Design and Construction
Mull described the Ranger 23 as “a little ship capable of sailing anywhere in the world safely, and swiftly.” The hull reflects that aim, with a fine bow entry and racy lines that distinguished it from most early-1970s contemporaries.
Below the waterline, the boat has straightforward trapezoidal appendages using standard NACA sections. The fin keel carries 1,500 pounds of lead ballast, while the spade rudder turns on a stainless steel post.
Ranger built the hull and deck to Lloyd’s Provisional Rules for GRP vessels. The hull uses alternating layers of mat and woven roving, with bulkheads bonded to the shell and the interior carried in a fiberglass pan. The deck is a balsa-cored sandwich made with a honeycomb method developed by Hexcel Corporation, providing stiffness without much weight.
Rig and Handling
The Ranger 23 carries a high-aspect sailplan on a beefy, deck-stepped masthead rig with a single set of spreaders. Mull noted that he could design each Ranger mast specifically for its model instead of relying on stock extrusions. The standard mast rises 27.7 feet above the deck; a tall rig adds two feet and corresponding sail area for regions with light air. Mull later drew a revised sailplan with a shorter mainsail foot so the boat could qualify for the Quarter Ton class under IOR.
The standing rigging uses 3/16-inch 1x19 stainless steel for the headstay and upper shrouds, and 5/32-inch wire for the backstay and lower shrouds. Long-time owners describe the rig as overbuilt, and no failures appeared in a reader survey. The deck-stepped mast keeps the passage through the interior clear, though the arrangement limits the compression an owner can develop on the stays.
Owners praise the Ranger 23’s windward performance. They commonly carry a 150% genoa and full main until the breeze exceeds 15 to 18 knots. Mull predicted 5.5 knots in flat water. In 10-knot conditions, the boat makes 4 to 6 knots; in stronger air or waves, it can plane and surf.
Accommodations
Mull made no attempt to provide standing headroom below, and the cabin height is 5 feet 6 inches. Forward, the V-berth offers a 6 foot 2 inch sleeping area and two dressers. In the main cabin, the 6 foot 6 inch settees convert to berths.
A tilt-away dinette table and a 25-pound icebox that doubles as the companionway step make practical use of the limited space. The galley has a sink to port and an optional two-burner alcohol stove to starboard, along with two drawers and a storage cubby. Interestingly, the original sales brochure showed the stove and sink on the opposite sides from the finished layout.
The head was positioned for convenience and stability rather than privacy. It was originally a self-contained Handihead with a four-gallon capacity and waste discharge.
In the cockpit, four people can sit in relative comfort, even with the tiller occupying the center of the footwell.
Known Issues
Mull called the mast step “probably the biggest source of grief.” The step is a 6061-T6 aluminum fabrication fastened to the deck structure and intended to be bedded in a flexible waterproof compound. On many boats, that bedding has dried and cracked, allowing water to follow the bolt hole into the deck core. The deck-stepped mast also inherently limits the compression available on the stays.
Elsewhere, failures of adhesives and the numerous toerail bolts at the hull-deck joint can leak. Many owners routinely rebed the chainplates every couple of years.
Some owners have reported leaks through the ballast bolts. Mull advised correcting them by rebedding the keel and bolts with an elastic compound that can absorb movement between the hull and keel. A few owners have also noted dime-sized blisters that require inspection or repair, although the Ranger 23 has no reputation for chronic deficiencies demanding total bottom replacement.
Refits and Ownership
Ranger 23 ownership generally involves recurring sealing work rather than structural overhaul. Mull’s recommended keel-bolt rebed addresses leaks caused by movement at the hull-keel joint. Chainplate maintenance is also recurring, though minor.
Original gear worth preserving includes external halyards; Barient winches at the mast and in the cockpit; and Schaefer track, blocks, and cleats. Bow and stern pulpits and 24-inch stanchions support a single lifeline for safety.
Initial options were limited to a split backstay and a racing package with spinnaker gear. Most refinements found on today’s boats are therefore owner-driven rather than factory expansions.
The Verdict
The Ranger 23 is a focused Gary Mull design that trades interior volume for a quick, seaworthy little ship with a rigorously built hull and an overbuilt rig. Its weaknesses center on sealing deck penetrations and joints—the mast step, chainplates, hull-deck joint, and keel bolts—but none suggests systemic failure. It remains a tidy entry into traditional performance cruising.
Pros
- Fine-entry hull with CCA- and IOR-influenced lines and NACA-section appendages
- Overbuilt masthead rig with a purpose-designed mast and no failures reported in a reader survey
- Excellent windward ability, with planing and surfing in stronger conditions
- Solid construction to Lloyd’s rules, with bonded bulkheads and a fiberglass-pan interior
Cons
- Deck-stepped mast limits stay compression and can develop leaks at the step
- Chainplates, keel bolts, and the hull-deck joint require recurring rebedding
- No standing headroom and little privacy around the head
