Sea Sprite 23 Explained

Sea Sprite 23 Daysailor
Designer:Carl Alberg
Location:United States
Year:1958
No Built:780
Builder:American Boatbuilding
Wickford Shipyard
C. E. Ryder
Sailstar Boat Company
Beetle Boat Company
Role:Day sailer-cruiser
Draft:3.1feet
Displacement:33500NaN0
Hull Type:monohull
Construction:fiberglass
Loa:22.5feet
Lwl:16.25feet
Beam:7feet
Engine:diesel engine/outboard motor
Keel Type:long keel
Ballast:14000NaN0
Rudder Type:keel-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Bermuda rig
I:25feet
J:7.25feet
P:27feet
E:11.42feet
Sailplan:fractional rigged sloop
Sailarea Main:154.17square feet
Sailarea Headsail:97.75square feet
Sailarea Total:251.92square feet
Phrf:264

The Sea Sprite 23 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Carl Alberg as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1958.[1] [2] [3] [4]

The design was built in two versions, the Daysailor and the Weekender.[1] [2]

It was also called the Alberg 23 in 1970 when produced by C. E. Ryder.[5]

Production

The design was built by American Boatbuilding, Wickford Shipyard, C. E. Ryder, the Sailstar Boat Company and the Beetle Boat Company in the United States, but it is now out of production.[1] [2] [4] [6] [7] [8]

Design

The Sea Sprite 23 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig; a spooned, raked stem; a raised counter, angled, transom; a keel-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed long keel. It displaces 33500NaN0 and carries 14000NaN0 of ballast.[1] [2] [4]

The boat has a draft of 3.1feet with the standard keel.[1] [2] [4]

The different builders incorporated different features in the design. Ryder's boats had an outboard motor well under a lazarette hatch cover, while Sailstar's used an open well. Ryder also used encapsulated lead ballast, while earlier builders used external, bolt-on lead ballast.[4]

The boat is fitted with an inboard diesel engine of 7.50NaN0, or a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The inboard version's fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of .[1] [2] [4]

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 264 and a hull speed of 5.4kn.[4]

Variants

Sea Sprite 23 Daysailor
  • This model has a smaller cabin with two settee berths, but a longer cockpit. The cockpit has wooden seats and is not self-bailing, but the boat is equipped with a mainsheet traveler and a cabin-top stepped mast, with one set of lower shrouds.[1] [4]
    Sea Sprite 23 Weekender
  • This model has a self-bailing cockpit, with molded fiberglass seats. It is not equipped with a mainsheet traveler. The mast is deck-stepped, forward of the coach house and there are two sets of lower shrouds. It a cabin with a companionway and steps. The cabin has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow and two straight settee berths aft. The galley is located on both sides, just aft of the bow "V"-berth and is equipped with an ice box to port and a sink to starboard. This version was first built by Beetle Boats.[2] [4]

    Operational history

    The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the Sea Sprite Association.[9]

    In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "worst features: The somewhat shallow draft of three feet detracts a bit from upwind performance, although reaching and running is unaffected."[4]

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Sea Sprite 23 (Daysailor) sailboat . 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2021. https://archive.today/20220201202437/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sea-sprite-23-daysailor. 1 February 2022. live.
    2. Web site: Sea Sprite 23 (Weekender) sailboat . 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2021. https://archive.today/20210610200442/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sea-sprite-23-weekender. 10 June 2021. live.
    3. Web site: Carl Alberg. 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20201021182142/https://sailboatdata.com/designer/alberg-carl. 21 October 2020. live.
    4. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 250. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010.
    5. Web site: Alberg 23 sailboat . 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211019044553/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/alberg-23. 19 October 2021. live.
    6. Web site: C. E. Ryder 1976 - 1990. 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20210316184032/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/c-e-ryder. 16 March 2021. live.
    7. Web site: Sailstar Boat Co. (USA) 1960 - 1971. 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20210103002430/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/sailstar-boat-co-usa. 3 January 2021. live.
    8. Web site: Beetle Boat Co. (USA). 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20200705162936/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/beetle-boat-cousa. 5 July 2020. live.
    9. Web site: Sea Sprite Association. 1 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20220201202721/https://sailboatdata.com/association/sea-sprite-association. 1 February 2022. live.