Didi 23
Description
The Didi 23 is a high-performance, trailerable pocket cruiser-racer designed by South African naval architect Dudley Dix in the early 2000s as a compact version of his popular Didi 26. It balances sporty sailing characteristics with family-friendly accommodations, making it ideal for weekend cruising, club racing, or day sails on coastal waters, lakes, or bays. The design draws from Dix's successful Mini Transat-inspired concepts (e.g., Didi Mini Mk3), emphasizing lightweight yet robust plywood construction for amateur builders. With options for fixed or lifting keels, tall or short rigs, and racing or cruising layouts, it's versatile for short-handed (1-2 crew) or family use (up to 4 people). About 16 plan sets have been sold as of 2024, with several completed builds praised for their speed, stability, and ease of trailering.
Construction Details
| Designer | Dudley Dix |
|---|---|
| Length | 23.000 ft |
| LOA | 23.000 ft |
| LWL | 21.670 ft |
| Beam | 8.083 ft |
| Displacement | 1929 lb |
| Ballast | 838 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.580 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.670 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 26.08 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 7.75 ft |
| p | 30.17 ft |
| e | 11.17 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.08 ft | 7.75 ft | 30.17 ft | 11.17 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 30.17 ft - (9196 mm) |
| Foot | * 11.17 ft - (3405 mm) |
| Leech | * 31.56 ft - (9619 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 31.8 ft - (9693 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 5.25 in - (133 mm) |
| Area | * 174.18 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 25 ft - (7620 mm) |
| Foot | 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Leech | 22.83 ft - (6959 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 105.94 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 8.21 ft - (2502 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 7.7 ° |
| Area | * 102.58 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 25.85 ft - (7879 mm) |
| Foot | * 12.41 ft - (3783 mm) |
| Leech | * 24.43 ft - (7446 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 149.94 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.62 ft - (3542 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 150.17 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Foot | 14 ft - (4267 mm) |
| Leech | 25 ft - (7620 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 284 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.