Looking at Com-Pac 23 -- some questions...

[DanN]

I've been sailing a Com-pac 16 for a while now and got a mooring this year.  So now that  a Com-Pac 23 has cropped up for sale locally, I'm toying with the idea of upsizing, mostly on the idea that a bigger boat can handle a wider range of conditions ( a bit more chop and a bit more wind).

The boat I'm looking at is an '84 which is the year before the bowsprit and a few other goodies.    Will I regret not having the bowsprit?  I know it can be retrofitted, but it's a pricey upgrade.

What should I look at specifically when checking out a boat of this vintage?   Water in the ballast?   Blisters on the hull?   What else?

How easily can the 23 be single-handed?    Is a crew recommended, or can it be set up and sailed pretty easily from a mooring?

How about cost and maintenance?   Is this an incremental increase, or a geometric increase in cost and labor?



Thanks for the advice,

Dan N.

[pchupik]

Great upgrade in my opinion. 

Single handing is easy, maintanance is mininal (electrical is my biggest task/decision, but do not even need it really).  I have an '79 and it has no problems, very tough to have glass issues with no core.  Very strudy as well.  I have three little kids and they are all very comfortable and stable on the boat.  I would recomend the upgrade.

[edbuchanan]

Hi Dan,

Are you sure it is a 1984?  Ours is a 1984, built in late 1983 as hull number 272; and she has a bowsprit.  Molly was purchased by my wife and I in 1994, and has had no blisters or cracks so far.  I applied a vinylester barrier coat about 10 years ago.

I single hand her under power (in and out of a very crowded Annapolis marina), but have had not had much experience putting the sails up alone, as we have no roller furler.  A tiller pilot installed last year might make sail handling easy, but so far has not been used in that capacity.  Single handing is easy once the sails are up.

I'm sure that the costs must be much larger, as you will be tempted to buy many toys to fill the new found spaces below!

Ernie (Molly, 23/II 1984)

[DanN]

Well, on the phone, they said it's an '84, but the hull number is 230.   So maybe early '84, late '83?   I'll know more after I have a chance to see it tomorrow and kick the tires a bit.

[mike gartland]

Dan-

I have a 1989 CP-23, hull number 478, and it is very sound with a couple of minor exceptions.  The hull-deck joint has developed leaks on both sides in the area of the shroud chain plates.  I did the repair job on one side last year and am planning to tackle the other side this fall.  It's not particularly difficult but is a little time consuming and the boat needs to be out of the water.  Since I keep her in the water year-round here on the Gulf coast, it is a semi-major task for me to  haul her out on her trailer and find space to work on her.  The second soundness issue is in the cockpit floor....in two places cracks have developed in the gelcoat (hopefully not through the fiberglass) where the deck is not well supported from beneath.  I have to assume that one of the three previous owner allowed someone to jump down into the cockpit floor when boarding and stressed the gelcoat beyond its breaking point.  I have not repaired this yet but have a project underway to build a hardwood floor grate which should take the stress off the "soft" spots and cover up the gelcoat repairs (which will somewhat obvious in the non-skid texture) I plan for this coming weekend.  These are both small things but something you can check out when looking at your 23.

As for single-handing, it is quite easy while under power and once sails are up, especially in WindRush with her roller-furling genoa.  In light winds, raising and lowering sails alone is also not a problem but does become more of a challenge for me as the wind picks up (I'm 63) so I don't attempt it above 10 knots.  Maybe with more experience at it I will work out a routine that I feel is safe enough to expand the wind range.

All in all the 23 is a very stable and fun boat to sail.  I've never sailed a 16 but imagine that if you enjoy it you will enjoy the 23 at least as much.

Fair winds,

Mike

[Bob23]

Dan: I know this is a bit late but I hope helpful.
   I have a 1985 23/2 which I keep moored in the Barnegat Bay, NJ. I mostly single hand the boat and I've experienced no problems. Thing is, make a mental checklist of all the things you need to do before casting off. I usually sail off and back on to the mooring without outboard assist unless the wind and/or tide prevents doing so safely.
   You'll love the 23. I've never sailed a 16 so I can't compare but the 23 is truely a well behaved yacht.
   Bob23

[DanN]

Thanks.    The boat I was looking at didn't work out -- it was an early '84, so I would have had to have spent a prohibitive amount to upgrade it to a bow sprit, plus the appropriate new sails and roller reefing.     Plus I wasn't happy that the current owner was in the process of coating the entire interior with opaque dark stain -- something that would have had required a whole world of pain to undo.   A sailboat-savvy friend of mine suspects that this was to hide water damage.

So, I'm going to keep looking, and in the meantime will probably decorate my 16 with a set of new sails for the next season.

[curtisv]

I've been sailing a Com-pac 16 for a while now and got a mooring this year.  So now that  a Com-Pac 23 has cropped up for sale locally, I'm toying with the idea of upsizing, mostly on the idea that a bigger boat can handle a wider range of conditions ( a bit more chop and a bit more wind).

( ... trimmed ... )

How easily can the 23 be single-handed?    Is a crew recommended, or can it be set up and sailed pretty easily from a mooring?

How about cost and maintenance?   Is this an incremental increase, or a geometric increase in cost and labor?

Thanks for the advice,

Dan N.

Dan,

I know it didn't work out but for future reference:

• The CP23 is very easy to single hand.  Get a tiller tamer.  Crew is nice to have for company and it sure helps if you are on a long passage but not necessary to sail the boat.
• OTOH - raising and lowering the mast is very hard to do by yourself - but that wasn't the question.
• Cost of maintenance will be higher than a CP16.

Great boat.  In light air the winches are not really needed but you have them.  In moderate air a well planned tack can be done without the winch (trim tight while going through the wind and ease slightly after).  In strong conditions you need the winch but with a tiller tamer you don't have to keep a constant hand (or foot) on the tiller.  If you want to make it really easy to single hand you could add self tailing winches but that isn't needed.

Curtis

[Bob23]

A previous owner replaced the winches on my 23 with Anderson 23ST (self-tailing) Very nice...I've gotten spoiled...they just make life a bit easier, and safer in some respects.
Bob23

[curtisv]

Bob,

A previous owner replaced the winches on my 23 with Anderson 23ST (self-tailing) Very nice...I've gotten spoiled...they just make life a bit easier, and safer in some respects.
Bob23

Self tailers are great and if the PO bought them all the better.  They are sure expensive though.  Some CP16s have sold for about the price of a pair of harken 2-speed self tailering winches (about $1,000 each last I looked - just looked again and now there is a one speed self tailing for $550).

My next foolish expenditure (wife's perspective) will be a traveller.  After that probably light air sails.  Self tailing winches are real nice but not really needed.  They might be more of a priority if my wife ever attempted single handing or for my kids when they were younger if they ever tried sailing without Dad (with Mom).  I think by now both kids are stronger than my wife.

Curtis

[Bob23]

Correction: Andersen 12ST. I can't type worth a dang!!
Somewhere on this site is a 1992 or 93  Compac 23 for sale for $7900 I think. I was tempted to call, but my 1985 suites me just fine.
Bob23 on the hard in NJ for the winter

[curtisv]

I've been sailing a Com-pac 16 for a while now and got a mooring this year.  So now that  a Com-Pac 23 has cropped up for sale locally, I'm toying with the idea of upsizing, mostly on the idea that a bigger boat can handle a wider range of conditions ( a bit more chop and a bit more wind).

(... trimmed ...)

Thanks for the advice,

Dan N.

Dan,

Did you get the CP23?

btw - I have lots of info on my experiences with my CP23 at
http://www.faster-light.net/remote-access/boat-review.html