Seafarer 23 Kestrel

Seafarer 23 Kestrel Cruise

Development
Designer	Sparkman & Stephens
Location	United States
Year	1963
Builder(s)	De Vries Lentsch Seafarer Yachts
Role	Day sailer-cruiser
Name	Seafarer 23 Kestrel Cruise
Boat
Displacement	3,700 lb (1,678 kg)
Draft	5.00 ft (1.52 m) with centerboard down
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	fiberglass
LOA	23.08 ft (7.03 m)
LWL	16.50 ft (5.03 m)
Beam	7.00 ft (2.13 m)
Engine type	outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	stub long keel with centerboard
Ballast	1,400 lb (635 kg)
Rudder(s)	keel-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	26.83 ft (8.18 m)
J foretriangle base	7.61 ft (2.32 m)
P mainsail luff	23.08 ft (7.03 m)
E mainsail foot	11.00 ft (3.35 m)
Sails
Sailplan	masthead sloop
Mainsail area	126.94 sq ft (11.793 m2)
Jib/genoa area	102.09 sq ft (9.484 m2)
Total sail area	229.03 sq ft (21.278 m2)
Racing
PHRF	270
[edit on Wikidata]

The Seafarer 23 Kestrel is a Dutch trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens in daysailer and cruiser models, first built in 1963.^[1][2][3][4]

The Seafarer 23 Kestrel is often confused with the 1978 Seafarer 23 Challenger and the 1976 Seafarer 23.^[1][2][4]

Production

The design was built by De Vries Lentsch in Amsterdam, starting in 1963 and imported into the United States by Seafarer Fiberglass Yachts of New York City. Seafarer later produced the boat in its own plant, a converted supermarket in Huntington, New York, but it is now out of production.^{[1][2][4][5][6]}

Design

The Seafarer 23 Kestrel is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig; a spooned, raked stem; a raised counter, angled transom; a keel-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed, stub, long keel, with a retractable centerboard. It displaces 3,700 lb (1,678 kg) and carries 1,400 lb (635 kg) of iron ballast.^[1][2][4]

The boat has a draft of 5.00 ft (1.52 m) with the centerboard extended and 2.33 ft (0.71 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, or ground transportation on a trailer.^[1][2][4]

The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW) well-mounted outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The transom lazarette well is large enough to allow the motor to be tilted to reduce drag while sailing.^[1][2][4]

The Kestrel was offered in a number of different deck and interior layouts. Initially there were two deck patterns for a daysailer and a cruiser, but later an intermediate deck was added. There were also six interior plans, including a bare one for owner completion. Model marketing names similarly varied, including Seafarer 23 Kestrel, Seafarer Kestrel 23, Kestrel 23 and Kestrel 22. Model configuration names included Cruiser, Overnighter, Catalina, Nassau, Nantucket, Monhegan and Olympic. In 1969 all the models were sold as the Seafarer Sail 'n Trailer 23.^[1][2][4]

The cruiser cabin design typically has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. The galley is on both sides, aft of the bow cabin and is equipped with stove to port and a sink to starboard. The head is located centered in the bow cabin under the "V"-berth. Cabin headroom is 57 in (145 cm) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 15 U.S. gallons (57 L; 12 imp gal).^[1][2][4]

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 270 and a hull speed of 5.5 kn (10.2 km/h).^[4]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the grace of the classic Sparkman & Stephens hull form will appeal to traditional sailors."^[4]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

References

External links

Sailmaster sailboatsSeafarer sailboatsSwiftsure sailboatsOther sailboatsDesigners