Seafarer 23

Seafarer 23

Development
Designer	McCurdy & Rhodes
Location	United States
Year	1976
Builder(s)	Seafarer Yachts
Role	Cruiser
Name	Seafarer 23
Boat
Displacement	3,500 lb (1,588 kg)
Draft	3.25 ft (0.99 m)
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	fiberglass
LOA	23.08 ft (7.03 m)
LWL	17.92 ft (5.46 m)
Beam	7.17 ft (2.19 m)
Engine type	outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	fin keel
Ballast	1,060 lb (481 kg)
Rudder(s)	skeg-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	26.90 ft (8.20 m)
J foretriangle base	7.60 ft (2.32 m)
P mainsail luff	23.00 ft (7.01 m)
E mainsail foot	11.00 ft (3.35 m)
Sails
Sailplan	fractional rigged sloop masthead sloop
Mainsail area	126.50 sq ft (11.752 m2)
Jib/genoa area	102.22 sq ft (9.497 m2)
Total sail area	228.72 sq ft (21.249 m2)
Racing
PHRF	261

The Seafarer 23 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by McCurdy & Rhodes as a cruiser and first built in 1976. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The Seafarer 23 is often confused with the 1978 Seafarer 23 Challenger and the 1963 Seafarer 23 Kestrel. ^{[1] [3]}

Production

The design was built by Seafarer Yachts in Huntington, New York, United States, starting in 1976, but it is now out of production. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

Design

The Seafarer 23 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a spooned raked stem, a slightly reverse transom, a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel. It displaces 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) and carries 1,060 lb (481 kg) of ballast. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat has a draft of 3.25 ft (0.99 m) with the standard keel and 2.33 ft (0.71 m) with the optional shoal draft keel. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW) outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. ^{[1] [3]}

The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settees in the main cabin around a fold-down table, that combine to make a double berth. The galley is located on the starboard side at the companionway ladder. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink. There are two locations for the head. In layout "A" it is under the cabin "V"-berth; in layout "B" it is aft of the bow cabin on the port side and is enclosed, but reduces the main cabin space. Cabin headroom is 61 in (155 cm) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 12 U.S. gallons (45 L; 10.0 imp gal). ^[3]

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 261 and a hull speed of 5.8 kn (10.7 km/h). ^[3]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the Seafarer 23 ... has two underbody options: a 2' 4” shoal keel, or a 3' 3" 'high performance' keel ... In addition, the ... boat has a choice of two layouts ... One, Layout A, is a conventional arrangement for this size boat, with the head in the forward compartment, sandwiched between the two sides of the V-berth. If you have four people sleeping aboard, the two forward passengers will not appreciate the close proximity of any wee-hours visitors to the head from aft. The other choice, Layout B, avoids that problem, but shrinks the elbow room in the main cabin. Best features: Except for the extra-high cockpit coaming, we like the looks of this boat a lot. We think that, at a glance, she looks like a much bigger vessel. Worst features: Normally a skeg-mounted rudder might result in greater ease of steering and handling compared with a freely suspended rudder. However, there are limits to the size of the skeg, which to our eye have been greatly exceeded on this boat. That is, we see too much wetted surface, which will simply slow the boat." ^[3]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Seafarer 23 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
2. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "McCurdy & Rhodes". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
3. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 201. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
4. McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Seafarer Yachts 1965 - 1985". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.