In Search of....a 23

[S2sailorlis]

Hi

Newcomer to the group.  Sold my 27 foot S2 and looking at these 23's.  I saw a tired 23D recently - that likely needs a total engine re-build.   Noticed a few things

1) Shaft log - gelcoat is warn away and I see some stress cracks.  There is movement in the shaft cutless bearing - not sure if that may cause some issues or if there is something inherent to the prop location which is causing some wear.




2)  This is pix of bilge area - noticed that there is a small bulkead at edge of where the cabin sole is - is there no bilge area under the cabin sole?


3) Noticed there is some white crusty stuff in the port locker under the berth - not sure where that is coming from (note this is a saltwater boat)


I was trying to avoid going diesel - as my 27 had a diesel - I like diesel's but for my future intended use I don't think it's needed for me.

Despite this prob not being a boat where I'll make an offer - I do have to say that I really like the design approach of these 23's.

Thanks

Rick

[Geoff]

Good luck. Not a diesel owner, but I have a 23, and love the boat. I know the diesels are sought after, but I love the simplicity of a 4-stroke outboard. What part of the country are you looking in?

Geoff

[brackish]

Rick, regarding your questions:

In older inboards it is not unusual to find wear in cutlass bearing.  Might be time to replace the bearing and rebuild any stress points in the bearing seat area.

No, there is no bilge under the cabin sole.  The boat is designed so all areas drain to the bilge area in your picture.  The area under the cabin sole is filled with ballast material then sealed.

the white crusty stuff?  could be a leak in the hull to deck seam with a little standing water that is evaporating leaving some salt and mineral deposits. Could just be something the owner spilled in the area.

Where are you;  Where is this boat?

[HeaveToo]

Pictures look familiar.  It looks like a boat I have seen on yachtworld.com for a while.  If I am correct, it is in CT, right?

I have a Catalina 30 with a diesel right now.

It is not abnormal to need have to replace the cutlass bearing with some age.  Check to make sure that the shaft doesn't have bad wear marks on it or it may need to be replaced too.

There are some advantages to having a diesel.  It tends to give you more range in cruising.  Mine also has a heat exchanger and I have hot water in a hot water tank because of this.  You also don't have cavitation like an outboard might when you are in big waves.  It also takes some weight off of the stern and places the weight lower in the boat (kind of helps with ballast). 

Disadvantages are:  Slightly more expensive to keep, more expensive to work on, slower boat performance in light winds because of the drag of the prop, have to take entire boat to mechanic instead of just taking the engine, heats up the cabin when you have been running it for a while.

[Bob23]

Iv'e heard that the diesel 23's sail a bit better than the outboard conterpart. Less weight on the stern, more weight down low and closer to the center. Prob drag could be reduced by a folding prop.
Bob23

[moonlight]

Shameless commercial plug ... but I've been dealer for Clean eMarine Americas throughout the Gulf Coast for going on a year, in addition to regular service shop.
Make the diesel a base for a nice mooring.  Put in a LiFePO4 battery pack, a charging system, and an electric motor ...
Contact me for more details
www.moonlightmarine.com

[Bob23]

   Wow...that was shameless! Compac uses an inboard diesel for the 23 Pilothouse and it works fine. I know many friends who have sailboats of various sizes and are thrilled with thier Yanmars. If I were to make on large improvement to my 23, it would be to install the small Yanmar inboard diesel but I'm not. With the 23's small size, one could go either way but if long distance cruising is an intention, nothing wrong with a diesel.
   Besides, there are better moorings available than chucking a cast iron block into the water...doesn't seem very green to me.
Bob23

[wordnut]

I understand the hesitation in buying another inboard. I just sold my Tartan. It had a great Yanmar. But for me the throughhulls, cutlass bearing, stuffing box, belts, hoses, winterizing, battery-charging, etc, were worries for me. I'm ready for a smaller boat and an outboard again. To me, the simpler the better. I'm looking for an old boat and a new outboard. And when that motor goes bad, I'll pop another one on!

[MacGyver]

I prefer Diesel over gas, when maintained properly, they to me are a perfect engine. not much can go wrong, and dont need great skill to rebuild, IMHO.

That being said I appreciate my outboard on my 19, as the fact is, If it went bad, I buy a new one. It isnt too simple to replace them on boats.

We pulled one out of a boat year before last and I made a new wiring harness for it, and cleaned it up, and a new paint job. First time I ever did that, and I am not certified as a mechanic in any way shape or form, just the good lords common and mechanical sense involved. Owner said it ran better than he has ever had it running.

Yanmar to me is the best, they are so simple, and simple to make them run right.

Mac

[brackish]

   Wow...that was shameless! Compac uses an inboard diesel for the 23 Pilothouse and it works fine. I know many friends who have sailboats of various sizes and are thrilled with thier Yanmars. If I were to make on large improvement to my 23, it would be to install the small Yanmar inboard diesel but I'm not. With the 23's small size, one could go either way but if long distance cruising is an intention, nothing wrong with a diesel.
   Besides, there are better moorings available than chucking a cast iron block into the water...doesn't seem very green to me.
Bob23

Shameless for sure as is this thread drift, however, are you aware that Compac has launched their first ever powerboat.  A launch that looks like it came from one of the cats.  And the prototype was powered with an electric motor.  Fact is the way I use my boat I could do fine with that system.  I usually only need a couple of hours of motor run time and then I'm back plugged into the dock.  Who knows, when battery technology gets better........

http://www.com-pacyachts.com/news/