Design and Construction
The 23 is a typical Alberg design: narrow beam, full keel, and conservative ballast-to-displacement ratio, with graceful lines and a gentle sheer offset by distinctive overhangs that add to its seagoing profile typical Alberg design—narrow beam, full keel. At 7 feet 0 inches of beam and a waterline length of just 16 feet 3 inches, it is heavily ballasted, with 43 percent of its 3,350-pound displacement in the lead-filled full keel, and it draws only three feet—virtually shoal draft and less than many smaller boats. Practical Sailor describes the hull, deck and cabinhouse of the Ryder-built boats as solid, hand-laid fiberglass for a tight, sound body solid, hand-laid fiberglass, with an inward flange hull/deck joint sealed with 3M 5200 and fastened with machine screws. Ryder built new molds for the boat, encapsulating the heretofore external lead keel, creating a self-bailing cockpit, and introducing hull colors besides white—bright red, blue and green. One owner called the boat "overbuilt," and the construction shows in non-skid surfaces on the deck and deckhouse, standard bronze hardware including opening portlights, mahogany coamings and backrest, and teak grabrails above.
Rig and Handling
The Sprite carries a modest 247 square feet of sail under main and working jib, and the Ryder version steps a 30-foot fractionally rigged mast by Hall Spars on deck, with halyards led internally. It is intended to heel 30 degrees or so when underway, adding waterline length and increasing hull speed; the boat rated well (16.6) under the old Cruising Club of America rules and carries an average PHRF rating of about 270 seconds per mile. Owners report fairly sluggish light-air performance, though others have found that raising a 130- or 150-percent genoa in winds under 10 knots makes a definite improvement. As the wind pipes up the boat digs in, and once in its sailing mode it seems very stable with steering nicely balanced and just a hint of weather helm; the keel-hung rudder doesn't respond as rapidly as a spade would, but the 23 tacks smartly enough, and one owner who now sails a J/Boat remembered his Sprite's tacking as "not unreasonably slow." This is a small boat that handles well when the going gets rough and goes readily offshore, and its stability and ease of handling make it a good choice for the older sailor who doesn't need a big boat anymore.
Accommodations
With low freeboard and superstructure, the 23 makes for pleasing lines but less than spacious accommodations below—this is a boat designed for sailing and not lounging around belowdecks. The cabin is light and reasonably airy with two opening ports and a smoked hatch, and there is satisfactory sitting headroom if you are under six feet, though the interior is definitely not for the claustrophobic. The 6-foot V-berths are too short with minimal clearance, and the 6-foot 3-inch settee berths in the main cabin disappear quickly under the cockpit seats. The marine head sits in a wedge at the foot of the V-berths where its virtual inaccessibility makes the privacy issue moot; many owners have replaced it with a portable head. To starboard between the forward and main berths is the "galley," consisting of a sink fed by a 10-gallon fiberglass water tank under the starboard berth and draining via a through-hull, plus some stowage, while to port there's an insulated icebox that drains into the bilge and more dry storage. Ryder introduced a full interior liner, and the judicious use of holly and teak helps offset the shiny white surfaces with lots of teak trim below.
Known Issues
Early boats had external lead ballast that could begin pulling away from the hull, a failure serious enough that one owner cut up hull #110 when the ballast let go external lead ballast began pulling away. Those early boats also had no internal pan, and their stick-built cabin furniture is prone to rot, while the built-in icebox's insulation compresses down and basically becomes nothing. On the Ryder-built side, several apparently had leaking from the pulpit stanchions, and some earlier models seemed to experience slight leaks around the mast step or chainplates, though otherwise interiors are reported dry and the boats seem structurally sound with no major repairs called for. Most fiberglass boats older than 10 to 15 years show gelcoat deterioration and require painting, which will be true of many used Sprites, yet none of the surveyed owners reported gelcoat blistering.
Refits and Ownership
A 4-hp outboard located in a well aft of the tiller will get the boat to hull speed, but anything smaller is a strain and more than 6 hp may cause control problems; the well is the usual nuisance, and several readers either banished the motor below or would like to, though it does preserve the lines of the boat. Ryder for a time offered an optional Yanmar Model 1 GM diesel that would eliminate many headaches associated with the outboard, but the weight and expense of an inboard seems difficult to justify, and none of the surveyed readers own inboard models. The daysailer variant—with an eight-foot cockpit instead of the standard six, two berths below instead of four, and no galley or icebox—was apparently made in few numbers.
The Verdict
The Sea Sprite 23 is an exceptional daysailer and a seaworthy, strongly built small yacht whose sailing range belies its size. As Clarke Ryder says, they sail like a charm and they're pretty, and the time-honoured looks of the classic Alberg design still turn heads when one sails into a harbor. It rewards the sailor who values motion through the water and offshore capability over belowdecks comfort, and it remains a sensible boat one could take to sea.
Pros
- Narrow-beam Alberg full-keel design with 43 percent ballast ratio and shoal three-foot draft
- Solid, hand-laid fiberglass construction with sound hull/deck joint and self-bailing cockpit on Ryder boats
- Stable, well-balanced handling with easy motion and readiness for rough going offshore
- Classic lines that still draw attention in any harbor
Cons
- Early external lead ballast can separate from the hull; stick-built furniture rots
- Cramped, low-headroom interior with an all but inaccessible head and minimal cruising luxuries
- Sluggish under light air without a larger genoa; outboard well is a perennial nuisance
- Occasional gelcoat painting needed with age; some deck leaks around stanchions or chainplates
