Imperial 23
Description
The Imperial 23 is a British trailerable fiberglass pocket cruiser designed by L. Wakefield as a compact family cruiser/day sailor, first built in 1966 by Russell Marine Ltd. (also known as Russel Marine) in the UK. It was marketed under the Imperial name initially and later sold as the Islander 23 in the UK (not to be confused with the US-built Crealock-designed Islander 23). Construction uses fiberglass (GRP) for low maintenance and durability, featuring a twin-keel (bilge keel) configuration for shallow draft and stability when dried out (common in UK tidal waters), a masthead sloop rig with a generous sail plan for excellent light-air performance, and basic accommodations suitable for weekend cruising or club racing (small cabin with berths, head, and storage). It's praised as a light, responsive boat with good handling for its era, though production was limited (likely dozens to low hundreds built in the late 1960s–1970s before the line phased out).
Construction Details
| Designer | L. Wakefield |
|---|---|
| Builder | Russell Marine Ltd. |
| Length | 23.000 ft |
| LOA | 22.500 ft |
| LWL | 20.000 ft |
| Beam | 7.500 ft |
| Displacement | 2700 lb |
| Ballast | 1120 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.750 ft |
| Year Built | 1966 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 25 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 7.83 ft |
| p | 24 ft |
| e | 13.33 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 ft | 7.83 ft | 24 ft | 13.33 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Imperial 23 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.33 ft - (4063 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.8 ft - (8169 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.98 ° |
| Diagonal | * 27.04 ft - (8242 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 159.71 ft² |
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Imperial 23 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 20.96 ft - (6389 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.33 ft - (3149 mm) |
| Leech | * 18.26 ft - (5566 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 94.31 ft² |
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Imperial 23 - GENOA
| Luff | * 24.89 ft - (7586 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 12.61 ft - (3844 mm) |
| Leech | * 23.44 ft - (7145 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.75 ft - (3581 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 146.11 ft² |
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Imperial 23 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 24.89 ft - (7586 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 14.09 ft - (4295 mm) |
| Foot | * 14.09 ft - (4295 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 298.1 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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