Design and Construction
Aloa Marine built the 23 R in France from polyester, with solid fiberglass forming both hull and deck. The recorded hull length is 6.8 m against a 6 m waterline, and she carries a beam of 2.48 m with a draft of 1.20 m on a fin keel and transom-hung rudder. Displacement sits at 1,200 kg with 360 kg of iron ballast, a 30 percent ballast-to-weight ratio that the French test record cites as 0.3. One owner consulting francisation papers lists a slightly longer overall length of 7.25 m, a 6.60 m waterline, and a 1.15 m draft, but the builder's published dimensions remain the standard reference. The HN Group 8 classification places her among modest-performance coastal designs.
Rig and Handling
The fractional sloop rig carries 25.5 m² of sail area split almost evenly between a 12.7 m² mainsail and a 12.8 m² genoa. With a sail-area-to-weight ratio of 21 and a ballast-to-sail-area ratio of 14, the performance figures describe a boat that is light on her feet without being overcanvased. A 6 to 8 HP outboard supplies auxiliary power. The ZV ratio of 14 recorded in the French review reflects the same balance of stability and canvas that the other coefficients express.
Accommodations
Below, the Aloa 23 R provides four berths under a headroom of 1.5 m. That clearance is low by modern standards and suits a boat intended for weekending and sheltered-water cruising rather than standing-headroom living. The compact interior is a direct consequence of the 6.8 m hull and coastal Category 3 rating.
The Verdict
The Aloa 23 R is a tidy, limited-production French pocket cruiser with a clean fractional rig and a build of 99 hulls. Faroux's design is coherent: light displacement, moderate ballast, and a small but well-proportioned sail plan make her an accessible entry to coastal sailing. The discrepancies between published and owner-reported dimensions are worth noting for any survey, but the essential character is that of a simple, polyester coastal sloop.
Pros
- Light, easily handled fractional sloop with near-equal main and genoa
- Solid fiberglass construction from a known French builder
- Four berths in a Category 3 coastal cruiser
Cons
- 1.5 m headroom limits below-deck comfort
- Short production run and limited hull count
- Conflicting dimensions between builder and owner papers
