The Sonic 23 is a Canadian

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 Joseph D'Alessio and first built in 1981.

Production

The boat was built by Sonic Sailboats Limited in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

starting in 1981, but is now out of production.

Design

The Sonic 23 is a small 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 ...

, built predominantly of

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clot ...

, with wood trim. It has a

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, a transom-hung

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

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in B ...

. It also has a pop-up

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

hatch. It displaces and carries of iron ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel. It has provisions for an

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 o ...

. The boat 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 228 with a high of 240 and low of 225. It has 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-t ...

of .

Operational history

In a review Michael McGoldrick wrote, "Many people regard the Sonic as a close approximation of the very popular Tanzer 22, and the hull and sail plan of these two boats are believed to be very similar. However, the Sonic 23 was designed from scratch by Joseph D'Alessio, and it comes with a sightly larger cabin with a better layout. (It has sitting headroom which increases to 6' with the pop top.). The Sonic's interior room may give it the edge over the Tanzer 22 which is known for being a good sailing boat, but which suffers from cabin which appears a little cramped. From this perspective, the Sonic may be a better choice for cruising."

References

External links

* {{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Joseph D'Alessio Sailboat types built by Sonic Sailboats Limited

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links