1984–1989 · designed by Al Mason (Alvin Mason) · built by Ta Shing Yacht Building Co. (Taiwan) — commissioned and imported by Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE), California
Small heavy-displacement offshore cruiser — the smallest member of the Al Mason / Ta Shing / PAE family. Practical Sailor describes her as "a moderate traditional design that harks back to the CCA handicapping rule of the 1960s... a modern full-keel hull, with a cut away forefoot and sharply turned bilges to reduce wetted surface." Same Pacific bluewater design philosophy as the Mason 43 and Mason 53 (seakindly motion, keel-hung rudder, heavy-laminate construction), scaled down to a couples-friendly platform. Masthead sloop rig — not a cutter (the Mason 43 is the cutter; the 33 is a sloop). Designed for tropical cruising and credible offshore passagemaking in a manageable hull size; not a coastal racer.
This is a general read on the Mason 33 class — informed
background, not a verdict on any individual boat. Condition, refit history,
and how a particular hull was sailed and stored matter far more than class
reputation. Use it to know what to look for; for a read on a specific
listing, run a free FairKeel report on that boat.
At a glance
LOA
33' 9"
Beam
10' 10"
Draft
5' 5"
Hull form
Full Keel
Ballast type
Encapsulated Iron
Rudder
Keel Hung
Mast step
Keel Stepped
Hull construction
Fiberglass
Production
1984–1989
Built in
Taiwan
What the Mason 33 is known for
Ta Shing build quality — the same yard that built the Mason 43 and Mason 53 (and many of the most-respected Taiwan-built bluewater hulls of the era). Ta Shing's reputation for hull lamination and teak joinery is class-defining. Practical Sailor's verdict: "we can find little about her we don't like."
Heavier-than-normal solid fiberglass laminate with four full-length longitudinal stringers + isophthalic resin (less blister-prone than ortho resins of the era) — Practical Sailor highlights these as differentiators that put the 33 above typical 1980s production construction.
Full-keel offshore credibility in a single-hand-friendly size. The 33 ft size class is materially easier to manage solo than the 43, while preserving the seakindly motion + bluewater pedigree of the Mason design family.
Strong owner community via Mason Yacht Owners group + the PAE/Mason owners site (mason-sailboats.org) — shared with the Mason 43 and Mason 53 owner base. Institutional knowledge of class-specific issues is well-shared across the family.
Known trade-offs
Limited interior volume for sustained liveaboard. The Mason 33 is a passagemaker first, liveaboard second — couples planning multi-year tropical cruising should weigh the tankage + storage constraints against the larger Mason 43.
Smaller fuel (35 gal) and water (65 gal in two tanks) capacity than the Mason 43 — meaningful range limit for offshore passage planning. Tankage upgrades are possible but the hull form constrains how much extra capacity can be added.
Two-blade prop "hammering" vibration under power — inherent to the full-keel/attached-rudder hull form per Practical Sailor. Three-blade props eliminate the hammering but trade off light-air sailing performance. PAE recommended owners carry both and swap before long passages.
Below-WL access for through-hull replacement requires cabin sole or settee removal, same as the Mason 43, but compounded by the tighter interior working volume. Labour multiplier (1.5-2.0x) for any below-WL work applies here too.
Not a windward performer — outboard shrouds + full-keel hull form mean she does her best with wind ahead of the beam through broad reach. Practical Sailor: "she rolls a lot dead downwind in heavy air."
No permanent swim-ladder mount possible — traditional transom slope rules out the conventional transom mount, and no side-gate solution has been devised. The teak ladder PAE sells is a stow-and-deploy option. Minor but a real liveaboard friction point.
Age-related quirks to expect
Stress cracking at the deadwood-to-hull rounding by year 35-45 (NOT a keel stub — this hull has no fin-keel stub; the relevant zone is the deadwood-to-hull rounding on the full-keel hull)severity: Mediumaffects: all (age-driven)
Engine progression — early hulls (~1984-86) came with 21hp Westerbeke diesel; later hulls upgraded to 27hp Yanmar three-cylinder. Many hulls now repowered (Beta Marine 25-30 is the common owner pattern).severity: Mediumaffects: 1984-1989
Encapsulated iron ballast (5,320 lbs, in two pieces taped into the hull molding) — Practical Sailor notes "Americans are more accustomed to lead keels...but iron interior keels are fairly common in the Oriental boats, and we don't hear of many problems." Inspect for keel-sump water + rust signs.severity: Lowaffects: all (architectural)
Optional teak deck overlay (where fitted) reaching end-of-life by year 30-40 — not all Mason 33s have teak decks; verify per hull.severity: Highaffects: hulls fitted with optional teak overlay
Original aluminum fuel tank (35 gal capacity) — age-related pitting + leak risk at 35+ yearsseverity: Mediumaffects: 1984-1989
Original 1980s bronze fittings on a 35-40 year-old full-keel hull. Practical Sailor notes the hull is reinforced in the way of seacocks and each through-hull is identified with a nameplate. Access constraints similar to the Mason 43 — cabin sole or settee removal often required for the deeper bilge fittings, with the labour multiplier compounded by the smaller interior working volume.
Original wire + tangs typically due at 25-30 years. Chainplates on the Mason 33 are bolted through teak-clad bulkheads (same Ta Shing pattern as the 43) — leak paths around chainplates often hidden behind joinery. Mast is keel-stepped, so mast-step bilge water history matters. Outboard shrouds spread the rig load wide on the deck — inspect deck-edge tie-down hardware carefully.
Engine (early 21hp Westerbeke vs. later 27hp Yanmar 3-cyl vs. repower)priority: offshore, coastal, liveaboard
Practical Sailor verifies the 21hp Westerbeke on early hulls and 27hp Yanmar three-cylinder on later hulls. The 21hp is "probably near the minimum size for the American market" per PS — adequate for offshore work but light on reserve. Many Mason 33s have been repowered with Beta Marine 25-30 or modern Yanmar equivalents; a repowered hull is a meaningful value-add. An original engine at 35-40 years should be assumed near end-of-life unless service records prove otherwise.
Rudder bearing + keel-rudder hinge hardwarepriority: offshore, coastal
Keel-hung rudder (Practical Sailor: "long keel/attached rudder") hardware wears over decades of offshore use. Service interval is class-known; lift-out inspection of the rudder bearing and the keel-rudder hinge points should be on any pre-purchase survey scope for a 35+ year-old hull.
Inward-turning hull flange with deck resting on top, fastened with through-bolts under stainless flat-bar washers (every other bolt also penetrates the teak toerail). Practical Sailor notes "the only complaint we have heard about the older Masons was some leaking in the hull-to-deck joint, but it's hard to see how the joint could leak on the 33" — the 33's joint design is improved over earlier Mason hulls. Inspect for sealant degradation around genoa-track bolts + toerail bolts at age 35+.
How it fits your plans
Offshore
Designed for it at a smaller scale than the Mason 43. Full-keel motion + masthead sloop rig + heavy displacement (14,020 lbs on 25' 5" LWL) for the size class — credible Pacific / Caribbean platform for couples or single-handers who prefer a manageable hull over the 43's volume. Practical Sailor: "For someone wanting a serious blue water cruiser or a liveaboard boat in her size range, she is the logical choice."
Coastal
Overbuilt for coastal work but a forgiving and easy single-handing platform. Slower than fin-keel boats of the same LOA — windward work is not her forte (outboard shrouds, full-keel hull form). Best with wind slightly ahead of the beam through broad reach.
Liveaboard
Workable for a couple but materially tighter than the Mason 43. Smaller fuel + water tankage limits sustained tropical liveaboard range. Below-WL access constrained by the smaller interior working volume.
This guide is the class. A report is that hull. Paste the
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known about the Mason 33 — where the evidence is thin, the red flags worth
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boat suits the plans you describe in a few short questions.
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Other people's videos, not ours, and not endorsements — walkthroughs and
reviews of this class that are worth watching before you look at one in person.