This is a light-displacement coastal cruiser-racer with a lead-ballasted fin keel and spade rudder. Warwick Hood said it “doesn't have many vices”—a fair summary of a small boat intended to combine manageable cruising with useful performance.
Design and Construction
The Hood 23 was conceived as a small, properly engineered sailing boat rather than a minimal trailer toy. At least four versions emerged over the years, including pop-top and centreboard variants as well as the standard fin-keel form.
The boat measures 23.62 feet overall, with a 20-foot waterline and a beam of 7.87 feet. Displacement is roughly 3,700 pounds. Its solid fiberglass hull and deck and 1,850-pound lead ballast produce a 50 percent ballast-displacement ratio, making for a stiff, manageable platform.
The 1976-built Arabesque represents the more substantial cruising iteration. It has a full keel and a full-standing-room coach-house with ample light.
A capsize ratio of 2.04 and a comfort ratio near 17 place the Hood 23 firmly in modest coastal-cruiser territory rather than the offshore expedition class. Those numbers also help explain why owners find the boat predictable.
Rig and Handling
The 329-square-foot masthead rig rises just over 11 meters above the waterline. In fin-keel form, the Hood 23 tacks cleanly and has never been caught in stays.
Owners report that they single-reef the mainsail for the jibs and double-reef it for the storm jib to balance the helm. In very light winds, the main and genoa still keep the boat moving.
A trial sail in about 25 knots under full main and jib showed the boat at its limit. Since then, a double-reefed main and storm jib have provided a more balanced and comfortable setup. This forgiving behavior and the ease of balancing the sail plan support the designer’s assessment that the boat lacks many vices.
Accommodation
The coach-house provides full standing room and good light. On Arabesque, the period interior has green vinyl seats and dark wood veneer panels.
A folding cover over the galley doubles as a chart table, a practical arrangement on a boat of this size. The 1976 example shows how the coach-house format can support liveaboard-style cruising without a rebuild. On at least one boat, the V-berth area and forward-hatch access were later adapted to accommodate a 50-liter water bladder, demonstrating the scope for modest upgrades.
Known Issues
A survey of Arabesque found dry rot in the packing timber for the coach-house, a non-compliant gas stove, and seacocks that merited replacement. The owner’s family later replaced the timber support. The old gate-valve seacocks were also exchanged for bronze-ball valves, which show their closed state at a glance.
These were localized, addressable faults rather than systemic structural defects. Even so, buyers should make the condition of the coach-house timber and seacocks primary inspection points.
Refits and Ownership
After the main halyard chafed during a storm, the owner rerigged the boat with Spectra halyards—a sensible modernization on a 1960s design. The tiller was repaired by scarfing in new wood.
A propane one-burner stove and transom-mounted marine BBQ replaced the non-compliant original stove, an upgrade the owner described as appropriate for a cruiser. On Arabesque, a 15hp Johnson outboard provided auxiliary power, while a 15-pound CQR anchor held securely through a rough night.
The Hood 23 Yacht Association has only about 20 registered boats, although the class president believes hundreds remain in circulation.
The Verdict
The Hood 23 is a thoughtfully engineered small coastal cruiser-racer. It rewards careful inspection of its coach-house timber and seacocks, but offers unusually balanced, forgiving handling for its length. Warwick Hood’s original aim—to create a properly built small boat with useful performance—remains clear in both its sailing manners and cruising accommodation.
Pros
- Forgiving helm that’s easily balanced when reefing is matched to the headsail
- Full-standing-room coach-house
- Practical combined galley cover and chart table
- Solid fiberglass construction with substantial lead ballast for its size
Cons
- Coach-house packing timber can suffer dry rot if neglected
- Original gas stoves and gate-valve seacocks commonly need replacement
- The limited registered fleet makes class-support parts less certain than for higher-volume brands
