Kells 23 7/8 Rig
Description
The Kells 23 was designed by Paul A. Lindh and first built in 1971 by Kells Corp., a small manufacturer located in Tiverton, Rhode Island. It is a compact, trailerable American sailboat designed as a coastal cruiser and daysailer, emphasizing affordability, simplicity, and family-friendly accommodations for weekend outings or short passages. Built primarily of fiberglass with wood trim, it features a masthead sloop rig and a swing keel (or fixed keel variant as the Coaster 23), providing responsive performance in light to moderate winds while enabling shallow-water access. With a small cuddy cabin sleeping up to 4 and a spacious cockpit, it's suitable for beginners or small crews exploring lakes or protected bays. Known for its "no-frills" molded hull-keel joint to minimize leaks and a glassed-in shoal draft keel (750 lbs.). Approximately 100–200 units were produced.
Construction Details
| Designer | Paul A. Lindh |
|---|---|
| Builder | Kells Corp. |
| Length | 23.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 21 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 8.75 ft |
| p | 21 ft |
| e | 9.50 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 ft | 8.75 ft | 21 ft | 9.50 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Foot | * 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Leech | * 22.59 ft - (6885 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.97 ° |
| Diagonal | * 22.74 ft - (6931 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | 99.61 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 18.2 ft - (5547 mm) |
| Foot | * 12.23 ft - (3728 mm) |
| Leech | * 15.1 ft - (4602 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 10.06 ft - (3066 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 91.61 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 21.61 ft - (6587 mm) |
| Foot | * 14.68 ft - (4474 mm) |
| Leech | * 19.96 ft - (6084 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.13 ft - (4002 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 141.83 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 21.61 ft - (6587 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Foot | * 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 289.3 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.