Design and Construction
The original Coronado 23 is a fiberglass monohull built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, offered as a recreational keelboat with a raked stem and a plumb transom. Two underbody configurations left the factory: a fixed fin keel or a stub keel with centerboard. The fin-keel version displaces 2,300 lb and carries 1,100 lb of cast iron ballast, drawing 3.17 ft, while the centerboard variant (often referenced as the CB) displaces 2,485 lb with 810 lb of ballast and ranges from 2.56 ft board-up to 5.00 ft board-down. Beam measures 7.75 ft on a 22.58 ft LOA with a 20.08 ft waterline, and the boat is steered by an internally mounted spade rudder on a tiller.
Rig and Handling
The Coronado 23 is rigged as a Bermuda-rigged masthead sloop, with an I foretriangle of 26.58 ft and a J base of 9.00 ft, paired to a mainsail luff of 23.50 ft and foot of 10.25 ft. Total sail area is just over 240 sq ft, split nearly evenly between a 120.44 sq ft main and a 119.61 sq ft jib or genoa. The design shows a hull speed of 6.0 kn and carries a PHRF racing average handicap of 270. Writing in a 2010 review, Steve Henkel noted that her PHRF seems to indicate a performance deficiency versus her competitors anchor.
Accommodations
Below, the design sleeps four. A double V-berth occupies the bow cabin, where the head is tucked under the berth. In the main cabin a straight settee quarter berth runs along the starboard side and a drop-down dinette table berth sits to port. The galley is amidships to starboard, fitted with a recessed stove, an ice box, and a double sink. Cabin headroom is 57 inches. Henkel's 2010 assessment observed that the boat packs a lot of stuff into a limited space — four berths, a dinette, head, stove, icebox, and sink — which captures the compact but complete character of the layout anchor.
Equipment and Power
The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp outboard motor for docking and maneuvering, mounted in a centered aft well. That well sits right at the helmsman's feet, and Henkel praised the placement of the outboard engine well under the tiller for giving the helmsman very good access to the engine controls anchor. The arrangement keeps the powerplant close at hand without consuming interior volume.
The Verdict
The original Coronado 23 is a small, trailerable Crealock design that balances compact cruising accommodations with straightforward trailerable dimensions and an outboard-driven, tiller-steered package. Its centerboard option extends shallow-water reach, while the fin-keel model stays light and simple. The PHRF suggests it will not outrun dedicated racers, but the boat's appeal lies in usable space and easy handling rather than raw speed.
Pros
- Sleeps four in a 22 ft hull with head, galley, and dinette
- Outboard well at the tiller gives the helmsman direct engine access
- Centerboard version draws under 3 ft retracted for trailering and gunkholing
- Fiberglass construction with wood trim and simple rigging
Cons
- PHRF of 270 indicates a performance deficit against comparable cruiser-racers
- 57-inch headroom limits comfort for taller sailors
- Out of production since the 1970s; original now superseded by unrelated 23-2
