Kirby 23

The Kirby 23 is a sailboat that was designed by Canadian Bruce Kirby as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1985.

The Kirby 23 is a development of the Sonar, with a cabin modified for cruising use. It is very similar to the Blazer 23.

Production
The design was built by Ross Marine starting in 1985, with six boats completed, but it is now out of production.

Design
The Kirby 23 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fibreglass. It has a fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel. It displaces 2400 lb and carries 900 lb of ballast.

The boat has a draft of 3.92 ft with the standard keel and is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and manoeuvring.

The design has a hull speed of 5.81 kn.