comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Dick Villamil
- Posts: 456
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 16:42
- Location: CD Typhoon, Victoria, Essex Jct. VT
comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
Starting to consider my step back in size from my 34 footer to one of these 3 or other similar boat. Is there any where I can get some user comments on these 3? Also have a Typhoon which I really like but am considering something like the Ty.
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Megunticook
- Posts: 352
- Joined: Sep 2nd, '12, 17:59
- Location: Cape Dory Typhoon Senior #11
Re: comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
I have a Ty Senior and have been aboard a CD22. Not familiar with Sea Sprite.
What would you like to know? I love the Senior, same hull as the 22 but has the motor well and no sink or head down below. Can sleep 4 but space is tight especially forward.
Not a racehorse but extremely seaworthy and handles all sorts of conditions well. Easy to single-hand.
What would you like to know? I love the Senior, same hull as the 22 but has the motor well and no sink or head down below. Can sleep 4 but space is tight especially forward.
Not a racehorse but extremely seaworthy and handles all sorts of conditions well. Easy to single-hand.
Re: comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
I had a Sea Sprite 23 Weekender for about 10 years.
Overall it was a wonderful boat and relatively easy to maintain.
Easy to sail and good performance with a genoa
Good seating in the cockpit for 4 adults
Had a motor well. Some people mounted the outboard on the transom so that it could be pivoted up when sailing.
Cabin had an icebox, sink and head (direct discharge) which most people replace with a portapotty.
Sleeping was tight in the aft berths and we never attempted to sleep in the v-berth. Sometimes in the Summer we slept in the cockpit.
There are two main version of the Sea Sprite Weekender:
The earlier ones from Wickford (up to about hull # 592 and to circa 1976) have no interior liner on the cabin ceiling and have a motor well that is not centered.
The more "recent" ones from Ryder (about hull # 593 and up) do have an interior liner on the cabin ceiling,
have a centered motor well that can be covered (if one can find the right outboard to fit) and (I think) a lazerette storage locker. They have other cosmetic differences that you may want and some have opening portlights.
I suggest that you look at the Sea Sprite owners association web site. http://www.seaspriteassociation.com/
Particularly at the classified ads to look at those for sale and those that have sold.
You'll see a wide range of what condition they can be found in.
Common issues with the Sea Sprite Weekender is a sagging deck area under the mast step.
We had to fabricate and fit a mast compression post which fixed that.
Other issues are with the chain plates in that they were glassed into the hull. Many owners have refabricated these.
One other idea would be to look for a Sea Sprite 23 Daysailer model. These do not have much of a cabin but do have a larger and lower-seating cockpit. They seem to be rare though.
Let me know if any specific questions.
Ken
Overall it was a wonderful boat and relatively easy to maintain.
Easy to sail and good performance with a genoa
Good seating in the cockpit for 4 adults
Had a motor well. Some people mounted the outboard on the transom so that it could be pivoted up when sailing.
Cabin had an icebox, sink and head (direct discharge) which most people replace with a portapotty.
Sleeping was tight in the aft berths and we never attempted to sleep in the v-berth. Sometimes in the Summer we slept in the cockpit.
There are two main version of the Sea Sprite Weekender:
The earlier ones from Wickford (up to about hull # 592 and to circa 1976) have no interior liner on the cabin ceiling and have a motor well that is not centered.
The more "recent" ones from Ryder (about hull # 593 and up) do have an interior liner on the cabin ceiling,
have a centered motor well that can be covered (if one can find the right outboard to fit) and (I think) a lazerette storage locker. They have other cosmetic differences that you may want and some have opening portlights.
I suggest that you look at the Sea Sprite owners association web site. http://www.seaspriteassociation.com/
Particularly at the classified ads to look at those for sale and those that have sold.
You'll see a wide range of what condition they can be found in.
Common issues with the Sea Sprite Weekender is a sagging deck area under the mast step.
We had to fabricate and fit a mast compression post which fixed that.
Other issues are with the chain plates in that they were glassed into the hull. Many owners have refabricated these.
One other idea would be to look for a Sea Sprite 23 Daysailer model. These do not have much of a cabin but do have a larger and lower-seating cockpit. They seem to be rare though.
Let me know if any specific questions.
Ken
Ken Easley
Intrepid 9 Meter - Felicity
Southport Harbor, Connecticut
Intrepid 9 Meter - Felicity
Southport Harbor, Connecticut
Re: comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
I sailed a 1979 seasprite23 weekender(CE Ryder built) for almost 30yrs.
It was a joy to sail in every sense of the word. Easy on the eye and seaworthy. In fact, one was sailed across the atlantic in 1974 by Robert Gainer(RIP).
I have not one complaint about the boat which is rare nowadays.
Low maintenance and no issues with soft deck or chainplates, however, the earlier boats did have some problems with the chainplates and how they were attached to the hull.
I would give it a 10 out of 10
It was a joy to sail in every sense of the word. Easy on the eye and seaworthy. In fact, one was sailed across the atlantic in 1974 by Robert Gainer(RIP).
I have not one complaint about the boat which is rare nowadays.
Low maintenance and no issues with soft deck or chainplates, however, the earlier boats did have some problems with the chainplates and how they were attached to the hull.
I would give it a 10 out of 10
Re: comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
I've owned both the Typhoon Senior and 22D, but haven't sailed a Sea Sprite so I can't comment on that from direct experience, but since the Sea Sprite came first it likely had some later influence on the 22 and 22D. My understanding is that the hulls on the 22/22D and TY Senior are essentially the same, but the CD22 and 22D are masthead rigs whereas the TY Senior is a fractional rig. The other main differences are the TY Senior only has one lower shroud per side (whereas the 22 and 22D have two), and the TY Senior has a stripped basic interior whereas the 22 and 22D have a fancier interior complete with a built-in small sink and ice chest, which pushed the midships bunks further aft vs. the TY Senior which had neither. The Senior also didn't have the teak paneling on the inside of the hull.
I live near the old factory, so have the opportunity from time-to-time to speak with "old timers" who used to work there. One told me that by the mid-1980s, sales were really faltering due to the recession in the boating industry, so they tried stripping the interior of the 22 and going to a fractional rig to reduce the cost of the Senior. For marketing reasons, they replaced the openable rectangular windows on the 22 and 22D with dual fixed circular windows and called it the Typhoon Senior. According to this website, the 176 22 and 22Ds were built between 1982 and 1985 (and from review of all registered owners 30 were 22Ds), but only 57 TY Seniors between 1985 to 1987, after which production on that model was halted.
In terms of sailing qualities, I actually thought the TY Senior sailed better on windward tacks than the 22D, but that's probably because I'd been sailing all fractional rigs before that. The Senior also had a Harken Mark III roller furler which always functioned flawlessly whereas the 22D was hanked-on. They both handle like bigger boats, especially when riding big ocean-like swells in the Narragansett Bay.
One of the nice features of the outboard engine on the TY Senior was that if the helm moved the outboard tiller in synch with the boat's tiller, one could make surprising tight turns in a mooring field or anchorage for a full-keeled sailboat. The downsides of the lazarette outboard motor location in the Senior are: 1) The outboard's water intakes were prone to getting gunked up with marine growth if left in warm, shallow saltwater for the summer (the solution was to remove it if I wasn't going to run the motor for more than a week) and 2) The water sloshing around the bowl was annoying at times. Having said that, I thought that it looked like a long reach to flip the outboard on a 22 up and down, but I never owed an outboard-powered 22 myself so I'd be interested to hearing from CD2 owners on that point.
All of the above are my personal observations and opinions, and are offered without warranty, express or implied. Your mileage may vary.
I live near the old factory, so have the opportunity from time-to-time to speak with "old timers" who used to work there. One told me that by the mid-1980s, sales were really faltering due to the recession in the boating industry, so they tried stripping the interior of the 22 and going to a fractional rig to reduce the cost of the Senior. For marketing reasons, they replaced the openable rectangular windows on the 22 and 22D with dual fixed circular windows and called it the Typhoon Senior. According to this website, the 176 22 and 22Ds were built between 1982 and 1985 (and from review of all registered owners 30 were 22Ds), but only 57 TY Seniors between 1985 to 1987, after which production on that model was halted.
In terms of sailing qualities, I actually thought the TY Senior sailed better on windward tacks than the 22D, but that's probably because I'd been sailing all fractional rigs before that. The Senior also had a Harken Mark III roller furler which always functioned flawlessly whereas the 22D was hanked-on. They both handle like bigger boats, especially when riding big ocean-like swells in the Narragansett Bay.
One of the nice features of the outboard engine on the TY Senior was that if the helm moved the outboard tiller in synch with the boat's tiller, one could make surprising tight turns in a mooring field or anchorage for a full-keeled sailboat. The downsides of the lazarette outboard motor location in the Senior are: 1) The outboard's water intakes were prone to getting gunked up with marine growth if left in warm, shallow saltwater for the summer (the solution was to remove it if I wasn't going to run the motor for more than a week) and 2) The water sloshing around the bowl was annoying at times. Having said that, I thought that it looked like a long reach to flip the outboard on a 22 up and down, but I never owed an outboard-powered 22 myself so I'd be interested to hearing from CD2 owners on that point.
All of the above are my personal observations and opinions, and are offered without warranty, express or implied. Your mileage may vary.
MHB Sailor
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Dick Villamil
- Posts: 456
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 16:42
- Location: CD Typhoon, Victoria, Essex Jct. VT
Re: comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
Thank you all for the helpful list of information regarding the Ty Sr, CD22 and 22d as well as the Seasprite 23. I am still looking and also thinking of a second Ty weekender. No hurry to make up my mind so I can still sail the Ty on Lake George, NY while deciding whether to get another boat for Lake Champlain. Many issues to consider including the first mate thoughts and golf scores! 
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wikakaru
- Posts: 839
- Joined: Jan 13th, '18, 16:19
- Location: 1980 Typhoon #1697 "Dory"; 1981 CD22 #41 "Arietta"
Re: comparison of CD22 CD Senior and Sea Sprite 23
Questions you should be asking yourself (and perhaps sharing with the board to help us help you):
* What do you intend to use the boat for? Daysailing only, overnighting, weekending, or beyond?
If you intend to do anything more than daysailing, hands down I would go with the CD22--it has a much more comfortable interior than the other boats you mentioned. I haven't sailed a Sea Sprite, though I have admired them from afar for many years and seriously considered them before ultimately settling on a Typhoon for daysailing and a CD22 for longer trips. When I asked a Sea Sprite owner about weekending a Sea Sprite, they said there is very little room to get in and out of the V-berth and it would be very inconvenient to spend the night aboard. Hats off to the guy who crossed the Atlantic in one. That's how the Typhoon is, too--not even sitting headroom. For daysailing, I don't think you could go wrong with either a Typhoon, Ty Sr., or Sea Sprite.
* How do you intend to handle hauling for the off-season? Trailer or boatyard? If you will trailer, what is the towing capacity of your vehicle?
The Typhoon is 2,000 lbs, 2'7" draft; CD22 is 3,200 lbs, 3'0" draft; Ty Sr is 3,300 lbs, 3'1" draft; Sea Sprite is 3,350 lbs and 3'1" draft. The Typhoon is a lighter boat with shallower draft and a lighter mast, so it is the easiest to trailer, to find a ramp steep enough to launch, and to raise the mast by hand without resorting to gin poles or other contraptions. If you haul in a boatyard, then that's not an issue. As an added bonus, I can store my Typhoon in my garage if I remove the mast from the trailer. I definitely couldn't do that with the larger boats.
* What is the condition of the various models available on the market? Are you interested in refitting the new boat yourself or do you want something that is Bristol?
If you don't mind doing a lot of work, you can probably find good examples of each type to choose from. If you are looking for a well-kept boat, your options will be much more limited and that may make the decision for you.
Happy boat hunting, and smooth sailing!
Jim
* What do you intend to use the boat for? Daysailing only, overnighting, weekending, or beyond?
If you intend to do anything more than daysailing, hands down I would go with the CD22--it has a much more comfortable interior than the other boats you mentioned. I haven't sailed a Sea Sprite, though I have admired them from afar for many years and seriously considered them before ultimately settling on a Typhoon for daysailing and a CD22 for longer trips. When I asked a Sea Sprite owner about weekending a Sea Sprite, they said there is very little room to get in and out of the V-berth and it would be very inconvenient to spend the night aboard. Hats off to the guy who crossed the Atlantic in one. That's how the Typhoon is, too--not even sitting headroom. For daysailing, I don't think you could go wrong with either a Typhoon, Ty Sr., or Sea Sprite.
* How do you intend to handle hauling for the off-season? Trailer or boatyard? If you will trailer, what is the towing capacity of your vehicle?
The Typhoon is 2,000 lbs, 2'7" draft; CD22 is 3,200 lbs, 3'0" draft; Ty Sr is 3,300 lbs, 3'1" draft; Sea Sprite is 3,350 lbs and 3'1" draft. The Typhoon is a lighter boat with shallower draft and a lighter mast, so it is the easiest to trailer, to find a ramp steep enough to launch, and to raise the mast by hand without resorting to gin poles or other contraptions. If you haul in a boatyard, then that's not an issue. As an added bonus, I can store my Typhoon in my garage if I remove the mast from the trailer. I definitely couldn't do that with the larger boats.
* What is the condition of the various models available on the market? Are you interested in refitting the new boat yourself or do you want something that is Bristol?
If you don't mind doing a lot of work, you can probably find good examples of each type to choose from. If you are looking for a well-kept boat, your options will be much more limited and that may make the decision for you.
Happy boat hunting, and smooth sailing!
Jim