My wife and I are planning on buying a H23.5 and there are a few questions I'm trying to get answers to. First, as far as sailing I'm concerned about its stability, since I've never had a water ballisted boat before. Second, I've been told that if I get a 23 or 23.5 without the sternrail seats, that I can't install them because of the lack of support
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Al Beattie
Pretty Stable
John, I find the 23.5 to pretty stable. I remember the first time I put mine in the water. I climbed aboard before there was water in the ballast tank and my first thought was "Oh No! My wife is going to hate this boat". Spit over the side and the boat responded by moving like a crazy. My wife likes stable and the boat was anything but stable. When I filled the tank, the most amazing change occurred in the boat. It hardened right up and suddenly I could move without feeling like the boat was going to move out from under me. As to stability when sailing, it is possible to get a rail into the water, but one has to really work at it. You will read a lot of messages about the weather helm experienced with the 23.5. I suspect that a lot of folks don't trim the sails to sail flat and my boat (and I assume other 23.5s) likes to sail flat. Lay the boat over and it wants to head up in a real strong way. When I have had trouble with weather helm is has been because I have done something wrong, such as not pulled the rudder in tight, not reefed when I should of or had the sails turned incorrectly. On the plus side, if a fisherman can launch is 18 foot Bayliner at a ramp, I can launch my 23.5. Al Beattie "ElseWhere"
John, I find the 23.5 to pretty stable. I remember the first time I put mine in the water. I climbed aboard before there was water in the ballast tank and my first thought was "Oh No! My wife is going to hate this boat". Spit over the side and the boat responded by moving like a crazy. My wife likes stable and the boat was anything but stable. When I filled the tank, the most amazing change occurred in the boat. It hardened right up and suddenly I could move without feeling like the boat was going to move out from under me. As to stability when sailing, it is possible to get a rail into the water, but one has to really work at it. You will read a lot of messages about the weather helm experienced with the 23.5. I suspect that a lot of folks don't trim the sails to sail flat and my boat (and I assume other 23.5s) likes to sail flat. Lay the boat over and it wants to head up in a real strong way. When I have had trouble with weather helm is has been because I have done something wrong, such as not pulled the rudder in tight, not reefed when I should of or had the sails turned incorrectly. On the plus side, if a fisherman can launch is 18 foot Bayliner at a ramp, I can launch my 23.5. Al Beattie "ElseWhere"
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Ken Shubert
Sail Your Boat!
TENDER is the most frequently used term on here about H23.5's. It will probably scare the b-jeebies out of you the first couple of times a big gust lays you over but we've all survived and rounding up seems to be the only penalty to pay. It is a small boat and you do have to sail it at times but it's fun. I've launched into water that was just over knee deep too. The stern has a different shape than the H240 so seats probably won't work too well. I'm not too sure I'd want them but??? My favorite spot when sailing single-handed is sitting in the companionway door. Every thing at my finger tips..... controls, sheets, stereo, cooler, etc..... There are some great buys out there on H23.5's that haven't even broken in the sails yet. Go for it! Ken S/V Wouff Hong
TENDER is the most frequently used term on here about H23.5's. It will probably scare the b-jeebies out of you the first couple of times a big gust lays you over but we've all survived and rounding up seems to be the only penalty to pay. It is a small boat and you do have to sail it at times but it's fun. I've launched into water that was just over knee deep too. The stern has a different shape than the H240 so seats probably won't work too well. I'm not too sure I'd want them but??? My favorite spot when sailing single-handed is sitting in the companionway door. Every thing at my finger tips..... controls, sheets, stereo, cooler, etc..... There are some great buys out there on H23.5's that haven't even broken in the sails yet. Go for it! Ken S/V Wouff Hong
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Dave Condon
23.5
Regarding stern rail seats, you can get them from Hunter and retro fit to your boat. Ask for Mike Thomas and tell him the year boat it is. If you feel uncomfortable, then get your dealer to do this for you. As for sailing the 23.5, any heeling over 13-15 degrees will cause loss of performance. I sail it faster flatter.
Regarding stern rail seats, you can get them from Hunter and retro fit to your boat. Ask for Mike Thomas and tell him the year boat it is. If you feel uncomfortable, then get your dealer to do this for you. As for sailing the 23.5, any heeling over 13-15 degrees will cause loss of performance. I sail it faster flatter.
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Bill Jones
Tender 23.5
I bought my 23.5 new in the fall of 1995 and have had some wonderful experiences with her. The boat is well made and Hunter support has been wonderful. I have sailed an older model H23 with a fixed wing keel and that boat is a much, much stiffer boat under full sail. However, it doesn't have the room in the cockpit nor below that my 23.5 has. You can solve the stabiltiy problem to a large extent by reducing sail or luffing the jib a bit. The biggest concern I've had is under power near a dock on windy days. It has a great deal of freeboard and if you are caught downwind trying to maneuver the boat it can be tricky. It takes some time before you have steerage in those conditions. You're usually better off backing out of a situation than attempting to get steerage quickly while going forward. Bill
I bought my 23.5 new in the fall of 1995 and have had some wonderful experiences with her. The boat is well made and Hunter support has been wonderful. I have sailed an older model H23 with a fixed wing keel and that boat is a much, much stiffer boat under full sail. However, it doesn't have the room in the cockpit nor below that my 23.5 has. You can solve the stabiltiy problem to a large extent by reducing sail or luffing the jib a bit. The biggest concern I've had is under power near a dock on windy days. It has a great deal of freeboard and if you are caught downwind trying to maneuver the boat it can be tricky. It takes some time before you have steerage in those conditions. You're usually better off backing out of a situation than attempting to get steerage quickly while going forward. Bill
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Mike Pajewski
My two cents
I purchased my 23.5 in 1993 and sailed for 3 good years. It was easy to tow, easy to sail and yes, you have to reef before the other guys dragging the lead keels around. So what. The boat still will outsail most other 23 footers with the sail reefed in anyway. If you do get overpowered, she'll round up and you will say "Time to reef." When you want to pull up to a beach or island, you can with the centerboard up. And if you want to go to another lake, you're not stuck. There are many advantages to the water ballast. That is why when I moved up to a bigger boat, I opted for a Hunter 26 instead of the Precision 26. I didn't want to lose flexibility. Go for it Mike Pajewski H23.5 "Summer Rental" H26 "Loon"
I purchased my 23.5 in 1993 and sailed for 3 good years. It was easy to tow, easy to sail and yes, you have to reef before the other guys dragging the lead keels around. So what. The boat still will outsail most other 23 footers with the sail reefed in anyway. If you do get overpowered, she'll round up and you will say "Time to reef." When you want to pull up to a beach or island, you can with the centerboard up. And if you want to go to another lake, you're not stuck. There are many advantages to the water ballast. That is why when I moved up to a bigger boat, I opted for a Hunter 26 instead of the Precision 26. I didn't want to lose flexibility. Go for it Mike Pajewski H23.5 "Summer Rental" H26 "Loon"
Tender 23.5 (my two cents)
Heed the advice of these wiser heads and reef early! Even though I sail one of the older, stiffer H23's with the wing keel, I still reef early. As a matter of fact, I often put a reef in before I leave the dock, because it's easier to do it there than out on the water with the wind howling and the sails flapping like mad. If the wind slackens when I am out, it's easy enough to shake the reef back out. Sailing is supposed to be fun, and relaxing in the cockpit is more fun than climbing out onto the rail with the tiller extension fully extended. That's why my dinghy is now sitting on its trailer in my backyard. I also learned that reefing can actually make the boat go faster. Apparently, excessive heel creates more drag because of the greater wetted surface, more weather helm and drag from the rudder trying to keep the boat from rounding up. Give it a try and see. If you have a knotmeter or a GPS it should be easy enough to verify, also less heel will keep your crew happy (very important!!). Here's another hint. You can reduce the amount of heel by raising your centerboard slightly (about a quarter to a third of the way up). You will have more sideslip (boat drifting to leeward) unless you bear off a bit, but you will have a more comfortable and controllable ride. Besides, being slightly off the wind can gain you some boatspeed , and can help compensate a bit for the reduced ability to point high. Happy sailing! Peter Suah "Raven"
Heed the advice of these wiser heads and reef early! Even though I sail one of the older, stiffer H23's with the wing keel, I still reef early. As a matter of fact, I often put a reef in before I leave the dock, because it's easier to do it there than out on the water with the wind howling and the sails flapping like mad. If the wind slackens when I am out, it's easy enough to shake the reef back out. Sailing is supposed to be fun, and relaxing in the cockpit is more fun than climbing out onto the rail with the tiller extension fully extended. That's why my dinghy is now sitting on its trailer in my backyard. I also learned that reefing can actually make the boat go faster. Apparently, excessive heel creates more drag because of the greater wetted surface, more weather helm and drag from the rudder trying to keep the boat from rounding up. Give it a try and see. If you have a knotmeter or a GPS it should be easy enough to verify, also less heel will keep your crew happy (very important!!). Here's another hint. You can reduce the amount of heel by raising your centerboard slightly (about a quarter to a third of the way up). You will have more sideslip (boat drifting to leeward) unless you bear off a bit, but you will have a more comfortable and controllable ride. Besides, being slightly off the wind can gain you some boatspeed , and can help compensate a bit for the reduced ability to point high. Happy sailing! Peter Suah "Raven"
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John Cooley
I love mine
John, My H23.5 is the first water ballisted boat I have owned, and there are definately some pros and cons. On the negative side, unlike a lead keel which exerts downward force at all times, water ballist must be brought above the boat's water line (heeled) to have any great effect. Therefore, the boat initially feels a little tender until you get used to this characteristic. Other than that however, the room below decks, and the accessability to trailer and beaches makes it a fair trade off. As far as the "Princess seats" (stern rail) go, my boat was originally ordered without them. My dealer assures me they can be added with no problem, but the cost vs. actual use-ability has left my boat without them. I do agree with previous responses on one point without a doubt; dollar for dollar, a used 23.5 is a great boat for the money. Smooth sailing John Cooley s/v SeaThree
John, My H23.5 is the first water ballisted boat I have owned, and there are definately some pros and cons. On the negative side, unlike a lead keel which exerts downward force at all times, water ballist must be brought above the boat's water line (heeled) to have any great effect. Therefore, the boat initially feels a little tender until you get used to this characteristic. Other than that however, the room below decks, and the accessability to trailer and beaches makes it a fair trade off. As far as the "Princess seats" (stern rail) go, my boat was originally ordered without them. My dealer assures me they can be added with no problem, but the cost vs. actual use-ability has left my boat without them. I do agree with previous responses on one point without a doubt; dollar for dollar, a used 23.5 is a great boat for the money. Smooth sailing John Cooley s/v SeaThree
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