SPECIFICATIONS
LOA 10.10m (33ft 1in) LWL 8.30m (27ft 3in) BEAM 3.30m (11ft 0in) DRAUGHT 1.75m (5ft 10in) DISPLACEMENT 4,600kg (10,128 lb) DESIGNER Rolf Magnusson BUILDER Börjesson Brothers, Sweden OWNERS ASSOCIATION Facebook group Drawing on the success of his desirable Albin Ballad, Swedish yacht designer Magnusson created the Scanmar 33 to be a fast yet spacious family cruising yacht. Her flat sheer and gently inclining coachroof lend her a purposeful yet more modern look than the more traditional Ballad design.
Built with a moderately deep, short fin keel and a stout, skeg-hung deep rudder, her underwater sections are reasonably shallow, giving her a good turn of speed off the wind but making her a little lively on a beat, despite her fine bows.
Her balsa-cored lay-up above the waterline results in a fairly light, easily driven hull, though substantial hull strengthening in the form of Grp-encapsulated foam stringers and floors, plus bonded-in bulkheads greatly reduce flexing in heavy seas.
She has a seven-eighths fractional sloop rig with a stout, keel-stepped, twin spreader mast but her original chain plates were weak and needed beefing up.
Below she is warm, woody and typically Swedish, with 1.83m (6ft-plus) headroom. Solid wood abounds, as do thick hardwood veneers on the bulkheads and lockers. The layout is very spacious for a 33ft boat with a generous beam carried far forward. Most notable, though, is the aft cabin, which boasts a spacious, full-width double berth.
The dinette is roomy enough for six to dine comfortably. The galley is also well appointed and opposite, by the foot of the companionway, is a decently sized heads compartment with a wet locker.
She has an adequate, aft-facing chart table with deep chart stowage, lockers beside and plenty of bulkhead for instrumentation. The end of the settee acts as a backless seat.
The cockpit is big, with plenty of comfortable seating. The full-width aft cabin eliminates the possibility of under-seat lockers, but this is compensated for by the large lazarette under the helm seat. She has a high bridge deck with the mainsheet track running along the after edge. They were all wheel-steered via a rod linkage system, which was light yet precise. The stout Lewmar primary winches are also within the helm’s reach, making single-handing easier.
Under sail she is fast and balanced with just a slight tendency to slam when pushed hard to windward in a seaway. Overall, the Scanmar is a pleasure to sail, plus she has more interior space and comfort than almost any 33ft cruiser of her era.
With a fairly shallow draught, she can be a bit lively hard on the wind