Dibley 33
2008 September 29
Racer-cruiser
Kevin Dibley always sends me beautiful packages of plans including full hull lines. I like hull lines. They give me a glimpse into the heart of the design and the designer. Plans are not boats but obviously plans can tell us a lot and you can't have the boat without the plans. Well, most of the time. Plans can reflect the designer's passion for his work. I look at Kevin's stuff and I think that he must be enjoying every step of the design process.
The idea behind this new 33-footer is a fast boat that combines dinghylike performance with the capability of coastal and "semi-offshore" races. Oh, and while we are at it, let's make the boat fit into a 40-foot container for shipping. Now there's an idea that I like. Fitting into a container means that obviously beam and freeboard will have to be juggled to fit into the box. Topsides flare will be minimal and BWL will have to be at least relatively moderate to capture any form stability and interior volume. Kevin's 33 has a deep, lifting keel that draws 6 feet, 11 inches when down on the cruising model, and 7 feet, 6 inches on the racing model. Of course the keel and rudder are removed for shipping. There is a distinct hollow at the waterlines forward and the sections are quite arclike. Relative to the midsection the stern is broad. The D/L is 89 and the L/B is 4.01. Any boat with an L/B of 4.00 or better is a narrow boat in my book. The rudder is a "cassette" type that allows it to be easily removed and replaced for shipping.
I don't have any drawings for the cruising version interior but the racing interior is pretty simple. There are settee berths and quarterberths port and starboard and that's about it. I don't see any indication of a head or a galley in the racing version. What this boat lacks in the interior it makes up for by having a huge cockpit.
The rig looks kind of squatty but it's big enough on this 5,730-pound boat to give it an SA/D of 29.6 with the racing rig. The SA/D for the slightly heavier cruising version is 27.00. Note how far aft the mast is stepped in this design. Generally that would create some weather helm but in a narrow boat like this weather helm is seldom a problem. The spreaders are swept 21 degrees on this double spreader rig. You will need a "flicker" batten to spring the backstay free of the mainsail roach during tacks. The carbon fiber spar, designed by Chris Mitchell, is designed to split into two sections for shipping in the container.
This narrow and high-powered boat should be a lot of fun to sail. You could cruise New Zealand then have the boat shipped in a container to arrive pristine in Seattle for the fall racing series.
LOA 32'10"; LWL 31'2"; Beam 8'2"; Draft 7'6"; Displacement 5,730 lbs.; Ballast 2,002 lbs.; Sail area 593 sq. ft.; SA/D 39.6; D/L 89; L/B 4.01; Water 10 gals.
Dibley Marine, P.O. Box 46-167, Herne Bay, Aukland, New Zealand, 64-9-940-9745, www.dibleymarine.com.
OBE: $95,000
Our Best Estimate of the sailaway price
Kevin Dibley always sends me beautiful packages of plans including full hull lines. I like hull lines. They give me a glimpse into the heart of the design and the designer. Plans are not boats but obviously plans can tell us a lot and you can't have the boat without the plans. Well, most of the time. Plans can reflect the designer's passion for his work. I look at Kevin's stuff and I think that he must be enjoying every step of the design process.
The idea behind this new 33-footer is a fast boat that combines dinghylike performance with the capability of coastal and "semi-offshore" races. Oh, and while we are at it, let's make the boat fit into a 40-foot container for shipping. Now there's an idea that I like. Fitting into a container means that obviously beam and freeboard will have to be juggled to fit into the box. Topsides flare will be minimal and BWL will have to be at least relatively moderate to capture any form stability and interior volume. Kevin's 33 has a deep, lifting keel that draws 6 feet, 11 inches when down on the cruising model, and 7 feet, 6 inches on the racing model. Of course the keel and rudder are removed for shipping. There is a distinct hollow at the waterlines forward and the sections are quite arclike. Relative to the midsection the stern is broad. The D/L is 89 and the L/B is 4.01. Any boat with an L/B of 4.00 or better is a narrow boat in my book. The rudder is a "cassette" type that allows it to be easily removed and replaced for shipping.
I don't have any drawings for the cruising version interior but the racing interior is pretty simple. There are settee berths and quarterberths port and starboard and that's about it. I don't see any indication of a head or a galley in the racing version. What this boat lacks in the interior it makes up for by having a huge cockpit.
The rig looks kind of squatty but it's big enough on this 5,730-pound boat to give it an SA/D of 29.6 with the racing rig. The SA/D for the slightly heavier cruising version is 27.00. Note how far aft the mast is stepped in this design. Generally that would create some weather helm but in a narrow boat like this weather helm is seldom a problem. The spreaders are swept 21 degrees on this double spreader rig. You will need a "flicker" batten to spring the backstay free of the mainsail roach during tacks. The carbon fiber spar, designed by Chris Mitchell, is designed to split into two sections for shipping in the container.
This narrow and high-powered boat should be a lot of fun to sail. You could cruise New Zealand then have the boat shipped in a container to arrive pristine in Seattle for the fall racing series.
LOA 32'10"; LWL 31'2"; Beam 8'2"; Draft 7'6"; Displacement 5,730 lbs.; Ballast 2,002 lbs.; Sail area 593 sq. ft.; SA/D 39.6; D/L 89; L/B 4.01; Water 10 gals.
Dibley Marine, P.O. Box 46-167, Herne Bay, Aukland, New Zealand, 64-9-940-9745, www.dibleymarine.com.
OBE: $95,000
Our Best Estimate of the sailaway price
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