Leisure 23

BarryH

BarryH

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Off to look at a Lesuire 23 during the week. Seems a tidy boat and looked after. List of stuff thats been replaced extends from the top of the mast down to deck level. ie all standing/running rigging. 3 suits of sails, usual warps, ground tackle fenders etc etc.

In the pictures I was emailed it looks tidy, not too, to sell, tidy. Just tidy. This one hasn't got an inboard engine. Its got an 8 hp on a lifting brkt.
Looking around this should suit me as a singlehander. The sheets have all be led back to the cockpit etc.
Million dollar question, would you spend out on a survey for a boat costing 2.5k?
 
BarryH,

you sound like you have common sense; in which case I would say forget the survey - but check with insurers, they may insist on one so it would make sense to do that before purchase.

That seems a good price, just don't expect to set any speed records, apart from maybe leeway !

In fairness you could do a great deal worse than a Leisure 23.
 
Seajet said:
BarryH,

you sound like you have common sense; in which case I would say forget the survey - but check with insurers, they may insist on one so it would make sense to do that before purchase.

That seems a good price, just don't expect to set any speed records, apart from maybe leeway !

In fairness you could do a great deal worse than a Leisure 23.
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+1 from me !!
 
mjcoon said:
Just don't pronounce it "lee-shore" in the American manner (as I used to do to annoy an owner I knew!)...

Mike.
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A good bloke at my club used to have a Leisure 23; when we met going in opposite directions one day, I called " Hi Dave, how's it going ? " My crew looked up and said " Sideways ! "

That's a touch unfair, but they do have to be sailed carefully to minimise leeway.
 
hmm, thats interesting. Nearly all the people I've spoken 2, well 4 actually, have said its a proper little cruiser. I read a few online reviews which state it as a capable little yacht. Ok so a couple of the reviews will be a tad bias, well a lot bias actually. They were written by the owners.
There seems to be a strong owners association. Do you think I'm making a wrong choice then ? I would rather go forwards rather than sideways. I find you get there a bit quicker!!
 
BarryH said:
hmm, thats interesting. Nearly all the people I've spoken 2, well 4 actually, have said its a proper little cruiser. I read a few online reviews which state it as a capable little yacht. Ok so a couple of the reviews will be a tad bias, well a lot bias actually. They were written by the owners.
There seems to be a strong owners association. Do you think I'm making a wrong choice then ? I would rather go forwards rather than sideways. I find you get there a bit quicker!!
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We had one for ten years, and loved her dearly, only moving on because we wanted to do longer passages. even now we look back on her very fondly. she was toughly built, had adequate accommodation including a proper cooker and heads (under one end of the starboard bunk in the forepeak) and was fun to sail, if not particularly fast, and we sometimes cruised for two weeks with an Old English Sheepdog and a Golden Retriever as crew.

your sources have got it right.
 
BarryH,

please don't take my and my then crews' comments too seriously, I was trying to be jokey !

While I'd naturally suggest you raise your sights and aim for an Anderson 22 - I run the owners association - Fantasie 19, who I know personally, makes a good point that grot boats don't usually generate thriving owners' associations.

The Leisure 23 may not break the sound barrier, but it's a competent, well made boat with a lot of room for 23', and will go on a half tide mooring; that's not just cheaper, it's also a lot more pleasant, usually closer to the shore and sheltered.

At that price, if she's in reasonable condition with half decent sails, snap her up !

Andy
 
I got the Leisure 23SL. It doesn't get that much leeway that I've noticed, okay it's not as fast as others. Mine has the inboard which improves the balance. The accommodation for this size of boat is really good, and when cruising it's got the sort of ride that makes it feel like a bigger boat. With the outboard you'll get a huge extra storage area , where on mine the engine is.
I don't know of any serious structural faults you should look out for. The rear locker tends to leak, a design flaw I believe, but this can be sealed. Many spares are available ie skeg, rudder and hatches.
 
Lakesailor said:
Hurry up then This bloke has 3 offers for a proper sailing yacht
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Lakesailor,

while I'm not a fan of the light build quality & ballast ratio of Sonata's, that looks a good price for a relatively rare swing keel one - but has the keel ever been maintained ?!

Trailers and lift keel boats can spell disaster, as the boat sits on the thing and access to the keel plate is impossible, unless one goes in for a lot of modifications and / or work.

I'd tend to disregard the trailer & instruments etc, if they should be functioning it would be a bonus...
 
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BarryH said:
.... Do you think I'm making a wrong choice then ? I would rather go forwards rather than sideways. I find you get there a bit quicker!!
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I would not worry about the cognoscenti on here, you will get moaning whatever boat you decided to spend your money on.
The main thing is you buy at the right price. In which case you are on a winner if you love or hate the boat.
The asking price on your Leisure looks fine, you could do even better if you make an offer as she lies - without survey. As long as you see the engine run and have your eyes open, you should be fine.
 
If you really want a second opinion, you could ask a local boatbuilder, preferably one who knows the boat, to do an 'Inspection' with/for you. Fraction of the cost of a survey, and of course no come back, but often enough for an insurance companys who insure without survey on boats less than around £5k, covering themselves by requiring the owner 'to take all reasonable steps to ensure the boat is seaworthy' or some such clause.

This gives you an independent professional opinion both for your own peace of mind, and tells the insurers you are taking positive steps to ensure seaworthiness. A couple of hours usually covers it for small boats.
 
Forgot to say there is a survey from 2009 available. I got a copy of it via email. Looks to be ok with a few minor cosmetic things noted.
Says that hull structure is sound and that all chain plates/ fixing points are sound and servicable.
Looks as if this may be the boat for me. I'm not really into speed machines. Something solid and sound will suit me fine. I'll be using it on my own 99% of the time. The other half doesn't do sails. Hence the last boat being a Tremlett gas guzzler, fun for 5 mins then a burden on the wallet.
My two girls will be out with me on occasion so having 2 cabins is plus. They have one, I have the other.
Frantically following up on the mooring info provided, thanks again for that. Really want to get back on the water as soon as possible.
The boat is currently in Essex and I've fallen into the "solent trap" and looking at moorings in that neck of the woods. Probably easiest to transport by road if the boat turns out ok. Time isn't on my side for a movement around the coast, especially in a strange boat!
Fingers crossed then huh!
 
doug748 said:
I would not worry about the cognoscenti on here, you will get moaning whatever boat you decided to spend your money on.
The main thing is you buy at the right price. In which case you are on a winner if you love or hate the boat.
The asking price on your Leisure looks fine, you could do even better if you make an offer as she lies - without survey. As long as you see the engine run and have your eyes open, you should be fine.
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Errr, a suitable outboard engine is worth what, £2-300 secondhand ?

Sails - and one will require at the very least a main, genoa & storm jib, or a working jib as well if without roller reefing forestay kit - are roughly £500 each for the bigguns, slightly less for a roughly 40 square foot storm jib.

Sail condition is usually the make or break deciding factor for cheap secondhand boats, and it's a huge mistake putting up with rubbish sails; as I seem to be saying these days, this is NOT talking as a purist or sail snob, it's just a fact that one is rather expecting the sails to do their job !
 
BarryH said:
The boat is currently in Essex and I've fallen into the "solent trap" and looking at moorings in that neck of the woods. Probably easiest to transport by road if the boat turns out ok. Time isn't on my side for a movement around the coast, especially in a strange boat!
Fingers crossed then huh!
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This year I had ours transported back to a farm near home (storage £5 p/w :) ) The tow vehicle was a toyota pick up, and the trailer was a 4 wheel flatbed agricultural type thing. So fairly cheap to transport.
Just to add, I regularly single hand and find it easy to manage.
 
Note that the Leisure 22 has the same deck/cabin moulding as the Leisure 23, but the Leisure 22 hull is generally reckoned not to be so good. I've seen Leisure 22's being advertised as Leisure 23's. The hull shape is different and the transom in particular is fairly easily distinguishable - have a look at a few pictures on the web. (The Leisure 23 SL has the same hull as the Leisure 23, but a more 'modern' wedge shaped cabin & windows.)

The Leisure 22 is probably a perfectly acceptable boat, too, but just know what you are buying, and I guess the Leisure 22 is worth a little less, too.
 
BarryH said:
Off to look at a Lesuire 23 during the week. Seems a tidy boat and looked after. List of stuff thats been replaced extends from the top of the mast down to deck level. ie all standing/running rigging. 3 suits of sails, usual warps, ground tackle fenders etc etc.

In the pictures I was emailed it looks tidy, not too, to sell, tidy. Just tidy. This one hasn't got an inboard engine. Its got an 8 hp on a lifting brkt.
Looking around this should suit me as a singlehander. The sheets have all be led back to the cockpit etc.
Million dollar question, would you spend out on a survey for a boat costing 2.5k?
Click to expand...

The Leisure 23 is a good boat,as a past owner and now have a 23sl.Make sure its a 23 and not a 22 described as a 23 as sometimes happens.The 22 has different hull and mainsheet is taken to stern,on 23 it goes to bridgedeck.They sail quite well but benefit from a larger genoa than standard to gain that extra speed,an inboard would be better as they have a designed weight of 4050lbs. There is a good owners association.
 
an inboard would be better as they have a designed weight of 4050lbs.

PeteK,

are you sure about that ?! Jeez, my Anderson 22 ( probably not allowing for the outboard in the well or locker, say another 50lbs with external tank ? ) is meant to displace 2,500lbs and it's not a particularly light weight design !

I always thought it was down to my utterly brilliant sailing skills that allowed me to go past Leisure's but I may have to reconsider if they're carrying around the equivalent of a small car dangling beneath...
 
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