I am currently in the market for a trailerable sailboat and have researched a few different models, (O'day 22, Rhodes 22, Catalina 22, Seaward 22, Percision 21, WWP P-19), and have recently come across the Hunter 23. I have a few question that I hope someone could help answer; 1. How many people can comfortably fit in the cockpit? 2. How many people can comfortably sleep in the cabin? 3. Can a couple and a small child spend a couple of nights on the boat comfortably? 4. Can four adults and two small children fit comfortably for an extended daysail? 5. How difficult and approx. how long does it take to rig, launch and retrieve the boat? I know that's a lot to ask, but any information at this point would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Al *o
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Love mine!
Greetings, I have sailed my 1987 H23 "Invictus" for 2 seasons now in Mystic, CT I will answer as many of your questions as I can: 1. How many people can comfortably fit in the cockpit? Depends on how you define "comfortable." For me, 6 is about the max. I have carried more, strewn about the cabin top and below. It was really fun! 2. How many people can comfortably sleep in the cabin? Comfortable? Again, depends. I would say four regular-sized adults is the absolute max. 3. Can a couple and a small child spend a couple of nights on the boat comfortably? Sure! 4. Can four adults and two small children fit comfortably for an extended daysail? Nope! 5. How difficult and approx. how long does it take to rig, launch and retrieve the boat? Dunno. I have mine yard launched/retrieved once yearly. For great information, search the forum archives and the owners reviews. You'll get plenty of opinions! Happy sailing! Richard
Greetings, I have sailed my 1987 H23 "Invictus" for 2 seasons now in Mystic, CT I will answer as many of your questions as I can: 1. How many people can comfortably fit in the cockpit? Depends on how you define "comfortable." For me, 6 is about the max. I have carried more, strewn about the cabin top and below. It was really fun! 2. How many people can comfortably sleep in the cabin? Comfortable? Again, depends. I would say four regular-sized adults is the absolute max. 3. Can a couple and a small child spend a couple of nights on the boat comfortably? Sure! 4. Can four adults and two small children fit comfortably for an extended daysail? Nope! 5. How difficult and approx. how long does it take to rig, launch and retrieve the boat? Dunno. I have mine yard launched/retrieved once yearly. For great information, search the forum archives and the owners reviews. You'll get plenty of opinions! Happy sailing! Richard
Love mine too... but...
I have owned a Hunter 23 for two years now and really enjoy sailing it... with or without company. I leave her on a buoy all summer and haven't tried to haul her around. In answer to your questions: 1. How many people can comfortably fit in the cockpit? Six adults can fit in the cockpit if none are on the larger side of normal but four is much more comfortable. If you have that many in the cockpit you are going to have to rely on them to assist you with the sheets and tiller as you won't be able to move around very easily. 2. How many people can comfortably sleep in the cabin? Two in the v-berth. Two in the main salon if you use the floor boards and back rests to create a full size bed. One in the starboard quarter berth. But you won't have any spare room for anything else if you try that. We keep the starboard berth full of sails, food, etc. Using the v-berth covers the port a pottie too. That can be a concern... but you can set it out in the cockpit in nice weather and a dark night. To be realistic: Dad & mom and a couple of kids will fill her up. 3. Can a couple and a small child spend a couple of nights on the boat comfortably? Easily. 4. Can four adults and two small children fit comfortably for an extended daysail? If the kids are small enough that one can share the full size berth with one couple and the other can sleep in the starboard quarter berth... but again, you will be out of room and the port a pottie will be covered by the v-berth cushions. 5. How difficult and approx. how long does it take to rig, launch and retrieve the boat? If you are capable of fabricating a mast raising system from pictures and plans in the archives you can have her rigged and launched in less than an hour. Even a half hour once you get good at it but stepping the mast is an ugly job without a mast raising system or plenty of burly help. Dito on destepping her. I only do each task once a season and I don't look forward to either! It is a brutal, heavy and awkward job without a mast raising system. Launching and retreiving her isn't too difficult if you have a good ramp and it drops off pretty quickly. She draws less than three feet but you have the trailer under her so you need five or six feet of water within ten or twelve feet of shore to float her off or onto the trailer. Once her keel is grounded on the trailer the winch just can't haul her up tight.
I have owned a Hunter 23 for two years now and really enjoy sailing it... with or without company. I leave her on a buoy all summer and haven't tried to haul her around. In answer to your questions: 1. How many people can comfortably fit in the cockpit? Six adults can fit in the cockpit if none are on the larger side of normal but four is much more comfortable. If you have that many in the cockpit you are going to have to rely on them to assist you with the sheets and tiller as you won't be able to move around very easily. 2. How many people can comfortably sleep in the cabin? Two in the v-berth. Two in the main salon if you use the floor boards and back rests to create a full size bed. One in the starboard quarter berth. But you won't have any spare room for anything else if you try that. We keep the starboard berth full of sails, food, etc. Using the v-berth covers the port a pottie too. That can be a concern... but you can set it out in the cockpit in nice weather and a dark night. To be realistic: Dad & mom and a couple of kids will fill her up. 3. Can a couple and a small child spend a couple of nights on the boat comfortably? Easily. 4. Can four adults and two small children fit comfortably for an extended daysail? If the kids are small enough that one can share the full size berth with one couple and the other can sleep in the starboard quarter berth... but again, you will be out of room and the port a pottie will be covered by the v-berth cushions. 5. How difficult and approx. how long does it take to rig, launch and retrieve the boat? If you are capable of fabricating a mast raising system from pictures and plans in the archives you can have her rigged and launched in less than an hour. Even a half hour once you get good at it but stepping the mast is an ugly job without a mast raising system or plenty of burly help. Dito on destepping her. I only do each task once a season and I don't look forward to either! It is a brutal, heavy and awkward job without a mast raising system. Launching and retreiving her isn't too difficult if you have a good ramp and it drops off pretty quickly. She draws less than three feet but you have the trailer under her so you need five or six feet of water within ten or twelve feet of shore to float her off or onto the trailer. Once her keel is grounded on the trailer the winch just can't haul her up tight.
H23 mast raising system
I've read and reread the archives on mast raising systems and am still a bit confused. The emphasis seems to be on keeping the mast from swaying from side to side, rather than erecting it. I used to have a MacGregor with a mast raising system that was incredibly simple. I can't remember what it consisted of. Is there a simple system for H23s and similar sized boats?
I've read and reread the archives on mast raising systems and am still a bit confused. The emphasis seems to be on keeping the mast from swaying from side to side, rather than erecting it. I used to have a MacGregor with a mast raising system that was incredibly simple. I can't remember what it consisted of. Is there a simple system for H23s and similar sized boats?
The keel
Al, The fixed, though shallow, h23 winged keel can be a little more hassle in trailering and launching and especially retrieving, but I like not have the envelope, or whatever it's called, for a swing keel sticking up in the cabin. The port settee is the short side, but I'm 6-feet tall and if I put a pillow on the bulkhead/armrest I can sleep quite comfortably. Not much headroom. Seems to sail awfully well in light winds, though I'm no expert, and is fairly tender in stronger winds. Four adults can sleep in the cabin comfortably, four adults in the cockpit is very comfortable. I've had my h23 a year and am extremely happy with it. And Craig, here's a link to Peter Suah's mast-raising system: http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73157344404&fno=17 It's very easy to build and works very well. Do an archive search and you'll find more useful/critical details and instructions from Peter. Mac
Al, The fixed, though shallow, h23 winged keel can be a little more hassle in trailering and launching and especially retrieving, but I like not have the envelope, or whatever it's called, for a swing keel sticking up in the cabin. The port settee is the short side, but I'm 6-feet tall and if I put a pillow on the bulkhead/armrest I can sleep quite comfortably. Not much headroom. Seems to sail awfully well in light winds, though I'm no expert, and is fairly tender in stronger winds. Four adults can sleep in the cabin comfortably, four adults in the cockpit is very comfortable. I've had my h23 a year and am extremely happy with it. And Craig, here's a link to Peter Suah's mast-raising system: http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73157344404&fno=17 It's very easy to build and works very well. Do an archive search and you'll find more useful/critical details and instructions from Peter. Mac
Mast Stepping/Destepping not a big deal..
Don't be afraid of stepping and destepping the mast. I was quite nervous about it before doing it the first time. However, my pregnant wife and I did it by ourselves with no problems (without using one of the "mast raising systems" I might add). We just connected the jib halyard to mooring pin in the front. She cranked using the winch on the mast while I lifted. It was not a problem at all! I would agree with the other posts that getting the boat on and off the trailer is the biggest challenge. You have to find a launch that is deep enough. However, I have found it possible to crank the boat up with the winch after the keel was grounded. It wasn't easy, but it worked. I would say it took us about 1.5 hours to get the boat in the water, ready to sail and about the same to get it out. You could improve on that with practice. In my opinion, and H23 is not really a day sailor. If you plan on rigging, launching, sailing, retrieving, un-rigging all in the same day - keep looking. It would be a a lot of work for the amount of sailing you would do. Over a weekend sailing trip - might be okay. Overall, I am happy with my H23. It is our first boat and I had never really handled a boat as big - power or sail. I've found it much easier than expected.
Don't be afraid of stepping and destepping the mast. I was quite nervous about it before doing it the first time. However, my pregnant wife and I did it by ourselves with no problems (without using one of the "mast raising systems" I might add). We just connected the jib halyard to mooring pin in the front. She cranked using the winch on the mast while I lifted. It was not a problem at all! I would agree with the other posts that getting the boat on and off the trailer is the biggest challenge. You have to find a launch that is deep enough. However, I have found it possible to crank the boat up with the winch after the keel was grounded. It wasn't easy, but it worked. I would say it took us about 1.5 hours to get the boat in the water, ready to sail and about the same to get it out. You could improve on that with practice. In my opinion, and H23 is not really a day sailor. If you plan on rigging, launching, sailing, retrieving, un-rigging all in the same day - keep looking. It would be a a lot of work for the amount of sailing you would do. Over a weekend sailing trip - might be okay. Overall, I am happy with my H23. It is our first boat and I had never really handled a boat as big - power or sail. I've found it much easier than expected.
daysailing
I think it sometimes get confusing between the Hunter 23 and the 23.5. Both are boats that are intended to be 'friendly' boats. The Hunter 23 is a bit heavier than the 23.5 because of the 800lb cast iron 'shoal draft' (i.e. shallow) keel. Early Hunter 23s (pre 1984 era) have a swing board that extends under the keel while later models have no swingboard but have appreciable wingletts on the keel. The Hunter 23 weighs in around 2400lbs (roughly). The 23.5, instead of the heavy keel, utilizes watertanks mounted low in the hull that fill when the boat is launched (you seal the tanks once they are full) and these provide the righting moment. It also has a swing board that retracts mostly inside the bottom of the hull...while this provides a very shallow draft, it does take up some interior room. Upon retrieving the boat, the ballast water drains by opening the tanks. This provides a boat that is very lightweight on the trailer and can be pulled by most common vehicles. The 23.5 weighs in around 2000 lbs (check specs for accurate weight). Both boats are similar in space but the newer 23.5 has a wider cockpit area with an open stern (which some like very much and some don't). The 23.5 also has slightly more headroom on the inside. Both have comparable interior space and the layouts are pretty much the same. Performance is pretty comparable. I agree with what everyone else has said about the capacity of these boats. I've sailed my Hunter 23 comfortably with 7 adults on board - but just for a couple of hours...wouldn't do THAT all day. As far as setup goes, we can take load the Hunter 23 on the trailer and be ready for the road in about 45 minutes. Setup takes about 1hr 15minutes but we're working to streamline that (and my crew always shows up late so I end up doing some of it myself more slowly). I do not have any complicated mast raising system and only use brunt force and the jib halyard to put up the mast. I also sail/race a catamaran frequently and to be honest would rather day sail my catamaran. While we can setup the Hunter just as quickly (my catamaran is equiped with spinnaker and LOTS of extra rigging), rigging and derigging the Hunter requires more energy and I don't think I'll be trailering the Hunter to weekend regattas all that often. However, we're planning a couple of three day weekends in Charleston to live aboard sail around in the Harbor next year with other friends on similar boats - that will be worth the setup and derigging effort! Jake http://www.teamseacats.com/hunter/
I think it sometimes get confusing between the Hunter 23 and the 23.5. Both are boats that are intended to be 'friendly' boats. The Hunter 23 is a bit heavier than the 23.5 because of the 800lb cast iron 'shoal draft' (i.e. shallow) keel. Early Hunter 23s (pre 1984 era) have a swing board that extends under the keel while later models have no swingboard but have appreciable wingletts on the keel. The Hunter 23 weighs in around 2400lbs (roughly). The 23.5, instead of the heavy keel, utilizes watertanks mounted low in the hull that fill when the boat is launched (you seal the tanks once they are full) and these provide the righting moment. It also has a swing board that retracts mostly inside the bottom of the hull...while this provides a very shallow draft, it does take up some interior room. Upon retrieving the boat, the ballast water drains by opening the tanks. This provides a boat that is very lightweight on the trailer and can be pulled by most common vehicles. The 23.5 weighs in around 2000 lbs (check specs for accurate weight). Both boats are similar in space but the newer 23.5 has a wider cockpit area with an open stern (which some like very much and some don't). The 23.5 also has slightly more headroom on the inside. Both have comparable interior space and the layouts are pretty much the same. Performance is pretty comparable. I agree with what everyone else has said about the capacity of these boats. I've sailed my Hunter 23 comfortably with 7 adults on board - but just for a couple of hours...wouldn't do THAT all day. As far as setup goes, we can take load the Hunter 23 on the trailer and be ready for the road in about 45 minutes. Setup takes about 1hr 15minutes but we're working to streamline that (and my crew always shows up late so I end up doing some of it myself more slowly). I do not have any complicated mast raising system and only use brunt force and the jib halyard to put up the mast. I also sail/race a catamaran frequently and to be honest would rather day sail my catamaran. While we can setup the Hunter just as quickly (my catamaran is equiped with spinnaker and LOTS of extra rigging), rigging and derigging the Hunter requires more energy and I don't think I'll be trailering the Hunter to weekend regattas all that often. However, we're planning a couple of three day weekends in Charleston to live aboard sail around in the Harbor next year with other friends on similar boats - that will be worth the setup and derigging effort! Jake http://www.teamseacats.com/hunter/
Outstanding job, Jake
You're an inspiration. Beautiful boat. I hope you keep your Web site up as long as I have my h23. Mac
You're an inspiration. Beautiful boat. I hope you keep your Web site up as long as I have my h23. Mac
website
Thanks. It will be there for a while - we're getting ready to strike Team Seacats back up into action with two F18 catamarans and the website is going to be renewed soon (although the Hunter stuff will stay put). I'm also going to try and put some 'maintenance' areas in there...like what to do after your crew wears black soled tennis shoes on a Vertglas'd deck :-(.....You can't use agressive cleaners so it looks like I might have to scotch brite the skid marks off and re-apply a layer or two of the Vertglas...that won't happen again! Jake
Thanks. It will be there for a while - we're getting ready to strike Team Seacats back up into action with two F18 catamarans and the website is going to be renewed soon (although the Hunter stuff will stay put). I'm also going to try and put some 'maintenance' areas in there...like what to do after your crew wears black soled tennis shoes on a Vertglas'd deck :-(.....You can't use agressive cleaners so it looks like I might have to scotch brite the skid marks off and re-apply a layer or two of the Vertglas...that won't happen again! Jake
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