BoatsMontgomery Boats 23

Montgomery Boats 23

Masthead Sloop · Swing Keel · First built 1979

A swing-keel masthead sloop offered in kit form that was later reimagined as an offshore cutter

Designed by Lyle C. Hess.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Swing Keel

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.44 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,633 kg of hull, so roughly 2,250 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draughtDraws 0.74 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 16 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 16
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 2.09
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 154
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.5
TenderStiff

43% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 43%

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

  • Heavier than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 612 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
42.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.5
Displacement / length
154.5
Comfort ratio
15.7
Capsize screening
2.09
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
624
Hull
Hull type
Swing Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead keel/cast iron centerboard
Production
Years built
First built 1979
Units built
20
Designer
Lyle C. Hess
Builder
Montgomery Boats

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.

Macgregor 26X7.87 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA water-ballasted sail-power hybrid designed for versatile coastal cruising and easy trailering
Cal Boats 247.43 mSame hull family0.4 m longerThe inaugural Jensen Marine Cal model, this fractional keel-centerboard sloop was built for shoal-water versatility
O'day 23-1 (Lift Top)7.01 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA popular C. Raymond Hunt-designed masthead sloop featuring a unique lift-top coach roof for added cabin headroom
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
Seaward Yachts 26RK8.66 mSame hull family1.7 m longerA fractional sloop with a 1.83m lifting bulb keel, offering deep-water performance in a trailerable 8.66m package

The family

Boats like this

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

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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