Loving our R23 Diesel..

[cruz-in]

Today was a fabulous day of fall boating on the Chesapeake Bay. Light winds, high 60s temps, and sunshine.

For our use case, I can't say enough good things about the R23 Diesel. It is very economical. Cruising 32 MPH we are getting 3.9 mpg (at 7 MPH it gets 12+ MPG). Plus, at the fuel dock, diesel is less than gas (no highway taxes).

The Low, and forward of the transom, Center of Gravity of the inboard diesel really provides nice predictable handling. The boat planes flat with no trim tabs. The low, and forward of the transom, engine center of gravity also increases stability at rest.

Downside of the inboard diesel, is loss of lots of storage and a bit noiser.

Another plus is "free" cabin heat and a 150 amp alternator.

Kind of a bummer they only made 5 R23 Ds...

 

[glider4]

Congratulations on your rare bird!
We owned a Mercruiser powered stern drive (aka I/O) Monterrey 242 Cruiser for well over a decade. Loved the ability to trim the out drive. And the lower CG for great handling. But would much preferred diesel over gas.
I think you forgot to add having all that space available on the swim platform and a simple way to mount a dinghy using davits to your list.
Had I been in the market for a R-23 when they first came out I would have opted for the diesel as well!
Enjoy!

 

[cruz-in]

Oh yes.... The unobstructed swim platform is a big plus. Whether for a dingy, swimming, or grilling, it is a nice unobstructed area. Really adds to the roomy feel of the bost. Plus I think it adds to the look of boat.

Obviously, simply judging by demand, most folks found the outboard a better trade off for Thier use case. One advantage of the outboard is, if you store in the water, the outboard tilts out of the water. The diesel outdrive does not. Fortunately we store purrs in a Boatel..

I have become a big fan of the Volvo Penta dual counter rotating props. No prop walk, great slow speed tracking and good dock manners.

Both are trade offs. Which is best, Diesel stern drive or gas outboad, depends on your use case.

This is from the FWIW comment category.

As someone who has worked aircraft mods his entire career, weight and balance is everything. Clever design must have gone into the R23. Designing a boat that operates well with either:
1) Diesel outdrive, with 750 pound diesel cg below decks and a few feet in front of the transom
OR
2) a 500 pound outboard with a cg above the deck and a few feet behind the transom
was quite the design challenge.

Based on all the happy owners, it appears
RT succeeded.

 

[HudsonRanger15]

Oh yes.... The unobstructed swim platform is a big plus. Whether for a dingy, swimming, or grilling, it is a nice unobstructed area. Really adds to the roomy feel of the bost. Plus I think it adds to the look of boat.

Obviously, simply judging by demand, most folks found the outboard a better trade off for Thier use case. One advantage of the outboard is, if you store in the water, the outboard tilts out of the water. The diesel outdrive does not. Fortunately we store purrs in a Boatel..

I have become a big fan of the Volvo Penta dual counter rotating props. No prop walk, great slow speed tracking and good dock manners.

Both are trade offs. Which is best, Diesel stern drive or gas outboad, depends on your use case.

This is from the FWIW comment category.

As someone who has worked aircraft mods his entire career, weight and balance is everything. Clever design must have gone into the R23. Designing a boat that operates well with either:
1) Diesel outdrive, with 750 pound diesel cg below decks and a few feet in front of the transom
OR
2) a 500 pound outboard with a cg above the deck and a few feet behind the transom
was quite the design challenge.

Based on all the happy owners, it appears
RT succeeded.

Greetings, hope you are enjoying your R23 Diesel, I bought one brand new in 2017, she is amazing. both on the Hudson River in NY and the ocean in Portsmouth NH, we have unicorns and I absolutely love her.

 

[HudsonRanger15]

I just got back from a trip , Portsmouth Naval Ship yard to Portland Maine and back . As usual the way out was great always checking the weather . Topped off the fuel the fresh water for the great balance. 1 foot sees on a beautiful day, Docked at Dimillos in Portland great staff. I also checked out a few islands on day trips. Peaks Island for lunch was amazing (thank you Veronica who ran the marina). On the way home , after checking the weather 2-4 seas with a few 6 footers and 25 knots , I danced with the ocean. The boat did amazing, a glorious trip with some challenges at 10 knots a 3 hour trip was turned into a 4 hour trip. The boat handled well , i had boat fatigue and was sleeping by 6pm ,lol. great trip , fishing ,seals and some small dolphins.