The Vagabond 23 is the successor to the Serpentaire 22, the famous winner of the first Mini_Transat.

The Vagabond 23 retain the virtues of the old design: offshore capable, well balanced fast hull that is easy on her crew, seaworthiness and strength but we were able to blend those qualities with better speed, more room, easier building and more strength.

Unlike the Serpentaire, this boat has been designed from the start for plywood-fiberglass-epoxy composite (stitch and glue), a material stronger and easier than plywood on frame. The hull shape is slightly different: longer hull for better all around speed, less rocker to help planing and a much wider chine towards the stern. All without excess, to keep her well balanced when heeled. Those changes not only helps performance but gives a much longer and wider cockpit. The smoother lines make the plywood easier to bend.

We incorporated two (optional) collision bulkheads in the design and the Vagabond 23 can also become unsinkable with the addition of expandable foam in some strategic locations.
This design removes a major hurdle in amateur sail boat building: the keel.
Our plans show an integral keel, built as a part of the hull and later filled with ballast. No welding, no expensive casting, no difficult keel to hull assembly.
It is also stronger: the VG23 can sit dry and stable on its one piece keel without any additional support or bracing. That feature allows the VG23 to dry out without help in tidal harbors and makes bottom cleaning and painting on a beach possible: no more expensive haulouts!

The VG23 can sleep 4 with a wide double berth forward and two almost 8' long bunks in the main cabin.

The VG23 is powered by an outboard on the transom. The outboard can be clamped directly on the transom or on a standard outboard bracket.

The wide centerboard trunk makes maintenance easy: the CB can be removed and the trunk cleaned and painted.
For performance reason, the rudder is deeper than the keel but a very simple design feature allows it to slide up for sailing shallow waters or beaching.

Building method:
The VG23 can be build the traditional way upside down on a jig or, easier, stitch and glue way in a simple support frame that we call a "basket mold". All dimensions are on the plans to build either way. A sketch of the basket mold with dimensions is included.

See the excellent Vagabond 20 web site for pictures of the building method. Except for the inclusion of the keel in the hull, the VG23 is build exactly the same way.

Required Skills:
The building is as simple as any other stitch and glue boat: it will take longer to build than a small skiff but does not require more tools or better skills. The plans include a step description of the hull assembly.

Options:
The interior layout can be customized but since they participate in the structure, all bulkhead locations must be respected.

Bill Of Materials:
(Excerpts from our BOM)
The BOM list materials based on our standard layout and includes a 15% waste factor for resin and fiberglass. For plywood, we use standard sheets 4' x 8' (122 x 244 cm). Please read the building notes and see the plans for detailed specifications. Marine Tech or XL boat building plywood can be substituted for marine ply in stitch and glue construction. That type of plywood cost, on the average, less than $20.00 a sheet in 1/4" (6mm). Meranti marine can also be used and cost usually less than $40.00 a sheet (1/4"). Good quality exterior is acceptable if it has no voids.

Cost:
The hull and deck part will cost between $2,500 and $4,000.00 depending on the type of plywood.
Spars and sails will cost another $3,000.00 new.

We offer kits for each component groups: see the main page for a list, top left panel.

It is possible to save a lot on spars and sails with second hand equipment and the boat could be build for as little as $6,000.00.

Labor:
The average construction time for a complete boat is 500 hours, less if you keep the finish very simple.

More:
Visit our message board, help pages, tutorial pages and read our FAQ: most questions are answered there.

Plans Package List: