Sea Sprite 23 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Alberg's hand is unmistakable in the 23's proportions. She is heavily ballasted, with 43 percent of her 3,350-pound displacement carried in a lead full keel, and her beam is a restrained 7 feet 0 inches on a 16-foot 3-inch waterline. The low freeboard and superstructure that give her pleasing lines also mean less spacious accommodations below, and Practical Sailor noted she was built as a top-of-the-line "sailing yacht" in the builder's own literature. Early boats carried external lead ballast; when Ryder took the rights around 1974 and built new molds beginning at hull #525, he encapsulated that heretofore external keel and created a self-bailing cockpit. The Ryder hull, deck, and cabinhouse are solid, hand-laid fiberglass for a tight, sound body, joined by an inward flange sealed with 3M 5200 and fastened with machine screws. One owner called the boat "overbuilt," and the wood details—mahogany coamings and backrest, teak grabrails above, and lots of teak trim below—speak to a period aesthetic Ryder updated with a full interior liner, replacing the painted fiberglass of earlier models.

Rig and Handling

The Sprite carries a modest 247 square feet of sail under main and working jib, and the Ryder version steps a 30-foot fractionally rigged Hall Spars mast on deck with halyards led internally. Under sail she is intended to heel some 30 degrees, which owners and testers describe not as a defect but as the design adding waterline length and thus hull speed; the rail sits close to the water, and in a chop the crew can take an occasional dousing. Once in her groove she is very stable, the steering nicely balanced with just a hint of weather helm, and the keel-hung rudder tacks smartly enough, if not as rapidly as a spade. Several readers note fairly sluggish light-air performance—common among smaller full-keel boats—yet raising a 130- or 150-percent genoa under 10 knots makes a definite improvement, and as the wind pipes up she digs in. She handles well when the going gets rough and goes readily offshore; Ryder used to tout a 1974 singlehanded transatlantic passage as evidence of her range.

Accommodations

Below, the cabin is light and reasonably airy with two opening ports and a smoked hatch, but this is a boat designed for sailing rather than lounging. The 6-foot V-berths are too short with minimal clearance, and the 6-foot 3-inch settee berths disappear quickly under the cockpit seats. Clarke Ryder himself said the interior is best suited for stowing stuff, and the 10-gallon fiberglass tank under the starboard berth feeds a sink that drains via a through-hull, while the icebox drains into the bilge. The marine head sits in a wedge at the foot of the V-berths where its virtual inaccessibility makes the privacy question moot; many owners have fitted a portable head instead. A daysailer variant with an eight-foot cockpit, two berths, and no galley or icebox appeared early but in small numbers.

Known Issues

Early models with external ballast could see the lead pull away from the hull, a fault one owner cited in cutting up his 1962 hull. Some earlier boats showed slight leaks around the mast step or chainplates, and several Ryder-built examples had water entry at the bow pulpit bases. The outboard well aft of the tiller preserves the boat's lines but is a nuisance; more than 6 hp risks control problems, and under 4 hp is a strain, with performance inversely proportionate to wind and waves. No surveyed owners reported gelcoat blistering, though many older fiberglass boats will need paint.

Refits and Ownership

Ryder briefly offered an optional Yanmar 1 GM diesel inboard that would banish the outboard well, but the weight and expense seem hard to justify and none of the surveyed readers own an inboard. The standard bronze hardware, opening portlights, and non-skid deck surfaces wear well; a 1983 model sailed by one reviewer looked almost new. For the older sailor who no longer needs a big boat, her stability and ease of handling make a compelling case.

The Verdict

The Sea Sprite 23 is an exceptional daysailer—seaworthy, strongly built, and with a sailing range that belies her length. She asks for an active helm in light air and a tolerant crew below, but rewards with classic Alberg looks and offshore credibility.

Pros