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Review of L 23


L 23
L 23. HSS Sydfjordsstævne 2002


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The L 23 is a sailboat designed by the maritime architect Lars Olsen in the mid seventies. Several hundred boats have been produced. The L 23 is built by the Danish yard Aages Bådebyggeri.

Looking for a new boat? Find a L 23 or similar boat for sale

Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.


Interior
Interior
Interior of L 23 anno 1978.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with one cabin, 4 berths and a galley.

Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.

Front cabin
Front cabin of L 23 anno 1984.

Cockpit
Cockpit
Cockpit of L 23 anno 1978.
Rig
Rig
L 23 with spinnaker. DM 2003.

The L 23 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.


Keel

Fin keel

The L 23 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

L 23 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.30 - 1.40 meter (4.27 - 4.57 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case the boat will typically require a power of 3 - 4 hp, alternatively 66 - 80 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for L 23 is 2.11, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for L 23 is about 96 kg/cm, alternatively 542 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 96 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 542 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for L 23 is 15.6.

Low High 50% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 50% of all similar sailboat designs. This is an average comfort value!


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for L 23 is 2.98.

Wide Slim 58% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 58% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for L 23 is 43%.

Low High 66% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 66% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for L 23 is 190 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

Heavy Light 58% 0 50 100
58% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for L 23 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 19.4.

Low High 38% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 38% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 54% 0 50 100
The L 23 has more rig than 54% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly overrigged.


RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for L 23 is 62

Slow Fast 62% 0 50 100
The relative speed performance is 62 which means that a it is faster than 62% of all similar sailboat designs.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 17m2 (182 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

mainsail specifications genoa specifications spinnaker specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 22.3 m(73.2 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard22.3 m(73.2 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard22.3 m(73.2 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet 7.2 m(23.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet7.2 m(23.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet 17.9 m(58.7 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet15.8 m(51.7 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Cunningham2.3 m(7.5 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap4.6 m(15.1 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul4.6 m(15.1 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for L 23 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References