Nor'West 33
Description
The Nor'West 33 is a robust fiberglass cruising sailboat designed by Chuck Burns and built by Nor'West Yachts in the USA from 1978 to 1981. Approximately 18-19 units were produced, creating a small but dedicated following among bluewater enthusiasts. It features a fin keel for balanced performance and a masthead sloop rig for straightforward handling, blending speed with stability—capable of maintaining hull speed in 20-25 knots under jib alone. Known for its overbuilt construction (fiberglass hull with balsa-cored deck and lead ballast), it's well-suited for coastal and ocean passages, with owners reporting excellent heavy-weather resilience, including surviving hurricanes at sea. The interior feels spacious for its era: forward V-berth (double with pilot berth in later models), enclosed head, U-shaped galley, saloon with convertible settee to double berth, and aft nav station with quarter berth, sleeping 4-5 comfortably.
Construction Details
| Designer | Chuck Burns |
|---|---|
| Builder | Nor'West Yachts |
| Length | 33.000 ft |
| LOA | 33.500 ft |
| LWL | 25.000 ft |
| Beam | 10.000 ft |
| Displacement | 11500 lb |
| Ballast | 5300 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.750 ft |
| Year Built | 1978 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 41 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 14 ft |
| p | 35.50 ft |
| e | 13 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 ft | 14 ft | 35.50 ft | 13 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Nor'West 33 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 35.5 ft - (10820 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Leech | * 37.21 ft - (11342 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 37.38 ft - (11393 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 230.48 ft² |
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Nor'West 33 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 35.5 ft - (10820 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Leech | * 37.21 ft - (11342 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 37.38 ft - (11393 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 230.48 ft² |
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Nor'West 33 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 34.55 ft - (10531 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.41 ft - (6221 mm) |
| Leech | * 29.26 ft - (8918 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.25 ft - (5258 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 297.94 ft² |
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Nor'West 33 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 34.66 ft - (10564 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18.75 ft - (5715 mm) |
| Leech | * 29.77 ft - (9074 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 16.1 ft - (4907 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 278.94 ft² |
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Nor'West 33 - GENOA
| Luff | * 41.03 ft - (12506 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.69 ft - (7526 mm) |
| Leech | * 38.19 ft - (11640 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 22.5 ft - (6858 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 461.55 ft² |
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Nor'West 33 - GENOA
| Luff | * 41.16 ft - (12546 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 22.79 ft - (6946 mm) |
| Leech | * 38.53 ft - (11744 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 432.16 ft² |
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Nor'West 33 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 41.03 ft - (12506 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Foot | * 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 941.64 ft² |
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Nor'West 33 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 41.16 ft - (12546 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 25.2 ft - (7681 mm) |
| Foot | * 25.2 ft - (7681 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 881.65 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.