Clipper 23

Clipper 23

Development
Designer	William Crealock
Location	United States
Year	1976
Builder(s)	Clipper Marine Sawyer Marine
Name	Clipper 23
Boat
Displacement	2,025 lb (919 kg)
Draft	4.50 ft (1.37 m) with keel down
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	fiberglass
LOA	22.67 ft (6.91 m)
LWL	18.75 ft (5.72 m)
Beam	7.67 ft (2.34 m)
Engine type	outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	swing keel
Ballast	500 lb (227 kg)
Rudder(s)	transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	24.75 ft (7.54 m)
J foretriangle base	9.03 ft (2.75 m)
P mainsail luff	21.33 ft (6.50 m)
E mainsail foot	9.00 ft (2.74 m)
Sails
Sailplan	masthead sloop
Mainsail area	95.99 sq ft (8.918 m2)
Jib/genoa area	111.75 sq ft (10.382 m2)
Total sail area	207.73 sq ft (19.299 m2)
Racing
PHRF	258

The Clipper 23, also called the Clipper Marine 23, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Crealock and first built in 1976. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Production

The design was initially built by Clipper Marine of Santa Ana, California, United States, starting in 1976. After that company went out of business in 1976 a twin-keel version was built by Sawyer Marine in Canada starting in 1984, but it is now out of production. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

Design

The Clipper 23 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a clipper bow, a reverse transom, a transom-hung, non-folding rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable swing keel or twin keels. It displaces 2,025 lb (919 kg) and carries 500 lb (227 kg) of cast iron ballast. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat has a draft of 4.50 ft (1.37 m) with the swing keel extended and 0.51 ft (0.16 m) with it retracted, allowing ground transportation on a trailer. The twin keel version has a draft of 2.17 ft (0.66 m). ^{[1] [3]}

The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW) outboard motor for docking and maneuvering, mounted in an aft starboard well. ^[3]

The boat was offered with a choice of two interior layouts, one with two straight settees and one with a dinette table. The latter design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, a straight settee berth that can be converted to a double with a drop table on the port side and a quarter berth on the starboard side of the main cabin. The head is located in the bow cabin on the port side. Cabin headroom is 52 in (130 cm). A cabin "pop-top" was optional. ^{[1] [3]}

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 258 and a hull speed of 5.8 kn (10.7 km/h). ^[3]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the Clipper 23, a boat with flare at the bow that gives it a pinched look ... Best features: These boats were constructed cheaply to sell cheaply, for those who wanted a plaything but didn't want to invest much. Today their price on the used market continues to be near the bottom of the range for this size and type of vessel. Worst features: If the brochure plans are accurate, the rudder, which is deeper than the keel and apparently has no retracting device when in shallow water, may be damaged if the boat goes aground." ^[3]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

Related development

• Clipper 21

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Clipper Marine 23 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
2. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "William Crealock 1920 - 2009". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
3. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 160. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
4. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Clipper Marine 1971 - 1976". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.

External links

• Photo of a Clipper 23 sailing
• Photo of a Clipper 23 with pop top
• Photo of a Clipper 23 twin keels
• Photo of a Clipper 23 showing bow