Design and Construction
The hull is hand-laminated fiberglass with an ISO/NPG gelcoat finish and a vinylaster resin skin coat, and the deck is a closed-cell PVC foam sandwich with plywood inserts under the mast and any through-bolted hardware. The hull-to-deck joint is bonded and through-bolted, while a reinforced overhead beam carries mast loads in place of a compression post, leaving the cabin undivided underfoot. Above the waterline the white hull is trimmed in teak with light gray molded non-skid, and the bow shows a fine entry with substantial topside flare forward, widening into broad quarters that taper to a small transom. The fixed keel houses an elliptical-profile, airfoil-shaped centerboard, and the kick-up rudder uses the same high-lift NACA foil sections that period reviewers called among the most efficient in a boat this size.
Rig and Handling
The Precision 23 carries a simple fractional rig with a single set of spreaders and a tall-aspect main that provides most of the 248 square feet of sail area. Chainplates sit well inboard on the cabin top, which tightens sheeting angles for better upwind performance and clears the wide side decks into open paths from cockpit to bow. The main has one set of jiffy-reef points, and the backstay is split with a short bridle. On the numbers she carries a PHRF between 225 and 231 and a Portsmouth rating of 93.6; one owner reported reefing at about 15 knots when cruising. Precision itself does not recommend offshore passages in this design, which is built around sheltered-water and coastal trailering use.
Accommodations
Below, the absence of a compression post and the non-compartmentalized forward bulkheads create an open plan with better-than-average sitting headroom. Facing mid-cabin settees join a sizable quarter berth and a mid-size V-berth, with a hideaway head forward under the V-berth and a standard porta potti to port. The galley sits starboard aft with a stainless sink and manual pump, an ice chest with teak step, and a two-burner alcohol stove vented by a large center companionway. A V-berth hatch and Lewmar opening ports handle ventilation, and an anchor locker forward plus a separate ventilated gas-can locker aft keep foul and flammable gear isolated.
Cockpit and Deck Gear
The cockpit runs nearly seven feet long with seats built into the stern pulpit and stern perch seats aft, and visibility from the seated helm is excellent. Storage is generous: a deep and a shallow lazarette plus three separate lockers, with single lifelines that open at the 7 foot 3 inch cockpit. Hardware is Harken throughout, and an angled molded toe rail with non-skid supports movement forward. A battery box is standard without a battery, and the outboard-ready transom pairs with a 2-inch trailer coupling for the road.
The Verdict
The Precision 23 is a well-resolved trailer-sailer that trades offshore ambition for day-sailing and gunkholing ease, with a stiff and open interior and a foil package that punches above its length.
Pros
- Inboard chainplates and a tall fractional main give strong upwind bite for the size
- Centerboard keel and kick-up rudder open shallow coves and ramp-launching
- Compression-beam structure yields an unbroken, airy cabin plan
Cons
- Builder advises against offshore passages
- Single reef point in the main limits deep-cruising flexibility
