Com-Pac 23 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Across four generations, Com-Pac refined the design rather than reinventing it. The result rewards sailors who value simplicity and craftsmanship more than raw performance.

Design and Construction

Clark Mills gave the 23 a sheerline that sweeps aft from a short bowsprit, then bends upward near the transom-hung rudder. A boxy cabintrunk carries round or oval bronze ports and flows into the deck.

Com-Pac farmed out the molding of the solid-fiberglass hull and balsa-cored deck. Inside, longitudinal stringers encapsulate the bulkheads and stiffen the panels.

The interior components are handmade, with plywood bulkheads and surfaces finished in teak veneers. A teak-and-holly sole is a particularly nice touch on a boat this size. Period assessment rated the workmanship as first-rate and markedly better than that of most small-boat manufacturers.

Rig and Sailing Qualities

The mast stands 30 feet off the water and was designed to be raised and lowered without a gin pole, a useful trait for trailering. The standing rigging seems a bit undersized for a rig of this height, though that is the tradeoff made for easier mast handling.

Under sail, the Com-Pac 23 is nimble but not close-winded. Wide sheeting angles and some weather helm when beating are offset by beautiful reaching performance. Owners report regularly touching the theoretical 6-knot hull speed on a reach.

The hull is prone to pitching, but it doesn’t pound in a chop. Its shallow 2-foot, 3-inch draft also lets the boat skip across shallows that deeper boats must tack around. The triangular mainsheet arrangement crowds the helmsman, although a traveler would intrude even more into this compact cockpit.

Accommodations

With a beam of nearly eight feet, the cabin feels spacious for the boat’s length. Standing headroom, however, is available only beneath the companionway.

Teak veneers on the bulkheads and teak paneling along the cabin sides warm the interior. Two overhead hatches and six opening bronze portlights provide excellent ventilation.

The layout sleeps four, with two settee berths and two forward berths. A portable table mounts on the bulkhead, while a storage compartment between the forward berths houses a portable head. Introduced on the 23/2, the hide-away galley has a two-burner stovetop to port and a stainless-steel sink to starboard.

Cockpit and Deck Gear

The self-bailing cockpit is more than seven feet long and includes two lockers and a bridgedeck. The original laminated mahogany-and-ash tiller gives good leg support while steering.

The stainless-steel pulpits and stanchions are beefy by small-boat standards. Teak handrails and molded nonskid help make the narrow side decks safe to negotiate. Newer boats also gained a chain pipe and divided chain locker.

Most Com-Pac 23s use outboard power, with a built-in locker sized for a six-gallon fuel tank.

Generations and the Com-Pac 23 D

The first major changes arrived with the 23/2 in the mid-1980s. These included the popular hide-away galley, upgraded interior finishing, and a bowsprit that provided needed sail area.

The 23/3 followed in the early 1990s with mostly minor tooling upgrades. Most notably, larger oval portlights replaced the small round ones, and the design otherwise retained the box cabintrunk’s bronze ports flowing into the deck.

The rare 23 D carries a 10-horsepower, single-cylinder Yanmar diesel. The builder claimed that only about 35 were built, making them desirable on the secondhand market.

The Verdict

The Com-Pac 23 is a thoughtfully built small cruiser whose handmade interior and solid construction outclass those of typical trailerable boats. It trades upwind bite for shoal-water freedom and easy mast handling, while its successive generations show steady, sensible refinement rather than wholesale redesign.

Pros