At 23 feet overall, she combines a gaff rig and full keel with a raised sheer, deep forward well-deck, and narrow, straight-line trunk cabin. It’s a deliberately old-fashioned silhouette built around a solid-glass hull.
Design and Construction
The heavy-duty GRP hull moulding combines chopped strand mat and biaxial cloth. It has a double isophthalic gel coat, clear underwater, while the layup runs from powder-bound mat and isophthalic resin into woven roving and chopped strand mat. The builder’s specification quotes one ton of ballast.
The deck is a separate, heavy-duty GRP moulding. A sectioned plywood core stiffens the flat surfaces, with plywood beneath horizontal areas supporting the deck and toe-rail rig fittings. All plywood is marine grade to BSS 1088.
The rudder is made from laminated marine plywood with hardwood cheeks and an epoxy sheath. Steering is by a laminated wood tiller.
The hull is Oxford blue, with flaxen raised sides above the rubbing strake and a white bootline. Ceylon teak covers all horizontal deck surfaces, including the side decks, coach roofs, fore and after decks, and after-deck seats. This external teak is left untreated from new.
Rig and Handling
The Yarmouth 23 carries a tan mainsail, jib, and staysail. The mast and spar fittings are stainless steel, and the boat has both standing and running rigging. Setting the gaff properly requires separate throat and peak halyards, with the peak halyard used to set the sail at the correct angle.
The builder quotes 28 square meters of sail area. A period review gives a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.42, including the topsail, and a displacement-to-length ratio of 429. Those figures place the boat firmly among heavy, modestly canvased small cruisers.
She has a waterline length of 5.48 meters and draws less than 35 inches. Her ballast sits low in the full keel.
Accommodation
Below, 15mm plywood bulkheads with ash laminate enclose the fore and aft peaks. Matt varnish finishes the interior veneer and hardwood joinery. Headroom is 1.88 meters, and hull windows to port and starboard light the saloon.
The saloon has settee berths on both sides, with foot extensions running into the forecabin. A review notes that the settees appear short, but they continue through the forward bulkhead and beneath the V-berths to provide full-length sleeping space. The V-berths measure 5 feet 6 inches parallel to the centerline and about 5 feet 9 inches down the center of the angled berth. Berth and settee cushions are 4-inch foam.
An enclosed head is aft, with a corner washbasin supplied with hot and cold water from a 75-litre tank. It also has an opening hull window and a marine toilet.
To starboard, the galley contains a two-burner gas stove, sink, small lockers, and an icebox outboard of the stove. A portable table can be mounted in either the saloon or cockpit.
Equipment and Systems
The documented engine configurations vary. The specification names a Beta 20HP diesel as standard equipment, while the review describes the installed engine as a 13-horsepower Beta. A Yanmar 3YM20 of 21 HP is also listed. It sits on resilient mounts in a sound-insulated compartment and is connected to a water-cooled exhaust, stainless steel shaft, 3-bladed bronze propeller, and water-lubricated sterntube bearing.
Fuel is held in a translucent 45-litre tank. The 12-volt, two-wire electrical system is fused at the positive pole and supplied by two 92 AH batteries.
A 1½-inch hand bilge pump discharges overboard from the cockpit locker, and a bilge pocket is located aft of the ballast keel. A Suunto B116 bulkhead compass is fitted, while electronic navigation equipment is left to the customer’s choice at extra cost. Fire protection consists of a single extinguisher and blanket in accessible positions.
The Verdict
The Yarmouth 23 succeeds as a modern antique because its traditional gaff profile and trunk-cabin styling sit on a thoroughly modern, solid-GRP hull with marine-grade plywood cores and careful structural detailing.
She is a genuine pocket cruiser, with full-length settee sleeping, an enclosed head, and a proper galley. The trade-off is a gaff rig that requires two halyards and more hands-on seamanship than a Bermudan sloop of the same length. Buyers will also find different engine specifications in the available sources.
Pros
- Solid-GRP hull with biaxial cloth and isophthalic gel coat
- Full keel with one ton of ballast
- Full-length settee berths extending beneath the V-berths
- Enclosed head with a hot-and-cold-water basin
- Traditional gaff rig with staysail on a purpose-built small-cruiser hull
Cons
- Gaff rig requires throat and peak halyards, demanding more attention than a Bermudan rig
- Engine make and horsepower differ between the builder’s specification and period review
- External teak is left untreated from new and requires owner maintenance
