Com-Pac 23

The design has been built by Com-Pac Yachts in the United States since 1978 and remains in production as the Mark IV and Pilothouse models. ==Design==

The Com-Pac 23 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a spooned plumb stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin, shoal draft keel. The boat has a draft of with the standard shoal draft keel. The boat is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee quarter berths in the main cabin. The galley is located aft of the companionway ladder and is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink. The head is a portable type and is located in the bow cabin between the bunks. Cabin headroom is . The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 260 and a hull speed of . ==Variants==

;Com-Pac 23 :This model was introduced in 1978. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The fresh water tank has a capacity of . ;Com-Pac 23 Mk 2 :This model was introduced in 1979. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The fresh water tank has a capacity of . ;Com-Pac 23 Mk 3 :This model introduced in 1984 and carries a bowsprit. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. A Japanese Yanmar diesel engine of was a factory option. ;Com-Pac 23 Mk 4 or 23/IV :This current productionmodel has a length overall of , a beam of and displaces . The keel and rudder both use a NACA airfoil low drag-high lift design. ;Com-Pac 23 Pilothouse :This model was introduced in 2011 and features a pilothouse from which the boat can be steered by a wheel in inclement weather. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. ==Operational history==

In a 2008 review in Sailing Magazine, John Kretschmer wrote, "although the Com-Pac 23 is a very practical boat, its wide appeal comes from its traditional appearance. The sheerline sweeps aft from the short bowsprit before bending up again just before the transom-hung rudder. The box cabintrunk, with round or oval bronze ports, flows naturally into the deck lines. From a distance the boat looks bigger than 23 feet. There is a shallow forefoot and a long, shoal keel with a draft of just 2 feet, 3 inches. Any more draft would make it difficult to launch on many ramps." In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the Com-Pac 23 ... is now in its fourth iteration (called Mk IV). Along the way various changes have included a bowsprit which moved the sail area center of effort forward, reducing weather helm), a small increase in ballast weight, an on-deck anchor locker, improvements in hardware including a switch from round ports to rectangular ones, a PVC rubrail with stainless steel striker plate, a foil rudder blade in place of one made of flat plate, an optional 9 hp Yanmar inboard diesel engine, and others. (The company included the new bowsprit in the boat’s length, changing it from 22' 9" to 23' 11"; we use LOD, not LOA, as a measure of length, so we exclude the bowsprit.) Best features: The finish is above average, with lots of teak below and a teak-and-holly sole, Worst features: The draft of the Com-Pac 23 at only 2' 3", with no centerboard, limits the boat's ability to sail close to the wind." ==See also==