Design and Construction
The hull is a heavy-duty GRP moulding combining chopped strand mat and biaxial cloth, with a double isophthalic gel coat clear underwater and a layup that runs from powder-bound mat and isophthalic resin into woven roving and chopped strand mat. One ton of ballast is quoted in the builder's specification, and the deck is a separate heavy-duty GRP moulding with sectioned plywood core stiffening the flat surfaces and plywood support beneath horizontal areas for deck and toe-rail rig fittings. All plywood is marine grade to BSS 1088. The rudder is laminated marine plywood with hardwood cheeks, epoxy sheathed, and steering is by a laminated wood tiller. Externally, the hull color is Oxford blue with flaxen raised sides above the rubbing strake and a white bootline; all horizontal deck surfaces — side decks, coach roofs, fore and after decks, and after-deck seats — are laid with Ceylon teak, and that external teak is left untreated from new.
Rig and Handling
This little gaffer carries a tan main, jib, and staysail on stainless steel mast and spar fittings with both standing and running rigging. Setting the gaff properly calls for a throat halyard and a peak halyard to peak the sail at the correct angle. The builder's quoted sail area is 28 square meters, and the period review cites a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.42 including topsail against a displacement-to-length ratio of 429 — figures that place her firmly among heavy, modestly canvased small cruisers. With a waterline length of 5.48 meters and a draft under 35 inches, she draws little and carries her ballast low in a full keel.
Accommodations
Below, the layout uses 15mm plywood bulkheads with ash laminate to enclose the fore and aft peaks, and the interior veneer and hardwood joinery are finished in matt varnish. The saloon has settee berths port and starboard with foot extensions into the forecabin; the review notes the settees appear short but extend through the forward bulkhead and under the V-berths to become full length for sleeping, with the V-berths themselves dimensioned at 5 feet 6 inches measured parallel to centerline and about 5 feet 9 inches down the center of the angled berth. Berth and settee cushions are 4-inch foam. The heads is enclosed aft with a corner washbasin module plumbed for hot and cold from a 75-litre tank, an opening hull window, and a marine toilet. To starboard the galley holds a two-burner gas stove, sink, small lockers, and an icebox outboard of the stove. Headroom is 1.88 meters. A portable table mounts in both saloon and cockpit, and hull windows port and starboard light the saloon.
Equipment and Systems
The specification names a Beta 20HP diesel as standard equipment, while the review describes the installed engine as a 13-horsepower Beta — both appear in the record as documented configurations. A Yanmar 3YM20 of 21 HP on resilient mounts in a sound-insulated compartment is also listed, with a water-cooled exhaust, stainless steel shaft, 3-bladed bronze propeller, and water-lubricated sterntube bearing. Fuel is carried in a 45-litre translucent tank. The electrical system is 12-volt, two-wire and fused at the positive pole, with two 92 AH batteries. A 1½-inch hand bilge pump discharges overboard from the cockpit locker, and a bilge pocket sits aft of the ballast keel. A Suunto B116 bulkhead compass is fitted; electronic navigation is left to customer choice at extra cost. Fire protection is a single extinguisher and blanket in accessible positions.
The Verdict
The Yarmouth 23 succeeds as a modern antique because the traditional gaff profile and trunk-cabin styling sit on a thoroughly modern solid-GRP hull with marine-grade plywood cores and careful structural detail. She is a genuine pocket cruiser with full-length settee sleeping, an enclosed head, and a real galley, but the gaff rig demands two halyards and more hands-on seamanship than a Bermudan sloop of the same length, and the engine specification varies across sources.
Pros
- Solid GRP hull with biaxial cloth and isophthalic gel coat, full keel with one ton ballast
- Full-length settee berths via extensions under V-berths; enclosed head with hot/cold basin
- Traditional gaff rig with staysail on a purpose-built small cruiser hull
Cons
- Gaff requires throat and peak halyards; more rigging attention than a Bermudan rig
- Engine make and horsepower differ between builder spec and period review
- External teak left untreated from new; requires owner maintenance
