sea sprite 23

Boat talk and general conversation.

Moderator: Moderator

Post Reply
aboutsail

sea sprite 23

Post by aboutsail »

I would be interested to know if Jan Nicolaisen still sails his nimble or if the sea sprite 23 which he posted pictures of has replaced the nimble. How do the two boats compare? Always enjoyed his articles is SCA. From Aboutsail
jan_nikolajsen
New Contributor
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:41 pm

Re: sea sprite 23

Post by jan_nikolajsen »

Hi! We sold the Nimble 20 after 5 seasons. Not because we were unhappy with her, just wanted to try a boat with a different hull shape. Flat bottom/center board/beamy versus narrow/low freeboard/modified full keel.

The Nimble, while bigger than most boats profiled in SCA, is closer to the core ideology of the magazine and it's readers: Easy to trailer, simple to rig and launch, float in a foot of water, beachable. The unique looks, with the bulky hull and tanbark yawl rig makes it easily recognized and as such has garnered a wide appeal.

The Sea Sprite (SS) is a small version of the classic yacht so ubiquitous maybe 70 years ago, with her full keel, short waterline and long overhangs. It's a type of boat that's not super practical for the trailer crowd, not appealing to mainstream cruising sailors because of the cramped cabin, not flashy enough to be a status symbol.

But what do you get in a Sea Sprite? In the right hands she's wicked fast and exciting to sail, but with a 'big boat' sense of stability and heft.
Think about it: A 30' mast with lots of sail area on a 16' waterline and displacing 4000 lbs. All from the drawing board of Carl Alberg, who knew a thing or two about sailboats.

In Turnstone (the Nimble), we were always the slowest boat out there in any conditions. Set us up with a short, steep chop and a destination to weather and we would never make it. The hull with its flat bottomed entry would pound and stop. Pare that with a low, smallish rig and there just wasn't any power available. The SS, on the other hand, loves slicing thru waves, points acceptably high and just goes. Pure joy to sail close hauled.

A Nimble is sailed upright on all points, a SS must heel considerably to lengthen waterline and gain speed. This is a huge difference for us, a relatively land-lubberish family. The first time on the SS when our lee rail went under and sent foamy water gushing around the winch we screamed of fear. Then we felt the acceleration and screamed of joy!! Later we had to go below and clean up the mess, as on Turnstone we were used to simply leaving last nights left-overs on the counter no matter the conditions.

Where Turnstone excelled was with the with wind aft of the beam. So far we don't have a lot of experience with the SS, but it seems like Turnstone sailed better and handled easier on a quarter reach. Maybe it just the low freeboard and hence the exposure to big following seas in the SS that affects my judgment at this point.

The stock rudder on a Nimble is weak, both in construction and steering. Motoring in a marina or other tight quarters is difficult. Add a little breeze and it quickly becomes an embarrassing affair. We thought it was mostly us being incompetent newbies, until we got the SS. On paper you'd think it opposite: Turnstone had the motor forward of the rudder (ideal, right?), while the SS has a keel hung rudder, and then way back on the counter stern is the motor well. But not so.

In terms of safety both boats have strong points and their own weaknesses. Turnstone supposedly had built-in positive flotation, while the security of a self-righting deep keel design can't be disputed (unless you're a die-hard Bolger aficionado!!)

Hope this helps. I could go on, as I love both boats, and them being so fundamentally different makes for an interesting discussion. Maybe I'll post to this thread again when we have more miles logged in the SS.
about sail

Re: sea sprite 23

Post by about sail »

Thank you for the very interesting discussion about the nimble and sea sprite. Will look forward to hearing more about how you like the sea sprite. We just acquired an ETAP 23 and are looking forward to no longer being the last boat to get anywhere. Best wishes, Sailabout1
User avatar
wdscobie
Recognized Old Salt
Posts: 587
Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:57 pm
Location: Salish Sea
Contact:

Re: sea sprite 23

Post by wdscobie »

about sail wrote:Will look forward to hearing more about how you like the sea sprite.
the #67 issue of SCA, jan./feb. '11, features a boat review of the sea sprite 23. the photos are of jan nicolaisen's (and family) boat.
--
:: Dave Scobie
:: Liveaboard: Baba 30 DEJA VU
:: Owner M6'8" dingy
:: Former SWALLOW - https://saulboatswallow.wordpress.com
:: Former M17 SWEET PEA - https://m17-375.com
:: Former M15 SCRED - https://m15namedscred.wordpress.com/
Post Reply