BoatsSeafarer 23 Kestrel (Cruise)

Seafarer 23 Kestrel (Cruise)

Masthead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · First built 1963

A Sparkman & Stephens design featuring a versatile keel-centerboard configuration for shoal-water cruising

Designed by Sparkman & Stephens, built by G. de Vries Lentch Jr.

LOA
Beam
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.13 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,678 kg of hull, so roughly 2,300 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draftDraws 0.71 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 23 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 23
CoastalBluewater

1.81 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.81
LightHeavy

368 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 368
EasygoingPowered-up

15.4 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.4
TenderStiff

38% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 38%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Heavier than ~78% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~88% of boats her size on file

Compared with 614 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
37.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.4
Displacement / length
367.7
Comfort ratio
23.2
Capsize screening
1.81
Hull speed
5.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
413
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Iron
Production
Years built
First built 1963
Designer
Sparkman, Stephens
Builder
G. de Vries Lentch Jr, Amsterdam Shipyard G. de Vries Lentsch Jr.

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Paceship Yachts Westwind 247.29 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Ted Hood-designed masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, built for versatility in shoal waters
Hunter Marine 226.78 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA masthead-rigged trailerable cruiser with a keel-centerboard configuration for flexible draft and coastal access
O'day 23-26.93 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead keel-centerboard sloop produced in Brazil and the U.S. for over a decade as a popular coastal cruiser
Tartan Marine 278.23 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA Sparkman & Stephens keel-centerboard sloop that launched Tartan Marine and enjoyed a 19-year production run
Macgregor 26X7.87 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA water-ballasted sail-power hybrid designed for versatile coastal cruising and easy trailering

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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