The Aquarius 23 is an American trailerable

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by Peter Barrett and Stan Miller as a

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

and first built in 1969.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 219.

International Marine McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, 2010. The design was developed into several derivative models, the Aquarius 23-2, the Aquarius 7.0 and the Balboa 23.

Production

The family of designs was built by Coastal Recreation, Inc in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from 1969 to 1981, when the company went out of business.

Design

The Aquarius 23 family are all recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

s, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

, with

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is fa ...

-cored decks. The hulls all have a slightly

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

s, slightly angled transoms,

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

s controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn ...

and cabin "pop-tops". The boat is normally fitted with a small

outboard motor An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

for docking and maneuvering. The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settees in the main cabin. The starboard settee is almost long and can accommodate two people. There is a drop leaf table located at the long berth. The

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

is located on the port side just forward of the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly i ...

ladder. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

is located just aft of the bow cabin on the port side. Cabin headroom is or with the pop-top up. The design has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 282 and a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to- ...

of .

Variants

;Aquarius 23 :This base model was introduced in 1969 and produced until 1976. It has a

swing keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The laying of the keel is often the initial step in constru ...

, a fractional sloop, tall rig or optional

masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, a ...

rig. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of lead ballast, including in the keel. The rudder is a retractable spade-type. The boat has a draft of with the keel down and with the keel up. ;Balboa 23 :This model was introduced in 1969. It has a

and a fractional rig. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of with the keel down and with the keel up. ;Aquarius 23-2 :This model was introduced in 1970, was produced until 1977. It has fixed fin keel, fractional rig, or optional

rig. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces . The rudder is a spade-type. The boat has a draft of with the standard fin keel. ;Aquarius 7.0 :This model was introduced in 1976 and production had ended by the time the company went out of business in 1981. This version brought a number of modifications, including a transom-mounted rudder.

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel faulted the boat's aesthetics, writing, "because the freeboard is very high, partly to provide more than usual headroom for a 23-foot boat, she looks high and boxy."

References

{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1960s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Peter Barrett Sailboat types built by Coastal Recreation, Inc

Production

Design

Variants

Operational history

See also

References