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Primary engine access is through a centerline saloon hatch just 1'3" wide. Inside, there's good engine access, even outboard and forward, where the standard 10-amp Charles battery charger lives, but no lights. Two battery switches and the main fuses are on a horizontal plywood panel that spans the catwalk, so you can reach them from above without entering the space.
At just over six feet long and with 6'8" headroom, the saloon is also well-proportioned. A partition that separates it from the galley-dinette area forward, a step down, holds the electrical distribution panel and a deep locker, while the TV resides in an aft-port cabinet. Big side windows, a full windshield, and the sliding glass door flood the room in light. Primary seating on our boat was a pair of starboard-side recliners. A sofa bed is optional and, with the four-person convertible dinette and V-berth, provides sleeping for six—assuming everyone is chummy.
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Although a step down, the port-side galley feels like part of the saloon and has abundant stowage, a large NovaKool refrigerator with separate freezer on the bottom, Corian counters, and a Kenmore Brew/Wave combination microwave/coffee maker. The wood here and elsewhere is the same cherry found on larger Carvers, and the composite-wood sole is the only area inside except for the head that is not carpeted.
It's two more steps down to the head-V-berth level. With 6'6" headroom and a separate shower, the former is big. That headroom is maintained as you enter the forward stateroom, although it dwindles to 2'6" at the forward end of the berth, so you could bump your head if you sat up quickly—again not uncommon on a 33-footer. Part of the reason that the berth is 3'4" off the sole is to make space for two drawers below. There's more stowage in port and starboard hanging lockers accented with cedar backs, and small cabinets on either side of the berth. A round hatch has an integral screen and shade. There is no mechanism for holding open the head or stateroom door.
Of course, one of a flying-bridge boat's most crucial areas is the bridge, here accessed by a wide, molded-in stairway. Placement of the helm console is key, and Carver takes no chances, offering two versions, one with the console aft and seating forward and the other the opposite. Ours was the former and functioned so well, the alternative seemed unnecessary.
This was just one of the factors that made the 33 fun to run. Others were a top speed of 30.5 mph and brisk acceleration. A bigger factor was a lack of tenderness, a characteristic common on what are basically tall, short boats. I can't comment on rough-water performance, as seas were flat on test day, but I did note significant bow rise in the midrange, requiring a touch of tab.
The 33 SS reminded me of that 32-footer Carver built back in the 1990's, but better finished, with a lot more standard equipment, and costing more, although maybe not adjusted for inflation. That's an accomplishment. Times change, but getting maximum boat out of minimal LOA is still what separates the winners from the losers in this category, and with the 33 SS, Carver proves it still has the knack.
Carver Yachts
(920) 822-1600
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This article originally appeared in the June 2005
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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