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Hood 23

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  • Post category:23 Feet

Graham Nock, a successful businessman, retail chain executive, and ocean-racing skipper, found his favorite yacht in the Hood 23, named Yellowtail. Nock, who previously owned much larger racing yachts including a 13-meter Cole flyer named Rum Runner, discovered that maintaining a massive yacht was vastly more expensive and time-consuming than necessary. After transitioning away from larger vessels, he found that the Hood 23 offered an ideal combination of competitive racing performance, comfort, and affordability for family day cruising, all at a fraction of the cost.   

The vessel is constructed from fiberglass by Cal Fiberglass of Liverpool, Sydney and features a raised-deck design by Sydney naval architect Warwick Hood. Nock highlights the boat’s efficiency, noting that it can be easily rigged by two people in about fifteen minutes. The family actively uses Yellowtail for winter and summer racing with the Royal Motor Yacht Club and the Middle Harbour Yacht Club, as well as for relaxing family outings and weekend camping. Amenities down below include a small toilet, gimballed stoves, ample storage space for day sailing and camping, and comfortable sleeping arrangements for up to four people. Furthermore, the boat proves highly economical to own and maintain, requiring a tiny fraction of the upkeep costs associated with Nock’s former ocean-racing yachts (Patrick 1974, pp. 22-25).

Specifications

  • Boat Model: Hood 23

  • Designer: Warwick Hood

  • Builder: Cal Fiberglass (Liverpool)

  • Hull Length: 7 meters (23 ft)

  • Waterline Length (LWL): 6.09 meters (20 ft)

  • Beam: 2.36 meters (7 ft 9 in)

  • Draft: 1.22 meters (4 ft)

  • Displacement: 1678 kg (3700 lb)

  • Sail Area: Main and headsail 30.56 m² (329 sq ft), plus a small spinnaker

  • Engine: Stowable in a special cockpit compartment, specifically an auxiliary Johnson Six

  • Accommodation: Sleeping for four and a small toilet below

  • Total Estimated Cost (circa 1974): Approximately $7000 complete with sails and outboard gear (consisting of $6050 for the hull, $816 for mainsail, $193 for genoa, $147 for spinnaker, $271 for spinnaker gear, $206 for a Johnson 6hp outboard, and $445 for gear)

Source: Patrick, Sheila (1974) ‘Magnate’s Favorite Yacht Cost $7000’ Seacraft, December, pp. 22-25.

 

Historical photograph reproduced for identification and historical research purposes. Copyright remains with the original rights holder.

Quick tip: Keep in mind that trailer sailers can vary quite a bit, even within the same class. Take the RL28, for example: they might not all have outboard wells as designed. Some originally may have had inboard engines, and when those were removed, the owners swapped them for a standard outboard mounted on the stern.