Delta 33 Coupé review: The efficient coupé cruiser that looks 10 years ahead of its time

Astonishingly, the Delta 33 Coupé has only just arrived on UK shores, and we are pleased to report that this highly efficient coupe cruiser drives with thrilling sportsboat vigour

When you first lay eyes on this thing, you would bet your house on it being an entirely new model.

With its raised foredeck and virtually plumb bow, its rectangular in-line hull windows, one-piece screen, uncluttered wraparound glass structure, panoramic sunroof and restrained, almost minimalist, style, it feels every bit the ‘next-generation’ sportscruiser. But actually, the first Delta 33 was introduced as an Open model in 2013, followed by the Coupé in 2017.

Astonishingly, it took until 2025 for that second model to make its debut here on UK shores but we’re particularly pleased to make its acquaintance because it’s a subtly different boat in all kinds of ways.

External Decks

As you approach the Delta 33 from the back end, a big uncluttered swim platform leads forward, via narrow walkways on either side of a central seating unit.

This functions simultaneously as a forward-facing bench and an aft-facing lounger but you can swing the backrest forward and down to create a simple island sunbed instead. There’s a pair of storage compartments inside this unit too, one accessed beneath a forward lid and the other from an aft lid.

But both are particularly weighty to lift because there are no rams and the single all-over cushion lacks a seam or hinge so it resists your attempts to lift either hatch, precisely as an unmodified mattress might in a forward cabin. It’s good to see some soft fabric on the fibreglass edges to damp down any noise as you drop those lids, but there’s some unusual thinking on either side of this central unit too.

The main deck’s chief pinch points happen where the narrow walkways link the aft swim platform with the cockpit. And yet this is exactly the point where Delta has elected to locate the shorepower (to port) and the transom shower (to starboard).

It makes no sense, particularly given the space available on unencumbered bulwarks and in the base of the seating unit itself, so if it were down to us, we would request that these items be shifted to more practical spots. But it’s a mark of this boat’s calibre that this is where the negatives come to an end…

The deep, secure cockpit, for instance, features an additional two-man seat at the aft end of the superstructure, which faces back toward the stern bench and can also be specced as an ice chest to supplement the internal galley fridge.

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On the test boat, this unit includes a gas locker to supply the hob. You can, of course, have an electric hob instead, in which case you will need to spec some extra batteries, but that’s no problem because, like the diesel heating and AC units, the batteries are housed in their own watertight compartment, behind a hatch in the engine bay’s forward bulkhead.

That’s particularly handy on this test boat because the optional twin rig pretty much fills the space beneath the cockpit deck, but it’s all beautifully executed and the quantity and calibre of the sound insulation is also very conspicuous.

Back up in the cockpit, there’s a basic second helm to starboard with joystick and engine display, in the perfect spot as you make your way up a couple of steps onto the side deck.

There’s a handy grab rail to assist you with that, plus a long rail inset into the roof structure. There are no peripheral guardrails on the test boat and that again does good things for the svelte Nordic styling – but an optional forward guardrail, which begins pretty much where the rooftop grab rail ends, is an item from the options list we would certainly look to tick.

Bright and Open

As the profile suggests, the foredeck itself comprises little more than a flat and featureless Flexiteek-lined deck orbited by a toe rail – but it certainly feels very high-class.

As elsewhere, it’s fitted with stainless steel (rather than plastic) locker catches and vents. There are also stylish X-shaped cleats at the bow; and the forepeak features a single hatch to access the chain for the stem-mounted anchor, plus a raised grabbing point for disembarking from the bow in the Nordic style.

The Delta’s rigorously uncluttered style continues on the inside, where the large side windows, one-piece screen and biggest-in-class sunroof drench the entire saloon in natural light.

Views are superb all-round, thanks to super slim mullions, and the internal design collaborates with those clean, open vibes. The deck is lined with a seagrass-style matting, the table is teak, the cabinetry is white and the fabrics are pale.

Only the netting curtains disrupt the cleanliness and modernity but the guys at UK dealer SE Yachts are conscious of that and are working on a more contemporary solution.

As for the layout, that places a tapered galley to port and a subtly raised dinette to starboard. The dinette uses the swing-over backrest of the two-man helm bench to accommodate as many as five people at a time and, again, it’s beautifully built.

There are lots of drawers and storage boxes built into the base, there’s a set of square cup holders machined into the table, and there are teak ledges built into the base to help take the weight when you convert it into a third double bed.

The galley also augments practicality with a little extra quality by means of a cabinet with dedicated slots for your cups, glasses and crockery.

And with regards to the cabinetry, it’s interesting to note that each Delta powerboat is worked on by just one joiner. The idea is to safeguard quality by promoting individual accountability and on the evidence we see here, it’s a policy that very much works.

Standards are equally high at the forward end of the saloon. The entire dashtop, lined with pale low-glare alcantara, features a lid that lifts to reveal the largest helm storage tray we’ve ever seen on a boat of this size.

Charts, MFD covers, phones, keys, books, sandwiches, caps, jumpers – you name it. You can tuck it all away in here.

Family Cruising

The owner’s bow cabin is every bit as lofty as the external form suggests. In spite of a substantially raised double bed, there’s still lots of headroom so you can sit up at the head end and read a book.

There are lots of storage compartments beneath the bed too, and they’re made that bit easier to access by means of a split two-part mattress. There’s also hanging storage to starboard plus a large two-tier storage cabinet to port and, given that this boat is designed for family holidays as well as day cruising, that makes good sense.

The transverse guest double, which runs beneath the forward part of the saloon deck, occupies pretty much a king-size footprint.

It also has storage along the aft bulkhead, plus an angled cushion at the head end, where the deckhead lifts beneath the port galley. Access to this space is open to the steps and the little midships bench but in light of the fact that there are no windows in the guest cabin, that actually helps it feel more airy.

And if you do fancy a little privacy curtain, that’s certainly not a tough thing to arrange. The starboard bathroom, meanwhile, is split between an aft toilet section and a separate forward shower compartment.

The shower gets a handy seat and plenty of headroom for a six-footer and the loo section features a neat little hatch, which lifts up to reveal your toilet roll holder, so it’s not occupying unnecessary space or jabbing you in the thigh. There’s excellent access to the wiring on the back of the dash here too, and the fact that it’s tucked behind a door and a secondary panel means it’s entirely resistant to the ingress of moist air.

It’s a quality set-up for a boat of this size and, once again, the fact that the design and fit-out feels so restrained and uncomplicated does a good job of clearing away any hint of fuss or clutter.

Thoroughbred Performance

Designed by Ted Mannerfelt of the Swedish Mannerfelt Design team, it comes as no surprise that this boat drives extremely well.

As you might expect of a firm with such a glittering race boat heritage, the hull is a ventilated, triple-stepped, deep-vee affair and happily, while the base rig involves a single D6-440, our test boat is lavished with the twin D4-320s.

Straight away, there’s plenty of grunt and great natural trim that, in an easy Force 3, sees very little call for the intervention of the tabs. Delta was aiming at highly efficient hydrodynamics for best-in-class efficiency and with around 2 litres per nautical mile at 26 knots and only 2.5 lpm at 40, it’s very much on the right track.

Interestingly though, the handling is also a proper treat. There’s loads of heel here, plenty of grip and, for the keen driver, lots of fun to be had. But there’s unerring composure too.

In fact, it’s the kind of boat where you can pretty much set the legs and tabs and then take almost a hands-off approach. And actually, while we’re enjoying the drive, the fact that the single 440 drops just a couple of knots, while saving around €55,000 and making space in the engine bay for a Seakeeper, might get you thinking too.

Whatever you choose, the helm’s fusion of restrained luxury and straightforward simplicity enables you to enjoy the drive to the utmost.

You get a pair of 16in plotters on the main tier of the dash, plus all your critical switchgear – wipers, anchor, horn and nav lights – to your right-hand side. The stitched leather steering wheel is a thing of delight and visibility is also superb.

As for any reservations, the fact the skipper is on the left means the co-pilot gets a bit trapped. A little fold-down platform would also be good to elevate your head by six inches when you’re peering out of that sunroof.

And the compass could do with shifting right to bring it into line with the skipper. But this is a four-berth coupé cruiser that handles with the vigour and dexterity of a proper sportsboat, while delivering outstanding fuel-flow figures and oceans of cruising composure, so it seems churlish to complain.

Delta 33 Coupé specifications

LOA: 36ft 0in (10.95m)
BEAM: 10ft 2in (3.10m)
DRAFT: 3ft 1in (0.95m)
DISPLACEMENT: 6,500kg (light)
FUEL CAPACITY: 550 litres
WATER CAPACITY: 200 litres
ENGINES: Single Volvo Penta D6-440 or twin D4-320s
RCD: B12
Contact: www.seyachts.com

Delta 33 Coupé costs and options

Price: €390,000 ex VAT. Test boat includes the following options:
Twin engine (D4-320) upgrade: €55,000
Volvo Penta joystick and autopilot: €27,830
Sleipner stern thruster with remote: €13,200
Fischer Panda 8kW 10000i generator: €25,150

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