Santana 23 D Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Santana 23 D means looking at a 1978–1984 W. D. Schock Corp. daggerboard sloop designed by W. Shad Turner, 144 of which were built. These are light boats with a retractable board and a transom-hung rudder, suited to a buyer who values shallow-draft access and downwind planing over cabin room.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 23 D is offered only as the daggerboard variant with a deck-stepped fractional sloop rig. Below, the standard layout sleeps four: a bow V-berth and two 7-foot settee berths, with a sink-drawer-counter galley and 52-inch headroom. A 3 to 6 hp outboard is the normal docking power.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A spinnaker and an autopilot are commonly fitted on brokerage boats, supporting the 23 D's downwind planing mode and short-handed tiller steering. Beyond those, buyers should verify the outboard and the cockpit-mounted traveler are present and serviceable, as these are central to the boat's handling.
What to Inspect
On a specific hull, check the keel-truck location relative to hull number: boats built before approximately hull 85 carry the truck in the original position and transmit more weather helm to the tiller, so steer one to feel whether the helm loads up. Inspect the balsa-cored deck for softness or discoloration, since the core was chosen to reduce weight and a compromised section will feel spongy underfoot. Confirm the daggerboard is intact lead in foam-and-glass and raises to the 0.83-foot draft; a board that binds or shows glass cracking at the trunk is a red flag. Verify the transom-hung rudder floats and lifts freely on its pintles.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats appear in the United States and Canada. Before you commit:
- Confirm hull number against the keel-truck change
- Probe deck core for soft spots
- Cycle the daggerboard fully up and down
- Test the rudder's free float
- Verify outboard and traveler condition
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Santana 23 D. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $4,000 | — |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $7,500 | +87.5% |
Where they're listed
Santana 23 D listings appear across 1 country. Canada has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $7,500 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacGregor 26 D | 25.83' | $ 15,000 | 29 | 10 |
| Hunter Boats 23 | 23.25' | $ 7,270 | 18 | 13 |
| Santana 23 DYou are here | — | $ 7,500 | 1 | 0 |