sonic 23 sailboat for sale

Review of Sonic 23

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The Sonic 23 is equipped with a long keel. A full keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.13 - 1.23 meter (3.71 - 4.01 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Sonic 23 is 2.02, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Sonic 23 is about 94 kg/cm, alternatively 528 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 94 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 528 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 10m 2 (107 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Sonic 23 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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• Sailboat Guide

Sonic 23 is a 22 ′ 11 ″ / 7 m monohull sailboat designed by Joseph D'Alessio and built by Sonic Sailboats Ltd. (CAN) starting in 1981.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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opinion needed on Sonic 23

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Hi, my wife and I are looking at a Sonic 23, and wondered if anyone had an opinion on this boat as a starter boat for beginner sailors with two small kids.We''d primarily use it as a daysailor,but figure the kids ( at least now, at 7 and 4 !) would get some use out of the cabin ( and let us concentrate on our newly devolping skills...well hopefully!) Any thoughts? Colin halifax Nova Scotia  

Colin If you like the layout of the Sonic 23 then you should also consider several other boats readily available in Halifax: 1. Paceship P23 & Tanzer 22. Similar layout inside with large cockpits. The Tanzer can be found much cheaper than a Sonic (5-7K CDN) as can the P-23. These boats are older than the Sonic but also less expensive to buy. 2. Paceship PY23 has more headroom than the P23 or the Tanzer and is more for cruising than those two models. Several for sale at Sunnybrook Yachts in Mahone Bay. 3. Parks 23. One for sale in Tatamagouche area. (See BHYC website). This is by far the nicest of all the models as it was built in 1991. Very nice interior and nice to sail. Sails are all reasonably new as is the Honda outboard. The downside is the price. about 13K Cdn 4. CS22 has a centerboard keel version that is good for shallow water channels. These are nice boats although not plentiful in Halifax. There are other boats as well such as Catalina, Hunter, Oday that all make decent 22-23 footers. I believe you can even get into a C&C24 for about the same price as a Sonic 23 and it is a lot more boat than any of the above. The main concern I would have with the Sonic is the Pop top. Some people consider a pop-top a bonus but I am thinking it may be more of a detriment. I have seen the interior of a Sonic 23 and it appears to be quite nice. Not entirely sure of its sailing reputation ... Sorry if this posted twice but I could not find my original reply. Good luck! Mike Halifax  

paulpeople said: Hi, my wife and I are looking at a Sonic 23, and wondered if anyone had an opinion on this boat as a starter boat for beginner sailors with two small kids.We''d primarily use it as a daysailor,but figure the kids ( at least now, at 7 and 4 !) would get some use out of the cabin ( and let us concentrate on our newly devolping skills...well hopefully!) Any thoughts? Colin halifax Nova Scotia Click to expand...

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The Sonic 23 is a 23.0ft masthead sloop designed by Joseph D'Alessio and built in fiberglass since 1981.

The Sonic 23 is a light sailboat which is a reasonably good performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a day-boat.

Sonic 23 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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Sonic 23ft {the ups & downs of}...

Discussion in ' Boat Design ' started by Canada Bob , Oct 2, 2011 .

Canada Bob Junior Member

It's that time of year and there seems to be some decent boats on offer, so. I have an option on a Sonic 23ft sailboat, {see the link below for the spec}. http://sailquest.com/market/models/sonic.htm I'm not into racing or anything like that, but I like to sail the {mostly, on a good day} sheltered waters around the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Like to fish from a boat and camp aboard for a few days, so a boat of this size would be all I need. Having said that I tend to stay in the sheltered waters we aren't unknown the squalls round here, and the occasional heavy sea that can stand in the way of me getting back home. I've had a look at the capsize ratio of the Sonic 23's and {at first glance} they come in at 2.03 {I think it was}, nothing too alarming there but... When I did the Angle of Vanishing Stability calculation it came up with a screening value of 9.35 and an AVS of minus 503.43 I would really appreciate it if someone could comment on those numbers, and on what they think of the boat itself. The price is right, the boat size/layout would work for me, but I'd appreciate input from folks with a better understanding of AVS etc. Thanks, Canada Bob.  

PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

How did you preform these calculations? My data base doesn't have much on this boat, but your stability numbers suggest you've made a fundamental mistake in calculation. I've got a AVS figure of 123 degrees for this boat.  

Hello PAR, First of all Thanks for the come back, appreciated... Here's a link to the Sonic 23ft'er. http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=290 As for the calculations, yea, they don't seem right to me either, hence the request for a clarification, the AVS number would seem to suggest that once the boat capsizes it would continue to roll until it landed on the nearest beach ;-) Here's the link to the calculator that I used... http://www.sailingusa.info/cal__sad_ratio.htm After running it again I get the same {weird} results !!! I would appreciate your thoughts on the boats suitability as a {slow/safe} day sailer / week end fishing / camper. I have no interest is rushing about in boats {done that years ago}, I used to rush from A to B {where I thought the fish might be}, only to find that there were plenty of fish at A to start off with ;-) The Sonic 23 has its appeal for me, but there's also a "One Owner" 1973 C&C 25ft in real good shape, hard to chose between the two of them, comments appreciated. Here's a few comparative numbers... Performance Comparison LOA C&C 25 25.10 Sonic 23 23.00 LWL C&C 25 20.72 Sonic 23 20.00 Beam C&C 25 8.78 Sonic 23 7.58 Displacement C&C 25 4126 Sonic 23 3400 Sail Area C&C 25 306 sq ft Sonic 23 242 sq ft Capsize Ratio C&C 25 2.19 Sonic 23 2.02 Hull Speed C&C 25 6.1 Sonic 23 5.99 Sail Area to Displacement C&C 25 19.03 Sonic 23 17.12 Displacement to LWL C&C 25 207 Sonic 23 190 LWL to Beam C&C 25 2.36 Sonic 23 2.64 Motion Comfort C&C 25 15.9 Sonic 23 16.81 Pounds/Inch C&C 25 650 Sonic 23 542 Canada Bob.  

The US Sailing calculator uses some questionable math and several very large assumptions. The Sonic is a reasonable boat for your needs, though I'd be inclined toward the C&C if of similar price and equipment. The C&C is a substantially bigger boat, a better sailor, particularly in light air and the build quality is a known commodity. Your assumption about the Sonic's AVS is incorrect. She's less likely to capsize then the C&C, which is also not particularly prone to it either. For your needs both will do, though the larger C&C will be more comfortable, faster and will have a better resale value too.  

Hello PAR... The US Sailing calculator uses some questionable math and several very large assumptions. Better than nothing I guess, but only just maybe The Sonic is a reasonable boat for your needs, though I'd be inclined toward the C&C if of similar price and equipment. Nothing to chose between them on price, equipment or condition, they are both in excellent shape, showing "pride of ownership". The C&C is a substantially bigger boat, a better sailor, particularly in light air and the build quality is a known commodity. Understood, thanks for the insight... Your assumption about the Sonic's AVS is incorrect. Thought as much, hence the request for clarification. She's less likely to capsize then the C&C, which is also not particularly prone to it either. I hardly ever sail with the full nine yards going, so that should lessen the prospect of turning turtle... For your needs both will do, though the larger C&C will be more comfortable, faster and will have a better resale value too. Understood and appreciated, thanks for your time and consideration PAR. Canada Bob.  

Piece of cake Bob, now post some pictures after your purchase . . .  

PAR said: ↑ Piece of cake Bob, now post some pictures after your purchase . . . Click to expand...

Here's a few more of the Sonic 23.  

Attached Files:

Sonic 001.jpg, sonic 002.jpg, sonic 003.jpg, sonic 004.jpg.

I can't evaluate yachts from pictures, but I think the prices are high, especially in this market and particularly considering their well loved age.  

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Hello PAR... Well, at least the photo's give an indication that neither boat has been neglected, you should see some of the boats I've looked at in the last few weeks, boats listed with photo's that were taken years ago, the photo's for one boat were taken in 2002 !!! I thought the prices were on the low side, maybe that's because I'm an ex-pat Brit and I know what folks ask for 1/2 a boat over there. There's no doubt that prices do reflect the local market, and that boats in Florida can be had for half the price you'd pay in much of Canada. I bought a boat off eBay a few years ago, and even though it took the expense of an 8 day round trip to pick the boat up and trailer it back to Nova Scotia, paying import duties and tax @ 15% it still came in at just over 1/2 the price would have paid if I'd bought the same or similar boat in Canada. Although the many parts of the world are having a tough time we are fortunate enough in Canada that the prices for homes, cars and boats etc, haven't been affected by the {almost} Global recession. As for age, well, I wish that I was aging as well as fiber glass does. A lot is down to that pride of ownership thing, if folks have taken care of their boats, not to mention added stuff to them, electronics etc. My rule of thumb is, if a boat is younger than me, I'll consider it ;-)  

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Our Sonic 23 - Nautalot

A blogspot dedicated to our Sonic 23 sailboat

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