Carter 33
OLYMPIC MARINE · Dick Carter · 1971
Updated
The Carter 33 is a 9.96 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Dick Carter and built by OLYMPIC MARINE, first launched in 1971. It races in Class C.
Length
9.96 m
32′ 8″
Beam
3.33 m
Draft
1.80 m
Displacement
4.7 t
Sail area
49 m²
On the podium
Where a Carter 33 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
9%
of 64 starts by 7 boats
Wins
2%
Read from 64 starts by 7 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Carter 33 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
AHEPA Cup Perama2026- Μέθανα2025
- "Αγκιστρι 2025"2025
- 42ος Ιστιοπλοικος Αγωνας Κορφος ΄252025
- "Ν. Σαρικαβαζη 2025"2025
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 4 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
7%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Carter 33 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Carter 33 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.38
40°
Beam reach
7.21
90°
Broad reach
7.77
135°
Downwind VMG
6.92
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is cracked off in moderate air, where it goes better than its measurements say it should. It holds that advantage on the beat as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Carter 33
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.77 | 3.86 | 4.29 | 4.38 |
| 52° | 4.28 | 5.70 | 6.21 | 6.36 |
| 60° | 4.53 | 5.92 | 6.40 | 6.59 |
| 75° | 4.69 | 6.10 | 6.61 | 6.94 |
| 90° | 4.59 | 6.15 | 6.75 | 7.21 |
| 110° | 4.66 | 6.30 | 6.99 | 7.66 |
| 120° | 4.49 | 6.23 | 6.99 | 7.82 |
| 135° | 4.05 | 5.92 | 6.81 | 7.77 |
| 150° | 3.52 | 5.37 | 6.47 | 7.42 |
| Run VMG | 3.04 | 4.66 | 5.86 | 6.92 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 450 kg.
Rigging
Carter 33 rig and sail dimensions
A Carter 33 carries 10.30 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.36 m boom, a forestay 11.91 m above the deck and a 4.31 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails