Like most situations, this is entirely dependent on what you intend to
do. A buddy of mine owned a Ranger 33 and loved it, but curiously
moved to a 40' steel ketch after a year. He lived aboard the Ranger
and found it simply too confining. He's 6'3", so that may have been
the issue.

The Ranger is a great coastal/lake boat. Fast and points higher than a
Wetsnail. I own a Viking 33, a similar if slightly "racier" boat of
the same era.

I would no doubt love a Ranger 33, but would I take one world
cruising? No. Too tender, not enough stowage, and just not bulletproof
enough for me to consider taking offshore. Great weekender, however,
club racers, and coastal/Great Lakes boats. They are older boats,
however, and usually need work if they've seen hard action.

Westsail 32s, however, can and do regularly go around the world. Not
overly quickly, mind you, but frequently single-handedly. Along with
Contessas, Bristol Cutters, steel full keelers and a few other
sea-tested designs, the Westsail 32 is proven. Newer, faster fin
keelers might be better overall, but they cost half a million bucks,
don't they?

Check out Ferenc Mate's books on how to creatively retrofit Westsails
and similar designs.

By the way, the sailboat in "The Perfect Storm" was a Westsail 32. In
real life, the real boat ended up on a Maryland beach, was hauled off
by the owner and some volunteers, and, cosmetic damage aside, sailed
off with little problems. It's been sold and continues to sail today.

I don't think anyone's going to say that about a Ranger 33 (or my
boat, either), because Ranger 33s might survive The Perfect Storm, but
their crews probably wouldn't.

My .02

R.

On 07 Aug 2003 23:04:00 GMT, (MLapla4120) wrote:

Hi,
I currently own a Westsail 32 and have been doing alot on it to improve it
and getting it ready for cruising. Recently, I read a kind of 'rave' article
about
the Ranger 33 in Latitude 38. That's a free sail mag here in the Bay Area of
San Francisco. Then, I went on www.yachtworld.com to see what the prices
were for these boats. I was amazed at how cheap they are. At least compared
to Westsails.
I know they are different types of boats, etc. The westsail is a heavy
displacement double-ender.
What I was thinking was getting out of the Westsail and into a Ranger
that was well-equipped, had a recent paint, and newer motor. The Westsail
I own needs new standing rigging, mast restepping with new paint and
reinforcement beam in the cabin. The engine is old.
What would I be giving up? I paid $37,000 for the westsail 32 and have
put in about $10,000 so far. The Ranger 33's I saw were going for about
16-22 grand, and some of them seem to be in good shape and well-maintained.
I would like to cruise and live-aboard in the future.

Thanks in advance,
Mark