The Sargo 33 is a versatile, hardy, good-sized fibreglass vessel that will take you
to your destination quickly and provide for your comfort when you arrive. Whether it’s a quick fishing trip in gnarly weather or a long weekend away exploring your favourite coastline, this Finnish 33-footer does the business.
The vessel’s design was born in a region of Finland where the locals are known to be tough, practical and inventive. This character is reflected in Sargo Boats which must be capable of handling a range of weather conditions, sea states and winter cold!
Fortunately, in New Zealand we don’t have to worry about Finland’s freezing temperatures but we do get some harsh sea conditions at times. If you’ve ever been in Cook Strait in the pitch black with a screaming northwesterly and a large sea state, you want to be sure your craft is reliable and above all safe.
The Sargo 33 is powered by twin Volvo D6-340 diesel engines with sterndrives. They are smooth and provide oodles of power. Cruising was comfortable at 28 knots and I gave her a squirt up to 37 knots. I had to back off the throttle since we had arrived at our destination – Mullet Cove on Motutapu Island. Top speed is specified as 43 knots, but there is a wide sweet spot between 26 and 31.5 knots where fuel consumption is 2.8 litres per nautical mile (lpnm) – it’s still only 2.9 lpnm at 34.5 knots. You certainly cover a lot of distance quickly at 30 knots – that’s 42 minutes Rangitoto lighthouse to Flat Rock out from Kawau Island! Great for a fishing trip.
The engines are accessed aft through the cockpit floor, which is hinged. Access to all the required service points on the engines is good from above. The engine compartment houses a 3.8Kw Fischer Panda genset while the sternlegs are visible through hatches in the duckboard. The rear/cockpit table stows away neatly, sliding under the cockpit floor.
Access to the boat on the marina is via a wide duckboard and stern door, or via a side door opposite the helm, which makes alighting quickly very easy when boating single handed. Access around the boat is good, via generous width side-decks with high bulwarks and black rails for security and safety.
The rear cockpit area is large with comfortable seating and
a removable teak table, the whole area covered by the cabin roof overhand (an optional add on). There’s plenty of shade from the sun and the option of plastic clears all round to shelter from wind and rain.
I must say, the all-white boat with black trim via the rails and rubbing strips looks smart.
Interior
Overall, the internal fit and finish of the Sargo 33 is very good, with nice timber trim and practical dark grey upholstery.
The vessel is cleverly designed to make maximum use of onboard space. A great example of this is the large double cabin tucked under the main saloon. It is accessed via steps hidden under a hingeing squab. The cabin is large and with side ports to let in some natural light.
The main saloon has comfortable seating for four or cosy for five. This is made possible by the passenger seat backrest hingeing forward, providing versatile seating options.
The galley is neatly fitted on the starboard side with clever lifting lids on the sink and cooker, which provide useful countertops in the down position and leave a convenient gap to stow small items in the sink when underway. The cooktop is gas with a 230V microwave oven below. There is an electric fridge with an additional fridge/freezer under the external cockpit seat.
The helm station is well appointed with Garmin MFD displays showing navigation, depth and engine data. The dashboard tilts to adjust the steering position to suit the helmsperson. Very neat! Overhead above the helm are analogue engine speed and fuel dials, the Garmin autohelm readout and an analogue switch panel. It’s nice to see analogue displays – they are always so easy to read.
Sliding side doors at the helm and opposite have clever wooden catches to hold the door closed or partly open for ventilation. Access through these side doors out and forward is a quick affair.
The cabin top has a large sliding roof panel with simple manual fixing positions. Surprisingly, when underway at speed with the roof open, there was only a gentle airflow in the forward seating positions, making it very pleasant to travel under an open sky.
Forward and below, down a few steps, is the head, vanity and shower, all nicely finished, particularly the floor detail with grey tiles.
In the forepeak is a double cabin with plenty of width and an overhead hatch for light and ventilation. Two cupboards are provided for storage. There is plenty of natural light coming in from hull ports and the overhead hatch. The width of the cabin makes it look a bit short, so I had to lay down to test the bed length – sure enough long enough for my 1.96m frame.
Handling
The Sargo 33 was pleasant and easy to steer. She leaned nicely into her turns at speed and remained stable. A bow thruster is fitted to help with close quarter manoeuvring, complementing twin engines with steerable sterndrives.
The deep V hull came into good use crossing a large ferry wake at high speed. On our test day conditions were smooth but the design is well tested in rough weather conditions. Trim tabs were set to auto to adjust for ride trim.
Our trip out to Mullet Bay was very straight forward, with only one other boat in the bay. We nosed into shallow water for some photos but didn’t drop anchor as we were on a tight time frame. With that in mind it was a quick trip back up the harbour to Westhaven.
Sargo has a number of models in its range, from 31 to 45 feet. This is the third Sargo Boating NZ has tested, coming after a 36- and a 31-footer.
I asked Leighton Henshaw, Director of importer European Marine, what sets this boat apart in the range. He said the 33 has the benefit of twin engines as an option, and also offers the same innovative layout as the 36 in a more compact package.
Conclusion
This is a cleverly designed boat with great space for a 33-footer. It has a very sporty performance along with great build quality and finish. So, if you‘re in the market for a new boat that is not too large, gets you away for some quick fishing, and hosts the family for long weekends, the Sargo 33 is definitely worth close inspection.
