Design and Construction
The ETAP 23 is a recreational keelboat built primarily of foam-cored fiberglass with wood trim. Like her smaller ETAP sisters, she is double skinned, with foam between outside and aside layers of fiberglass. The foam is injected between the outer and inner fiberglass skins.
That sandwich construction does more than provide insulation. Period testers found that it stiffened the hull structure and made the boat unsinkable even when filled with water. It also kept the cabin dry and free of condensation while muffling ambient noise. ETAP used this double-skin method across the marque, making unsinkability a basic design trait rather than an added feature.
The finish provides a warm contrast to the otherwise utilitarian fiberglass shell. Mahogany and/or teak woodwork and polished brass hardware are used throughout, and the boat is extremely well finished.
Rig, Keel, and Handling
The ETAP 23 has a fractional Bermuda sloop rig, a raked stem, and a plumb transom. A tiller controls the transom-hung rudder.
Her defining appendage is a weighted bulb lifting keel. This ballasted, vertically retracting unit keeps draft low for trailering and exploring shoal waters while offering useful depth for upwind sailing when lowered. With the keel down, the boat draws just over five feet; with it retracted, draft is under three feet.
Her average PHRF racing handicap of 240 places her among modest cruisers rather than outright racing boats.
Accommodations
The wide beam creates more usable room below than the boat’s length might suggest. She sleeps four: two in a double V-berth in the bow cabin and two in straight settee quarter berths in the main cabin. A drop-leaf table serves the main saloon.
The galley is on the port side, just aft of the bow cabin, and includes a two-burner stove, an icebox, and a sink. The head is tucked beneath the V-berth on the port side of the bow cabin.
An outboard well is conveniently positioned in the cockpit near the helm station, keeping the auxiliary clear of the cabin sole.
Ownership and Class Context
The design was once supported by a class club, the ETAP Owners Association, which gave owners a structured network for parts and shared experience.
ETAP Yachting later went through ownership changes and insolvency in the late 2000s. Those events occurred well after the ETAP 23’s production run and don’t affect the boat’s original build era.
Verdict
The ETAP 23 is a thoughtfully engineered small cruiser. Her foam-sandwich construction provides unsinkability, stiffness, reduced noise, and resistance to condensation in a package that trails easily and can sleep four. The lifting keel expands her potential cruising ground, while the well-finished interior suits weekend use.
She remains a small boat, however, with a modest handicap and limited ambitions for offwind performance.
Pros
- Unsinkable foam-sandwich hull that also reduces noise and condensation
- Weighted bulb lifting keel combines low trailering draft with useful depth for upwind sailing
- Warm, well-finished mahogany and/or teak interior with polished brass hardware
- Sleeps four, with an enclosed head and functional galley
Cons
- Modest 240 PHRF handicap limits her racing relevance
- Small footprint restricts comfort for living aboard or extended cruising
