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Calling All North American Spirit 23 Owners

73K views 247 replies 38 participants last post by  Pernerewski0802 
#1 ·
If we get enough action here we may get our own Thread, but these beautiful boats are few & far between.!!
 
#3 ·
Post some pictures, windy! 2 more posts and you'll be allowed.
 
#4 ·
All pictures I have are on the hard, as I've yet to set her afloat. The bottom looks like it has the pox right now & it's too cold to fill with epoxy, so the hull is basically waiting & drying out a just little more (it's been out of the water for a few years) Pressure wash this weekend I hope.
 
#9 ·
Hey I just got one of these; for the life of me I can't figure out how to hook up the mainsheet. It looks like there is a spot for it to attach about 1/2 way down the boom, but I don't see any coresponding point on the boat to attach to. there are two eyes on the transom one on each side of the tiller inbetween where the backstays attach. Of the few pictures I can find on the Internet some are at the back of the boom, but I can't get a good look. Some attach mid boom and have some kind of track in the middle of the cockpit (no evidence anything like this was ever installed on my boat.) and most seem to be at anchor with the main sheet removed entirely. Would one of you please be so kind as to educate me on this.
 
#15 ·
How about that. There are actually some Spirits still floating.
I had one for 10 years and sailed it primarily on Lake Lanier, GA but took it to the Abacos, Bahamas on several occasions. Sailed out of West Palm. I made extensive mods for ocean sailing. Changed out the flimsy 3" mast with a 5" off a Catalina 25, added extra rudder gudgeons that I custom built from SS plate because the original broke away on the 1st crossing and I had to use the dining table as a rudder, moved the mainsheet to mid-boom with a traveller mounted just aft of the companionway.
It was a great little boat and served me well. Saved my life when I got into that nasty storm in late October '81 that killed 5 people on the 40' Trashman and 54' Vera. 40 foot seas and 50K winds but she never faltered and pushed on for 16hrs. Sustained no damage at all, thanks to the mods I had made. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have also joined the ranks of stupid sailors who tried to make crossings in late October in the face of a Nor'easter and ended up as dinner for sharks. In spite of all the havoc, I managed to keep my log updated every 2 hours. It is a very interesting read.
I have hundreds of pics put I'll have to find them and scan them in.
 
#16 ·
Floating Spirit 23

WOW!! That is awesome lionshooter. It gives me more faith in my boat for sure! I'm just going thru sea trials right now & have only launched her twice. Hopefully all issues are corrected & will be able to enjoy her more fully. That swing keel needed some more thought for sure. I ended up mounting a pulley in the keel pocket for the cable to work correctly.
 
#19 · (Edited)
That seemed a little pointless.. but anyways.

Just picked up this little boat on the MS Coast for 500$ w/ trailer. had to patch 2 little holes, but she's about ready to be back in the water. Sails, All Rigging in good shape, Interior is there, but it's 30 years old, so thats the next step.

Need a front hatch and don't want to pay some guy 300$ for it, since that's almost as much as I have in it. Anybody got one laying around? Or a rudder template?

Here's a link to some pics I have right now. Some of it on the coast and after we fixed the trailer and dragged it back home.

Paul Sims's Photos - Work in Progress.. | Facebook
 
#22 ·
Great Boat. I got mine finished this spring. She (slow flight) was a great winter project. I added teak and holly sole and floor grates in the cockpit new upolstery in the cabin. Yhe big project was fixing the fiberglass on the deck and resealing all the deck fittings. SHES GREAT TO SAIL steve
 
#23 ·
Thanks, she needs some work, but is coming right along. From what I can tell Shoreline is the original trailer, or at least that what the original paperwork I have says.

Original title say $13986.00, from 1979. I think I got a little better deal than the first owner. ha

Any ideas on where to dig up a fiberglass from hatch, don't know how I feel about the smoked glass ones... just don't seem quite as strong.
 
#24 ·
Thanks, she needs some work, but is coming right along. From what I can tell Shoreline is the original trailer, or at least that what the original paperwork I have says.

Original title say $13986.00, from 1979. I think I got a little better deal than the first owner. ha

Any ideas on where to dig up a fiberglass from hatch, don't know how I feel about the smoked glass ones... just don't seem quite as strong.
I got a smoked glass one & am very happy with it, so much so I got the companion way hatches made with 1/2" of the same stuff. It looks great on the boat.
Someone just tried to steal the 9.9 on the back of Windy Way, but the cables & attached wires were too much for them. Still it cost me $150.00 for repair parts that were damaged.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Count me in for the thread

We bought a '79 Spirit 23 Poptop @ the beginning of this summer & we love it. (We bought ours in Ft. Myers Beach & it remains docked there) It's a great, comfortable beginner's weekender - it's easy to sail & way faster than, for example, a friend's Hunter 22. We hung a Nissan 8 HP 2 stroke on the stern which moves the sloop very well. Let us know if there's anything we can do to help this effort.
 
#28 ·
Lesson Learned

Windy Way looks great. Really like the dark windows, I'm definitely going to have to do that.

Lesson for the day:
Check for rot in the bulkheads, Had my port, side stay foot almost out through the deck this weekend. The bolts ripped all the way up to the deck completely splintering the wood inside the cabin. Luckily one of the bolts caught it or I would have demasted the boat. The urethane finish on the inside can be deceiving, be sure to check. Could have been a major disaster, but i guess thats part of buying a 500$ boat..

But man she was moving, making the Hunters and Catalina's that were racing look stupid. ha
 
#29 ·
Windy Way looks great.
Thanks

Lesson for the day:
Check for rot in the bulkheads
I'd check for rot all over, it's a pretty maintenance manageable boat. My chain plate bulkheads were rotten as well, not really that much at the plate attachment but lower down where it attaches to the compartment fiberglass.

But man she was moving, making the Hunters and Catalina's that were racing look stupid. ha
Just as I said earlier these are fantastic boats, the hull lines, the swing keel, the beam, & cabin design I think were designed just for me! They're exactly what I want in a boat.
 
#33 ·
Here is a pic of my '78 model tied up on the Albemarle Sound. I have since, glassed in the hole from the original hatch, and added a bomar on the bow. I think this was the day I had centerboard problems (cable) and thus the line going into the water to hold the board up (forward of ladder). The board has been replaced by a 170 lb chunk of monel 3/4" by 12" by 48", glassed into a foil shaped to the original board specs, the board pin was increased to 1 and a quarter inches from a piece of an old prop shaft riding in bronze sleeve. She points like a dream. plus that extra ballast in just the right place really helped. Next...windows like Windy Ways...and getting rid of that 6hp. and going to an electric start 9.9 with cockpit controls. Love my old Austin, Texas born Spirit. She will be riding on her double axle E-Z Loader trailer/ mobile shipyard, as she returns to her home state next year for the The Texas 200.
 
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