Irwin 23
hey Gary the construction of the earlier Irwins was solid and straightforward, with a few quirks. although I have never closly inspected a 23, I can tell youwat I found on my 27. the hull is solid fiberglass with ballast surrounding long shallow centerboard slot. on most centerboard boats you'll find ballast of either poured concrete or metal slugs surrounded by thick fiberglass. check the outside bottom of the keel stub and the bilge for any obvious damage or intrusion of seawater into the ballast area. with a hard plastic mallet or large screwdriver handle, sound out the ballasted stub to look for any dull sounding thud areas that would indicate voids and or delamination in the stub keel area. While your at it, sound out the entire hullfor possible delamination or previously repaired areas. You'll want to check the centerboard pin and pennant for wear or corrosion, The pennant in my opinion is a wear part that should be replaced once every several years. Most irwins do not have a " swing keel " which consists of a really heavy slab of, usually cast iron or maybe bronze or stainless. a swing keel efectively lowers the center of gravity when lowered . Most shoal draft Irwins have a fiberglas centerboard that is ballasted enough to hold it down when needed. Give me a call and we'll discuss this subject further. after 6 pm, and before 10 pm. 508099709279 Dan
