Watkins 23 Explained

Watkins 23
Designer:Johannes "Jopie" Helsen
Location:United States
Year:1973
No Built:400
Builder:Watkins Yachts
Draft:6feet, centerboard down
Displacement:25000NaN0
Hull Type:Monohull
Construction:Fiberglass
Loa:23feet
Lwl:19.8feet
Beam:8feet
Engine:Outboard motor
Keel Type:stub keel and centerboard
Ballast:9000NaN0
Rudder Type:transom-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Bermuda rig
I:24feet
J:9feet
P:21feet
E:8.75feet
Sailplan:Masthead sloop
Sailarea Main:91.88square feet
Sailarea Headsail:108square feet
Sailarea Total:199.88square feet
Phrf:276

The Watkins 23 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Johannes "Jopie" Helsen, modified by Watkins Yachts and first built in 1973.[1] [2] [3]

The Watkins 23 is an authorized development of the Helson 22, produced with permission of the designer.[1]

Production

The design was built by Watkins Yachts in the United States from 1973 to 1980, with 400 examples completed, but it is now out of production.[1] [3] [4]

Design

The Watkins 23 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a spooned raked stem, a near-vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed stub keel with a centerboard. It displaces 25000NaN0 and carries 9000NaN0 of ballast.[1] [3]

The boat has a draft of 6feet with the centerboard extended and 1.5feet with it retracted, allowing ground transportation on a trailer.[1] [3]

The boat is normally fitted with a small 3to outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[1] [3]

The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, a drop-down dinette table that forms a double berth in the main cabin and an aft quarter berth on the port side. The galley is located on the port side just aft of the bow cabin. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink. The head is located in the bow cabin, under the "V"-berth on the starboard side. Cabin headroom is 580NaN0.[3]

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 276 and a hull speed of 5.9kn.[3]

Variants

Watkins 23
  • Base model, introduced in 1973.[1] [5]
    Watkins 23 XL
  • Improved model with a full fiberglass interior and headliner, introduced in 1977.[1] [5] [3]

    Operational history

    The boat is supported by an active class club, the Watkins Owners.[6]

    In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote of the 23XL model, "best features: You get basic sailing transportation for very little money. Worst features: Construction is mediocre, with equipment such as a galvanized boat trailer winch (which can quickly rust in salt water) mounted in the cabin to hoist the centerboard."[3]

    See also

    Similar sailboats

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Watkins 23 XL sailboat . 9 October 2019. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191002190050/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/watkins-23-xl . 2 October 2019. live.
    2. Web site: Johannes "Jopie" Helsen. 9 October 2019. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2019. https://archive.today/20210811203732/https://sailboatdata.com/designer/helsen-johannes-jopie. 11 August 2021. live.
    3. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 211. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010.
    4. Web site: Watkins Yachts. 9 October 2019. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191002190035/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/watkins-yachts. 2 October 2019. live.
    5. Web site: History of Watkins Yachts. 3 October 2019. Watkins Owners Association . watkinsowners.com. 3 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20190314091547/http://www.watkinsowners.com/history.htm. 14 March 2019. live.
    6. Web site: Watkins Owners. 22 March 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20220322180235/https://sailboatdata.com/association/watkins-owners. 22 March 2022. live.