BoatsCom-Pac Yachts 23

Com-Pac Yachts 23

Masthead Sloop · Fin w/transom Hung Rudder · First built 1978

A Clark Mills-designed masthead sloop with a shallow 0.69m draft, built for stable and accessible coastal cruising

Designed by Clark Mills.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/transom Hung Rudder

See her sail

The Com-Pac Yachts 23, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.39 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,315 kg of hull, so roughly 1,900 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draughtDraws 0.69 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 14 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 14
CoastalBluewater

2.20 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.20
LightHeavy

158 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 158
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.3
TenderStiff

46% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 46%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Draws less than ~97% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1090 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Com-Pac Yachts 23, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Com-Pac Yachts 23 is a masthead sloop designed by Clark Mills and built by Com-Pac Yachts, Hutchins Co. since 1978. It features a fin keel with a transom-hung rudder, measures 6.9 meters LOA, 2.4 meters in beam, and draws 0.7 meters, displacing 1315 kg. Com-Pac Yachts, founded by Les Hutchins in 1970, specializes in trailerable, shoal-draft sailboats, with models ranging from 16 to 35 feet.1:44 The company uses hand-laid fiberglass construction and maintains in-house metal and wood shops for assembly.5:44

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
46.2%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.3
Displacement / length
157.8
Comfort ratio
13.8
Capsize screening
2.20
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
564
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/transom hung rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1978
Designer
Clark Mills
Builder
Com-Pac Yachts, Hutchins Co

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Beneteau First 2357.11 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Groupe Finot-designed fractional sloop built for performance, featuring a light displacement and high sail area ratio
J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/247.32 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA legendary Rodney Johnstone design that defined the modern one-design racer with its high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Sirius 7277.27 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA development of the Sirius 24, this fractional sloop features a fin keel with skeg-mounted rudder for balanced handling
Gilbert Marine Tequila7.20 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Philippe H. Harle-designed masthead sloop that claimed the 1971 Quarter Ton Cup with her prototype performance
C&C Yachts 247.32 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA lively 1975 masthead sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, designed for responsive club racing
Ranger Yachts 237.21 mSame hull family0.3 m longerDesigned to rate at the IOR 18-foot level, this masthead sloop offered an optional tall rig starting in 1974

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

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The fleet has more to say

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