Design and Construction
Steck drew the 223 for Wellcraft Marine, the powerboat manufacturer, and the lineage shows in a hull laid up by hand with mat, roving, and Coremat — no chopped strand — in amounts that satisfied a meticulous boatbuilder-judge the hand-laid mat, roving, and Coremat laminate. The tooling would credit a more expensive boat: the hull is smooth and fair with no roving print-through, and all fiberglass surfaces seem appropriately stiff. Above the waterline the construction is plainly practical. The side decks are wide and carry a molded-in sand nonskid that grips without shredding sole leather, while deck hardware is backed with quarter-inch aluminum plate glassed into the laminate. The toerails are mere bumps in the deck, but the lifeline stanchions are unusually strong for a boat of this type stainless stanchions with heavy reinforcing bails, with heavy stainless bails rising from the bases and wrapping the posts. A transom-mounted swim ladder folds up to the stern pulpit, and a self-draining anchor locker in the forepeak keeps ground tackle out of the cockpit lockers.
Rig and Handling
The 223 carries a fractional sloop rig of moderate aspect ratio, with well-made sails and basic, straightforward controls that forgive an inattentive crew. Shrouds rise from inboard chainplates — a detail that tightens the jib sheeting angle but interferes with moving forward along the deck. Under sail she is predictable if unexceptional on all points, and the traditional keel-centerboard arrangement means the unballasted board raises easily without wild shifts in stability because the 700-pound lead ballast lives in the keel. Even with the board up, the boat fights to stay on her feet and the helm shows no bad manners; the pennant is right at hand in the cockpit, so you really can sail her in shoal water. Experienced hands may still want to add a traveller or boom vang.
Accommodations
Inside, Steck rejected dollhouse furniture for an open "honeymoon" plan that makes the boat rare among 22-footers in being very comfortable for a couple. The 7-foot-9 settee and quarter berths run well into the cabin, and the wood-bottomed after cushions bridge the settees to form a 6-foot-6-by-4-foot-4 double athwartships berth — one of the largest seen on a trailerable 22-footer the largest athwartships berth in her class, with an amidships location that gives an easy motion at anchor. The trade is a tight forward vee-berth, good for two children or one adult, and a berth arrangement that blocks the path to the head under the vee-berth. A small galley abaft the port bulkhead has a sink and below-stowage, with a fold-down chart table over the counter; the hanging locker to starboard is cedar-lined. Carpeting on the ceiling softens the cabin, ventilation is superb for a Florida design, and the companionway and forward hatches are nearly gigantic — the companionway cover flips forward against the mast for standing headroom through most of the main cabin.
Refits and Ownership
The cabin suggests heavy joiner work but needs little oiled teak cut-and-try fitting, and a teak-and-holly sole grounds the space. A dinette table that mounts to the galley below or the cockpit on deck adds flexibility, and a sea hood over the main hatch supports watertight integrity. Normally fitted with a 3-to-6 hp outboard for docking, the 223 tows easily on her retracted 1.83-foot draft and rewards an owner who values a simple, open interior over a partitioned one.
The Verdict
The Starwind 223 is a thoughtfully planned trailerable cruiser whose open accommodations and shoal-draft centerboard punch above her length, let down only by a compromised forward passage and a forward berth best left to kids.
Pros
- Open interior with one of the largest athwartships double berths in the trailerable 22-foot class
- Hand-laid mat/roving/Coremat hull with fair tooling and stiff fiberglass surfaces
- Keel ballast and retractable board allow easy launching and stable shoal-water sailing
- Strong lifeline stanchions and aluminum-backed deck hardware for a boat this size
Cons
- Inboard chainplates hinder moving forward on deck
- Athwartships berth blocks cockpit-to-head traffic
- Tight forward vee-berth suits only children or a single adult
