Menger Oysterman 23

Last updated

Menger Oysterman 23
Development
Designer Bill Menger
Location United States
Year1977
Builder(s) Menger Boatworks
Role Day sailer-cruiser
NameMenger Oysterman 23
Boat
Displacement 2,600 lb (1,179 kg)
Draft 1.67 ft (0.51 m) with lifting keel down
Hull
Type monohull
Construction fiberglass
LOA 31.25 ft (9.53 m)
LWL 21.08 ft (6.43 m)
Beam 8.00 ft (2.44 m)
Engine type outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board typelifting keel
Ballast500 lb (227 kg)
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type ketch
Sails
Sailplan ketch rig
Total sail area323.00 sq ft (30.008 m2)
[ edit on Wikidata]

The Menger Oysterman 23 is an American trailerable skipjack that was designed by Bill Menger as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1977. [1] [2]

Contents

The Oysterman 23 is based upon the general lines of the Howard Chappelle-designed Blue Crab skipjack and intended to resemble traditional 19th century oyster fishing boats of the Chesapeake Bay area. [1] [2]

Production

The design was built by Menger Boatworks in the United States, starting in 1977, but the company went out of business in 2004 and the boat is now out of production. [1] [2] [3]

The boat was supplied compete and ready to sail or in kit form for amateur completion. [1]

Design

The Menger Oysterman 23 is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a ketch or optional masthead sloop rig, a long bowsprit, a raked stem an angled transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a lifting keel. It displaces 2,600 lb (1,179 kg) and carries 500 lb (227 kg) of ballast in the galvanized steel lifting keel. [1] [2]

The boat has a draft of 1.67 ft (0.51 m) with the lifting keel extended and 6 in (15 cm) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. [1] [2]

The boat is normally fitted with a small 4 to 6 hp (3 to 4 kW) outboard motor, mounted in a transom well, for docking and maneuvering. [1] [2]

The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee berths in the main cabin around a drop-leaf table. The galley is located on the port side just aft of the bow cabin and is equipped with a two-burner stove. The head is located just aft of the bow cabin on the starboard side. Cabin headroom is 51 in (130 cm). The optional fresh water tank has a capacity of 12 U.S. gallons (45 L; 10.0 imp gal). [1] [2]

The design has a hull speed of 6.2 kn (11.5 km/h). [2]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "this little Chesapeake Bay skipjack is based on the lines of a Howard Chapelle design called Blue Crab. She could be bought from Menger Boatworks either as a ketch (favored by about 70% of buyers) or as a sloop. The ketch, with less sail area more spread out fore and aft, is easier to balance than the sloop when sailing in varying wind conditions. The sloop, on the other hand, is faster, simpler, and doesn't have a mast cluttering up the cockpit. Oddly, dimensions for this vessel seemed to vary more than most other designs, depending on the sales brochure. For example, in one place the ketch sail area is 309 square feet and in another it's 323 sq. ft, In one place the sloop area is 355 sq. ft. and in another it's 370 sq. ft. Ballast is 600 lbs. in one place, 700 lbs. in another. It's a puzzlement. Best features: For someone looking for a character boat, this may be your cup of tea. The outboard engine is in a cockpit well, convenient to the helmsman. The jib is on a jib boom, making life easy for a singlehander tacking up a narrow channel or sailing downwind wing and wing, Those who have tried it claim you can sail upwind in two feet of water without excessive sideslip. Worst features: With a SA/D ratio of 30, she should be responsive in light air, while on the other hand she may be a bit tender in heavy air. But of course, you can always reef." [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Hunter 240 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by the Hunter Design Team and first built in 1998.

The Parker Dawson 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Robert Finch as a cruiser and first built in 1972.

The Amphibi-Con 25, often just called the Amphibi-Con, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by E. Farnham Butler and Cyrus Hamlin as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1954. The design was one of the first "trailer sailers" and helped popularize this class of boat.

The Weekender 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1965. It was Sparkman & Stephens design number 1701-C1.

The Antrim 20 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Jim Antrim as a cruiser and first built in 1982.

The Bremer 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Mark Bremer as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1995.

The Dehler 25 is a German trailerable sailboat that was designed by E. G. van de Stadt as a cruiser and first built in 1984.

The ETAP 20 is a Belgian trailerable sailboat that was designed by E. G. van de Stadt as a cruiser and first built in 1975.

The Freedom 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp, III as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacGregor 22</span> Sailboat class

The MacGregor 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Roger MacGregor as a cruiser and first built in 1967.

The Menger Cat 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Andrew Menger as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1983.

The Menger Cat 19, also sold as the Thom Cat 19 Catboat, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by father and son team Bill Menger and Andrew Menger as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1990.

The Mystic Catboat 20 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Peter Legnos as a cruiser and first built in 1974.

The Pearson 23 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Shaw as a cruiser and first built in 1978.

The Mustang 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Martin Bludworth as a Midget Ocean Racing Club racer and first built in 1969.

The S2 6.7 Grand Slam is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Don Wennersten as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1980. The designation indicates the approximate length overall in meters.

The S2 6.9, also marketed as the S2 6.9 Grand Slam, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Don Wennersten and Graham & Schlageter as racer-cruiser and first built in 1983. The designation indicates the approximate length overall in meters.

The Seaward 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Nick Hake as a cruiser and first built in 1984.

The Vivacity 20 is a British trailerable sailboat that was designed by Peter Stevenson and Des C. Pollard as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1963.

The Nomad 22 is a British trailerable sailboat that was designed by Denys Rayner as a cruiser and first built in 1967.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Oysterman 23 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 237. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
  3. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Menger Boatworks (USA) 1976 - 2004". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.