BoatsSea Sprite 23 (Daysailer)

Sea Sprite 23 (Daysailer)

Fractional Sloop · Long Keel · 1958–1986

A Carl Alberg-designed fractional sloop with a long keel, built for over two decades as a classic daysailer

Designed by Carl Alberg, built by C. E. Ryder.

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

See her sail

The Sea Sprite 23 (Daysailer), on the water

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

Footage from Hold Fast!

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 1,520 kg of hull, so roughly 2,100 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draughtDraws 0.91 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 21 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 21
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.87
LightHeavy

349 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 349
EasygoingPowered-up

18.1 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.1
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 43%

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

  • Draws less than ~76% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~89% of boats her size on file

Compared with 170 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Sea Sprite 23 (Daysailer), as the fleet has seen it

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

The Sea SPRITE 23 (DAYSAILER) is a 6.9-meter fractional sloop with a long keel, designed by Carl Alberg and built by C.E. Ryder, Sailstar Boats, Seasprite Co., and Beetle Boat Co. between 1958 and 1986. This version features a cockpit that is not self-bailing, wooden seats, and doors leading to the cabin. Its mast is stepped on the cabin top, and it includes a traveler. The rudder post passes through the aft deck, and the rig uses one set of lower shrouds. The Sea SPRITE 23 (DAYSAILER) displaces 1519 kg and has a draft of 0.9 meters.

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
43.2%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.1
Displacement / length
348.5
Comfort ratio
21.4
Capsize screening
1.87
Hull speed
5.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
406
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1958–1986
Units built
780
Designer
Carl Alberg
Builder
C.E.Ryder, Sailstar Boats, Seasprite Co, Beetle Boat 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.

Pearson Yachts Ensign6.86 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Carl Alberg-designed fractional day sailor and one-design racer built on the proven Electra hull for active club fleets
Contessa 267.77 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA David Sadler-designed long-keel masthead sloop, built in both England and Canada with a 25-year production run
Flicka 207.32 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Bruce Bingham-designed cutter with a long keel, originally offered as amateur plans before becoming a production classic
Bristol Yachts 278.28 mSame hull family1.4 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed masthead sloop with a long keel, built for over a decade as a stable, traditional cruiser
Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull family1.5 m longerA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising
Bristol Yachts 247.49 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA Paul Coble-designed masthead sloop with a long keel and over 50% ballast ratio for stable coastal cruising

The family

Boats like this

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

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Sea Sprite 23 (Daysailer), or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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