I am busy trawling the internet in search of any information I can find relating to an "Islander 23" this being a 1970 Bilge Keel sloop rigged yacht. The reason being that myself and a colleague are in the process of purchasing one. It needs a lot of TLC but appears to be essentially sound. I have an idea to record the process of turning a forlorn looking scruffy boat into a fine sailing yacht and would be more than happy to submit this to "Twin Keeler" for publication. In the meantime I still only have a few images of one or two similar craft for sale and little else. She was built by Russell Marine and sadly I can find little about them either. Do you think you or one of your readers could help with my research.
Many thanks
David Maddison
25 comments:
I have a brochure for the islander 23 it is 6 pages long but it is for a retractable keel version, it has a full sail plain with measurements etc and a floor plan and pricing etc. it is dated Feb. 1968
I would be more than happy to email a copy of it to you
Hi Ben - Thanks for that, I'm sure it will prove very useful. We now own "Criagower" Sail No I134, date of build 1970, bilge keel version Islander 23. In need of some refurbuishment but we have done enough to make her safe to put in the water. We will sail her this summer (whats left of it) and prepare a schedule of work to do over the winter lay-up period. My e-mail address is davidmadd@blueyonder.co.uk
Hi Dave,
I have an Islander 23 bought August 2007 on good ol' ebay. I have a copy of a brochure and some other documents you may find useful. How is your project going? Mine needs work too, a bit tired and in need of TLC too. Just out of the water last weekend for the winter lay over. Where should I send brochure etc?
Richard
I also have an Islander 23. Have brochure and pictures. also have diagrams and list of a few other users
I would like to get the PDF version of the Islander 23 Bilge Keel that was sent to the other blogger. You can send the information to caligreenenergysolutions@gmail.com.I have an Islander 23 and am looking to catalog the vessel. Thank you very much for any help.
I can assist on a few points. The 23 Islander Bilge Keeler is an early Bill Crealock design which he did for Islander in the early sixties. Some have successfully crossed oceans, none lost that I know of, The one I have sailed across the Pacific and ended up in Darwin Australia.
Built very strong they are a good sea boat, very dry and handle well.
Well worth restoring they are a bit slow but extremely practical in shallows and high tide rise and fall areas.
Russell Marine built them under license to Islander.
Hi, all your comments are so useful. I purchased an Islander 23 Bilge Keel last year, I've been working on her ever since. I sauiled her for the first time Yesterday (just an Hour). I would love any imformation or drawings if anyone can help please. Many thanks Paul Morris. my email is p.morris384@btinternet.com.
Hi, all your comments are so useful. I purchased an Islander 23 Bilge Keel last year, I've been working on her ever since. I sauiled her for the first time Yesterday (just an Hour). I would love any imformation or drawings if anyone can help please. Many thanks Paul Morris. my email is p.morris384@btinternet.com.
Hi Paul,
I too have purchased an Islander 23. I would be most grateful if you could pass on any details you have collected from the other folks on this thread. wr@4sq.co.uk
To clarify matters for readers who find this thread when searching for details of the Islander 23 ...
There is NO connection at all between the Bill Crealock designed Islander 23 built in the USA by Islander Yachts and the L. Wakefield designed Islander 23 built in the UK by Russell Marine (and marketed in the USA as the Imperial 23)
They are two completely different designs! The few details about the RM Islander I've managed to dredge up are in an article on my blog at www.svbrigantia.blogspot.com
Sorry, correct link is
http://svbrigantia.blogspot.com/p/islander-23.html
I don't know where the Imperial 23 assertions arose from. I do know that Bill Crealock designed 2 23 foot boats, two very different designs. The first, a bilge keeler is recorded in the history of Islander Yachts with some technical specifications, including sail plan which I have used. The other 23' boat was not for Islander, was a trailer sailer and had a swept back retractible keel design and was apparently quite quick.
I wrote to Bill Crealock asking for some observations about the 23' Islander but he did not reply.
Islander's history also recounts that the vessel with some chganges was sold under license by Russell Marine.
I have looked at the "Imperial" documents posted and note the following differences to my vessel.
1. Boom is not set up with Barton Reefing but is a US made alloy assembly.
2. Backstay is not a twin stern mounted arrangement but is a single stay with tension just below the topping lift.
3. The vessel has stainless railings and staunchion posts. Clearly made and designed for the vessel.
4. The samson post is timber not set up, as appears, with additional cleating.
5. The cockpit casting is not part of the stern outboard enclosure and there are two separate skins of fibreglass here.
6. The interior layout does not have a chart table set up between the galley sink and the cabin wall.
7. My vessel still has the original US made knot meter which is driven by a through hull three finned rotor.
8. My vessel still has the factory fitted through hull transducer and this is US made.
It would seem therefore that, since my vessel seems a bit Yankee as compared with the "Imperial" that the latter was in all likelihood a variation of the Islander 23' and that its variations may have been the work of L Wakefield.
Perhaps Mr. Wakefield still survives to answer the query
In any event it seems that the original hull design was a very successful timber hull which was used as a plug for the fibreglass hull so Mr. Crealock may have less credit due him anyway.
The bilge keels are not clever and on any analysis are best described as appendages suitable for standing the vessel on rather than being 'unique foils'.
I'd be interested to see some pics of "Anonymous"'s boat as from the description it's hard to tell whether it's a modified Crealock design or a modified Wakefield design (I suspect the former)
The "assertions" about the Imperial 23 come from me after extensive research into the two DIFFERENT boats!
I say again, the Islander Yachts Islander 23 designed by Bill Crealock is a TOTALLY different design to the L Wakefield designed Russell Marine Islander / Imperial 23
There was no connection whatsoever between the two companies either in the UK or the US and the erroneous information that there was appeared in (as far as I can tell) one unofficial "history" of Islander Yachts and was then repeated in numerous subsequent rehashes of that misinformation
The twin keels on the Wakefield designed Islander 23 are proper asymetric foil keels, albeit of fairly chunky dimensions, and the boat was, in common with the rest of RM's product range, designed as a twin keeler from the start and only ever offered with twin keels.
The hull design is very much of a family with the smaller Vivacity and Alacrity yachts from RM and my feeling is that Wakefield was engaged to adapt the Stephenson designed Alacrity 19 hull, already modified by DC Pollard into the Vivacity 20, to create a larger boat.
Russell Marine did hook up with a US manufacturer but a> not until the 1970's and b> it was with Catalina Yachts not Islander Yachts
Hi there I to have an Islader 23 and would be very greatfull for any information on this type of boat.Also there is a lenght of wood with
O.N 334600R.T3 with the numbers 40 over 100 like a maths division.I would be very grateful for any information
Regards Tony
Hi foregot my email is
tonymcquade3@hotmail.com
thanks again Tony
We have had an Islander 23 (Lucy) for about 10 yrs. She is twin (bilge) keel & a Russel marine build, we think 1973. She went to the International Festival of the Sea, Portsmouth & the Fleet Review. We tow her home each winter which has saved us a fortune in boatyard fees. We want to sell her. Anyone suggest a price to ask?
Sorry like the chap before, here's my e-mail address: jlch-h1952@hotmail.co.uk
If someone wants one, there's an abandoned Islander 23 on a friend's land. The owner died and his widow has asked for it to be disposed of as she doesn't want to pay storage fees anymore.
It's a mess, but all the rigging/winches/rudder etc are there.
Take it away.
Search for derelict islander on YBW forums and you'll find pics and PM me via them.
Has anyone following this got a outboard positioned in their outboard well on their islander/imperiel?
Please could you drop me a line at woody@apexloft.com i'm trying to insert a outboard in buy there is nothing to mount it to yet .
Many thanks woody
Hi did you ever have any luck with the outboard mount in well
I also have islander with well
Hello. My question is a little off topic. I have recently acquired a Edson built "Sea Islander 20' Sloop" Twin keels with a full skeg. Built by and for Ed Douthit in Santa Rosa California in 1966. He made very few and I am wondering if I have the last remaining one. If you punch "Basic Micro-cruise from the sixties" into a google search you will find the basic layout of the boat. It's one of two bits of data I could find. It's a neat little blue water pocket capable pocket yacht. I have pictures of it (red hull) on a sight called "Fiberglassics"
Rollin dalPiaz said...
My wife and I purchased an Islander
23 Twin Keel Sloop in Homer, Alaska. She was
imported three years before. We took it to Seward
where we enjoyed
recreational sailing for 3 years. 1970
-1973. Each winter we stored her inside the
military wood hobby shop so she looked
fine each spring. It was stoutly built and
came with a Lloyds Certificate.
With the tidal ranges here in South
Central Alaska it was often
convenient to let her go aground
between tides. One of the original
purposes for twin keels.
The original
sales paperwork shows the outboard motor
lift and how it works. Ours worked
fine. On request I could sketch the
outboard lift; we had a 9.9 Evinrude.
After sale our Imperial 23 (Marketed
in the USA by Wells Yachts on the
East Coast. We sailed our boat "Phoenix ll" in
waters of Prince William
Sound,AK ending up the the Whittier, AK
City Dump. So sad to see our boat
in such condition.
Last contact
told she was given away to halibut
fishermen who intended to cut her
down to the sheer and use her for
a very small tender. Sad. Perhaps
it is not wise yor me to lookup our
old boat on the Net.
Rollin dalPiaz said...
My wife and I purchased an Islander
23 Twin Keel Sloop in Homer, Alaska. She was
imported three years before. We took it to Seward
where we enjoyed
recreational sailing for 3 years. 1970
-1973. Each winter we stored her inside the
military wood hobby shop so she looked
fine each spring. It was stoutly built and
came with a Lloyds Certificate.
With the tidal ranges here in South
Central Alaska it was often
convenient to let her go aground
between tides. One of the original
purposes for twin keels.
The original
sales paperwork shows the outboard motor
lift and how it works. Ours worked
fine. On request I could sketch the
outboard lift; we had a 9.9 Evinrude.
After sale our Imperial 23 (Marketed
in the USA by Wells Yachts on the
East Coast. We sailed our boat "Phoenix ll" in
waters of Prince William
Sound,AK ending up the the Whittier, AK
City Dump. So sad to see our boat
in such condition.
Last contact
told she was given away to halibut
fishermen who intended to cut her
down to the sheer and use her for
a very small tender. Sad. Perhaps
it is not wise yor me to lookup our
old boat on the Net.
Hi, I have recently acquired what I believe to be an Islander 23 which I intend to refurbish and put back in the water. I would love to hear from Anyone with brochures or information that they would be willing to share. I know that the thread is old, and it's a bit of a long shot, but worth a try. My e-mail is lol.kieran@live.com - many thanks.
I recently acquired a a Wakefield Islander 23 (in England) which I keep on a mooring. The Barton reefing is an unknown quantity as the previous owner had not reefed it during his entire ownership. Any experience of it? Knowledge of the dimensions of the cranked key for operating it would be welcome. I'm not even convinced that it will work, but it seems fair to give it the benefit of the doubt before pouring yet more money into an alternative arrangement.
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