Irwin 23
Description
The Irwin 23 is a fiberglass trailerable sailboat designed by naval architect Ted Irwin and built by Irwin Yachts from 1968 to 1975. As Irwin's smallest production model, it was engineered for affordable coastal and day sailing, emphasizing ease of towing, a spacious interior for its size, and modest performance for weekend family outings or novice sailors. With a keel/centerboard configuration for shallow-water access and a spade rudder for responsive handling, it's ideal for protected bays, lakes, or short coastal runs (e.g., Florida Keys, Chesapeake Bay) but not suited for blue water due to its light construction and moderate stability. Approximately 200-300 hulls were produced, making it a rare classic today,
Construction Details
| Designer | Ted Irwin |
|---|---|
| Builder | Irwin Yachts |
| Length | 23.000 ft |
| LOA | 23.000 ft |
| LWL | 18.500 ft |
| Beam | 8.000 ft |
| Displacement | 3200 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.750 ft |
| Min Draft | 2.420 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 28.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 9 ft |
| p | 24.75 ft |
| e | 10.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.50 ft | 9 ft | 24.75 ft | 10.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 24.75 ft - (7544 mm) |
| Foot | * 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.25 ft - (8001 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 26.46 ft - (8065 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 130.86 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 23.91 ft - (7288 mm) |
| Foot | * 11.89 ft - (3624 mm) |
| Leech | * 20.81 ft - (6343 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 10.35 ft - (3155 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.98 ° |
| Area | * 123.71 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 25.5 ft - (7772 mm) |
| Foot | 11.75 ft - (3581 mm) |
| Leech | 23 ft - (7010 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 117.67 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 10.59 ft - (3228 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.12 ° |
| Area | * 135.06 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 28.39 ft - (8653 mm) |
| Foot | * 14.51 ft - (4423 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.73 ft - (8147 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.98 ° |
| Area | * 191.63 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 27.5 ft - (8382 mm) |
| Foot | 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Leech | 25.92 ft - (7900 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 135.11 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12.16 ft - (3706 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.23 ° |
| Area | * 167.15 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 28.39 ft - (8653 mm) |
| Foot | * 14.85 ft - (4526 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.12 ft - (7961 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 316 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 28.39 ft - (8653 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 16.2 ft - (4938 mm) |
| Foot | * 16.2 ft - (4938 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 391 ft² |
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.