Hunter 33
Built 1977–? by Hunter Marine
About the Hunter 33
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1977–?
- Builder
- Hunter Marine
- Designer
- John Cherubini
- Length
- 32.67 ft
- Waterline
- 27.08 ft
- Beam
- 10.17 ft
- Draft
- 5.25 ft
- Displacement
- 10,600 lb
- Ballast
- 4,100 lb
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 22 gal
- Water
- 40 gal
- Water heater
- AC · standard
- Stern thruster
- not fitted
- Steering
- pedestal cable · Yacht Specialties
Tank capacities — where the figures come from
-
Fuel 22 gal
“22 gal” — spec database (1977-1983), hunter.sailboatowners.comThe only source is the member-edited HunterOwners spec table for the 1977–83 Cherubini 33. An owner on the SailboatOwners forum says a 19 gal replacement was slightly smaller than the original aluminium tank, which fits; a 1977 for-sale post quotes 15 gal for one boat.
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Water 40 gal
“40” — spec database (1977-1983), hunter.sailboatowners.comThe HunterOwners spec table gives 40, with no unit written but gallons implied. A 1977 for-sale post quotes 50 gal for one boat, possibly altered. Hunter's 1982 brochure has a Hunter 33 column in its tank table, but those shaded cells can't be read in either copy (a black-and-white scan and a low-resolution colour scan).
-
Holding unknown
The builder's Hunter 33 plumbing diagram lists a 'holding bag' (flexible tank) but gives no size.
-
Water heater AC · standard
“Hot and cold pressure water system (standard; marked for the 33 in the standard-equipment table)” — brochure (1982), sbo.sailboatowners.com · “Water heater (Hunter 33 plumbing diagram legend); 14/3 marine power cable to outlets/water heater (AC wiring diagram)” — owner's manual, sbo.sailboatowners.com · “existing heater ... does not have a heat exchanger (owner of a 1981 Hunter 33)” — search excerpt (1981), forums.sailboatowners.comCapacity not stated. The 1982 standard-equipment table marks hot and cold pressure water standard on the 33, and the original owner's-manual drawings show a water heater on the 110 V AC circuit. One owner of a 1981 boat reported the original heater had no engine heat exchanger.
Tanks are often replaced or added on older boats — check the tank labels or a survey for yours.
Thrusters and steering — where this comes from
-
Bow thruster unknown
The 1982 Hunter standard-equipment table lists no thruster; no option list or other source was found.
-
Stern thruster not fitted
Our earlier figure of none has no source, and nothing was found either way.
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Steering pedestal cable · Yacht Specialties
“auxiliary cruisers, sizes range from 27 to 37-feet, all with reliable diesel power, pedestal steering” — brochure (1982), sbo.sailboatowners.com · “Hunter models that have pedestal steering should undergo periodic visual inspection of cables and pulleys. These cables” — owner's manual, sbo.sailboatowners.com · “Hunter 33 (1981) Steering ... Merriman / Yacht Specialties Pedestal Control Head” — owners' association (1981), shop.hunterowners.com · “have any of you hunter cherubini owners removed your y/s pedestal for a edson pedestal?” — search excerpt, forums.sailboatowners.comThe 1982 Hunter brochure and standard-equipment table make pedestal wheel steering standard. Hunter's owner's manual of the period, covering all its pedestal-steered models, gives the cable-and-quadrant mechanism (no drawing for the 33 was found). The HunterOwners parts store lists Yacht Specialties (Merriman) pedestal parts for the 1981 Hunter 33.
Thrusters and steering are often replaced — check the units on your boat before ordering parts.
Fin keel with spade rudder (sailboatdata); 4.0 ft shoal draft optional. Keel-stepped mast (unlike the deck-stepped 34). Sailboatdata lists no last-built year; an owners-site download is labeled 1977-83 but that was not confirmed. Original engine not stated in sources read. Tall-rig mainsail mentioned by owners. Hull laminate (solid or cored) not stated in sources read; decks are balsa-cored per owners.
Engines fitted
-
Yanmar 2QM15 — diesel, single
standard
Owners of 1980 and 1981 Hunter 33s report the Yanmar 2QM15 as their engine; hp not stated in the sources read. Engine for 1977-79 boats not confirmed.Sources: cruisersforum.com · sailboatlistings.com · facebook.com
Generator
No generator in the 1982 standard-equipment table or the owner's-manual drawings.
Manuals and brochures online
- Document Hunter Cherubini 30 and 33 drawings from the original Hunter owner's manual (spec pages, plumbing and wiring diagrams) (1977-1983) — sbo.sailboatowners.com
- Brochure 1982 Hunter sales brochure '27 30 33 36 37 - The Affordable Fantasy' (1982) — sbo.sailboatowners.com
Hosted by the builder or an owners' association; they own the copyright.
Known problems for this model
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Wet balsa-cored decks deck
Owners say Cherubini-era Hunter decks are balsa-cored, and leaks at badly bedded stanchions or the mast let water spread through the core. Soft decks are common unless the deck has been redone.cruisersforum.com
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Severe osmotic blistering hull
One owner reported Hunters of this era (their own were Hunter 30s) with blisters running right through the laminate; survey the bottom carefully.sailnet.com
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Engine mounts wrong hardness engine
A former owner of a 1982 H33 reported engine mount problems and thought the rubber mounts were the wrong hardness and needed replacing.sailnet.com
Own a Hunter 33? Add her to your boats, then share a photo — names, numbers and faces are blurred before it appears.
Other Hunter models
- Hunter 27 1975–1984
- Hunter 30 1973–1983
- Hunter 336 1995–?
- Hunter 34 1983–1987
- Hunter 356 2000–?
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.