33' Fantail Ketch

The Concept

This design was developed for cored fiberglass construction. The objective was to achieve a quickly and easily built mould using flat panels. With cored fiberglass , the resulting structure will be light yet very stiff. A steel keel box will contain ballast, along with a ballasted foil shaped centerboard for enhanced windward sailing.

The Hull Form

The images here reveal a nicely balanced spoon-bow, and fantail-stern. The single chine hull form was chosen on the basis of its simplicity, economy of construction and for top performance under sail. Hull surfaces are fully developable for maximum ease of mould building. The after-deck is raised in order to give more storage room in the lazarette as well as more leg room for quarter berths. The main benefit to the raised afterdeck is increased reserve buoyancy aft for a much more dry experience at sea...!

Particulars are:

33' LOA

27.44' LWL

10' Beam

3.3' Draft. Board Up

4.5' Draft, Board Down.

With a design displacement of 11,600 lb, the Fantail 33 is quite light, having a displacement to length of only 250. With ample sail area, sailing speed potential is predicted to be around 8 knots, which is well over the usual theoretical hull speed limit of 7 knots.

The Rig

The ketch rig works well for ocean cruising and provides a generous sail area. The mizzen mast provides a good hand-hold when emerging from the companionway. The mizzen mast serves as the compass binnacle, and an awning can be spread over the mizzen boom for shelter.

The ketch rig provides a number of well-balanced sail combinations. The main and the stays'l when used alone have nearly the same balance as the whole sail plan, and will allow easy tacking in close quarters. The boat will also tack easily with only the mains'l set. Another equally well balanced combination is just the mizzen and the jib, which allows the foredeck to be kept clear while deploying or stowing the ground tackle. One of the excellent benefits of the rig is the manageable size of the sails. The mains'l - the largest sail - is well inboard where it can be handled safely and easily.

33' Fantail Ketch Sail Plan & Interior - Kasten Marine Design, Inc.

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Interior Layout

The interior layout is shown in the image above. It is rather unusual in that the galley is placed forward where headroom is at its greatest, with the settees amidships where there is the most width available. There is 5' 10" standing headroom in the galley. Just forward of the galley is the head compartment, with wash basin and wand shower. Aft, the pilot house allows room for a pair of quarter berths to be tucked under the sides, which are placed immediately aft of the settees.

Just aft of the Pilot House is an engine space, tucked below the bridge deck and below the cockpit. The shaft line makes use of a "V" drive. In this way, the engine is kept out of the way, allowing plenty of room in the pilot house. Inside the pilot house is a seat to one side of center, and a companionway ladder opposite. Outboard are a chart desk to one side and communications console opposite, both of which provide ample room for the quarter berths below.

In my view, a welcome change would be to move the galley aft in between the quarter berths and the settees, and to keep the head located right forward. Alternately, the interior layout could be similar to the 36' ketch Grace. Yet another option would be to use the interior of the 30' Pilgrim.

33' Fantail Ketch - Kasten Marine Design, Inc.

All Web Site Graphics, Layout, and Written Content at this Domain Created by Michael Kasten.
All Content Registered with US Library of Congress and US Copyright Office.

33' FANTAIL Ketch

The Concept

The Hull Form

The Rig

Interior Layout