Just a few points re the H33 (2004 #208)
1. There is no way you can fit a larger headsail with this rig. The standard sail when sheeted tight on the inside track is hard against the rigging.
Even "filling the gap" by trying to put a deck sweeper on doesn't work as the sheet has to exit between the inner and outer shrouds and you will find the exit point becomes too low to work.
2. In racing in winds over 10 knots there is absolutely no doubt that you can point higher using the inner track. We can get to 30 deg apparent.
3. The best performance increase in winds up to about 12 knots is to use the standard cruising shute. Rigged correctly you can use it at up to around 50 deg apparent.
4 We have the deep keel and a fully battened non furling laminated main and the boats best competitive performance is in the 15 to 20 knot wind range where we can get to 6.5 knots close hauled and 8 knots on a broad reach. Reaching is where you can really clean up.
5. The worst competitve performance is in light winds and against currents where the lack a large driving headsail put you behind the fleet.
6. Where I think Hunter went wrong with the H33 was in having the mast too far forward. If it was in a more conventional position say back around 600 mm then you could get a better size headsail on for the lighter conditions.
One can certainly fit a larger head sail on the boat but it must be outside of the lifelines to avoid the spreader. There is a H 38 in my marina did that and as I said earlier, it is fast in light conditions.
Every boat is a compromise and it is clear Hunter with the 33, tried to have as much inside room as possible. Many of my friends with bigger older boats are amazed by the interior space in the 33. I agree the mast back a foot or more would have given more head sail. Also it probably would have made the boat less tender.
On the outside tracks, I can easily get 30 Degrees apparent especially with a bit of wind. I find the boat is in the best groove for speed between 30-45 D. While I can go less than 30 performance is sub optimal. Where I sail there are not a lot of tacks so once I get set up, I tend to work the traveller a lot to tune performance. I do not deal with currents. I have a shoal keel. Traveller also deals with tender boat problem. I agree with cruising chute properly set is the better choice than a bigger head sail in light winds. I do not like to use it over 10 knots though or the boat is too tender....too much sail. If I just sail with the chute and refurl the main, that tends to be balanced. As I said in some earlier post, you can bring the tack of the chute right down to the block at the anchor and it is like a big genny.
What I have been looking for to optimize light winds downwind is a bowspit. I find that in light wind the main can steal wind from the chute. I would like to get the chute further forward. There is one from Selden however I cannot see how to install it without condemning the anchor well. Anchor access important to me. So I am still looking for that. In very light winds one needs a pole to the clew of the chute to stop it from flapping around the rigging. It will then be ready to grab the wind when it picks up a bit. I tend to put it leveraged against the rub rail. I also tie a line from the pole to the life line. Lost a pole once!
What no one seems to discuss on this forum is angle of heel. For me the boat preforms best around 15 D heel. When I go over further the bow tends to dig in a bit. That could be because I tend to keep the water tank full for ballast as I sail alone most times. I find then when in a 12+ wind, having three or four adults on the rail really stabilizes the boat however it is not an option most of the time.
I am surprised that you cannot point higher with a deep keel and a full battaned main with head sail tight. I believe your observations, so that means a deep keel vs a shoal keel is not that important on this boat vis a vis speed.