Overview
The Ranger 33 is a Gary Mull racer-cruiser from Ranger Yachts in California, built from 1969 to 1978, with 464 built according to sailboatdata.com. Its place in this catalog rests on its ocean racing record: 5 different boats of the design have finished the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii or the Newport Bermuda Race in the official results.
Design and Construction
sailboatdata.com lists the underbody as fin with spade rudder, 33.17 ft overall on a 26.25 ft waterline, with 9.58 ft of beam and 5 ft of draft. Displacement is about 10,500 lb with 4,500 lb of ballast, and the masthead sloop carries about 529 sq ft. The hull is a solid fiberglass layup with the lead ballast encapsulated in the keel, so there are no keel bolts or keel joint. The deck is cored with plywood in early boats and balsa in later ones, and the hull and deck are joined with a through-bolted flange that incorporates the toerail. A fiberglass interior liner bonded to the hull stiffens the structure, which makes wiring and plumbing behind it hard to reach.
Ocean Racing Record
Mira (Jerry Hanser) finished the Pacific Cup (1980, 1984, 1986). Schuss Bunny (Robert Moeller) finished the Pacific Cup (1980). Aquila (Mike Lindsey) finished the Pacific Cup (1994). Diminished Capacity (Ted Morgan) finished the Pacific Cup (2000). Other finishers include Coquelicot.
Practical Sailor’s owner reports describe one negative sailing trait, a tendency to develop weather helm rapidly as she heels, and the flat-bottomed hull likes to be sailed on its feet. Good Old Boat’s reviewer sailed her to about 35 degrees apparent wind, found that footing off a little gave a noticeable speed gain, and found her best on a reach or close reach. The standard engine was the gasoline Atomic 4, with a 16-hp Universal diesel offered in the last three years of production. The mast is deck-stepped over a compression post, and Good Old Boat says the putty base under that post was too thin in some boats and the area depressed under the mast load, so the mast support deserves a careful survey.
