Seaward 23 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The 23 was offered with a tiller as standard and a pedestal wheel as an option, and the wheel is commonly fitted on boats you will find for sale. Early hulls differ from later ones in ways a buyer should note: the first boats had round opening ports in the cabin side and no bow pulpit, while 1989-and-newer models gained an 18-inch bow pulpit and switched to rectangular ports. The pulpit adds a handy storage point and protects the plumb bow when the anchor comes up. Below, the constant through the production run is a four-berth layout with a private V-berth forward behind a solid door, settee berths in the main cabin, and an aft double to port, served by a small galley and a head with its own sink.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

A short-handed setup is commonly fitted across the used fleet, suiting single or couple sailing. Standard auxiliary was an outboard on a transom bracket, but a nine-horsepower Yanmar inboard diesel was a factory option often selected and is a meaningful upgrade for anyone wanting quiet docking without a bracket-mounted motor. A free-standing carbon-fiber catboat rig was a factory alternative to the fractional sloop, and later boats may carry that rig or the conventional self-tacking-jib sloop. Deck gear is all high-quality stainless, with welded bow and stern rails and catbird stern seats on the quarters; the factory brochure showed a wheel rather than the older 22's tiller, confirming the option's period correctness.

What to Inspect

The known construction points are reassuring: the hull is solid fiberglass cloth and resin reinforced with foam-cored stringers, and Seaward used no plywood or balsa anywhere, with PVC foam only where stiffness demanded. The hull-to-deck joint is an outward flange with adhesive sealant and stainless bolts on six-inch centers, so check that seam for any separation or corrosion at the fasteners. Opening ports are stainless rather than plastic, but verify they seal, since a leaking port is the usual path for water into the cabin. The bow pulpit on later models should be intact and well bonded, as it shields the plumb bow from anchor damage.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats are available in the United States. For a buyer, the practical checklist is: confirm whether you have the early round-port layout or the later pulpit-and-rectangular-port version; decide between tiller and the commonly seen wheel; verify the hull-deck joint and stainless ports; and check whether the shoal wing keel and optional inboard diesel match your trailerage and motoring plans. A sound example rewards with a privately compartmented cabin, straightforward solid-fiberglass structure, and a readily towed coastal cruiser.