Yachting Monthly - November 2015

78 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com NOVEMBER 2015

USED BOAT TEST

The Moody Eclipse 33

was and still is highly

sought-after. Duncan

Kent looks at one to see why

Moody

Eclipse 33

Moody Eclipse 33 – Performance on test

Point

of sail

Apparent

wind

angle

Apparent

wind

speed

Boatspeed

Close-

hauled

38° 14-18 knots 4.2-4.8 knots

Fetch 60° 14-20 knots 6.0-7.3 knots

Beam

reach

90° 16-20 knots 6.4-7.2 knots

Broad

reach

120° 10-14 knots 4.4-4.7 knots

Run 180° 12-14 knots 4.0-4.3 knots

T

here can’t be many sailors who

haven’t looked jealously from a

tiny coachroof window, across a

storm-bound harbour towards

a deck saloon yacht. Her large

windows and warm crew all enjoying their

surroundings, while on board a ‘normal’

yacht, you could be anywhere – such is

the view from the saloon. I tracked down

Mi Amigo, a Mk1 Moody Eclipse 33 from

1988 (the year the model was launched) to

fi nd out what they are like to own.

The Eclipse range (33, 38 and 43) was

only produced for six years, but proved

to be highly popular. In total, 254 Eclipse

wind, where you can take your hands off

the wheel with the sails trimmed. She will

sail up to 38º or so off the apparent wind,

but any closer and she slows noticeably.

Rumour has it the bilge-keeler can slap a

lot in choppy seas, but I saw or heard none

of it during our test sail. In fact I was fairly

impressed with how well she held her

course, although in lighter airs she had a

tendency to wander off course a tad.

33s were built. A Mark II version was

produced post-1991, in which an Autohelm

autopilot replaced the inside steering

console and wheel.

Performance

Some have called the Eclipse 33 a

motorsailer, but the hull is basically

from the Moody 336, so its performance

under sail is not unreasonable, despite

the additional displacement from her

larger superstructure and higher centre of

gravity. What she could really do with is

more sail area for light-wind performance

and the easiest way to achieve that is to

get rid of the in-mast furling mainsail

and convert to slab reefi ng. Of course

this won’t concern most owners who, like

Mi Amigo’s owner, Geoff Elkins, bought

the Eclipse precisely because she is a

comfortable, stable and seaworthy deck

saloon yacht, not a racing machine.

Upwind she fi nds her groove and best

speeds at around 48º-50º off the apparent