Polaris 33
POLIMAR · Ron Holland · 1978
Updated
The Polaris 33 is a 10.15 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Ron Holland and built by POLIMAR, first launched in 1978. It races in Class C.
Length
10.15 m
33′ 4″
Beam
3.33 m
Draft
1.92 m
Displacement
3.8 t
Sail area
57 m²
On the podium
Where a Polaris 33 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
10%
of 10 starts by 1 boat
Wins
10%
Read from 10 starts by 1 boat between 2021 and 2025, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Polaris 33 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Campionato Invernale del Sabato2025- Campionato di Primavera2025
- Campionato Invernale del Sabato2024
- Campionato Invernale del Sabato2023
- Campionato di Primavera2022
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
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Not enough data yet: 9 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 1 race over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Polaris 33 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
Cobra 33 (7 meetings), Dufour 382 (6 meetings), Centurion 40 (6 meetings), More 40 (6 meetings), Stag 38 (4 meetings), Oceanis 46.1 (4 meetings), Comet 12 (4 meetings), Rimar 44.3 (3 meetings), First 40 (3 meetings), Elan 333 (4 meetings), Elan 340 (3 meetings), Elan 40 (3 meetings), X-362 (3 meetings), Show 42 (3 meetings), Dufour 44 (2 meetings), First 375 (2 meetings), Comet 45 (2 meetings), First 34.7 (2 meetings), Bavaria 36 (2 meetings), First 31.7 (2 meetings), Dufour 40 (1 meeting), Oceanis 41.1 (1 meeting), X-442 (1 meeting), First 35 (Farr) (1 meeting), Vismara 40 (1 meeting), Farr 31 (1 meeting), Sly 42 (1 meeting), B&c 46 (1 meeting), Platu 25 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 40 (Paperini) (1 meeting), Xp 38 (1 meeting), Bonin 31 (1 meeting)
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
4.90
38°
Beam reach
7.66
90°
Broad reach
8.55
135°
Downwind VMG
7.47
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.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is to windward once the breeze fills, where it does more than its size and sail area promise. It holds that advantage on the run as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
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 downwind.
How fast is a Polaris 33
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.16 | 4.35 | 4.82 | 4.90 |
| 52° | 4.85 | 6.28 | 6.71 | 6.82 |
| 60° | 5.12 | 6.45 | 6.86 | 7.01 |
| 75° | 5.29 | 6.58 | 7.06 | 7.38 |
| 90° | 5.17 | 6.66 | 7.11 | 7.66 |
| 110° | 5.27 | 6.82 | 7.42 | 8.00 |
| 120° | 5.10 | 6.77 | 7.52 | 8.34 |
| 135° | 4.60 | 6.49 | 7.35 | 8.55 |
| 150° | 3.95 | 5.95 | 7.00 | 8.15 |
| Run VMG | 3.42 | 5.17 | 6.38 | 7.47 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 450 kg.
Rigging
Polaris 33 rig and sail dimensions
A Polaris 33 carries 11.15 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.30 m boom, a forestay 13.22 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails