 today. Only 52 hulls were produced in a short four-year run, giving the J/33 true cult-classic scarcity—clean examples now trade in the $65k–$110k range and are instantly snapped up by sailors who know it as one of the sweetest, fastest, and most balanced 30-something-footers J/Boats ever drew.