One of the best sailing boats that Com-Pac makes is a Com-Pac 23D. A diesel motor that's down low in the boat makes a big difference. I know because I have sailed several over the years. I can remember completing a trip from Oracoke on the Outer Banks to New Bern on the upper Neuse in 14 hours, a distance of about 60 miles. We raced several long distance races where the 23D out sailed the competition. One all night race was finished miles ahead of the other boats in the fleet. Everyone that's ever owned one loves the boat.

We all know that a new Com-Pac 23D is expensive. The current solution to that problem is a used boat and a used motor. For the last 10 years, we have been installing new motors in used outboard 23s, but new motor got to be too expensive with the new EPA rule on raw water motors. That's a story in itself. Used motors for our conversions are currently available because some sailors in the upper Chesapeake are going to electric power. They leave their slip and start sailing after a very short run into the Bay. A used Com-Pac 23 or Com-Pac 19 can be converted to diesel power with a small used diesel.

The conversion cost about $4000 excluding the motor, motor instruments and the boat. That price includes all the miscellaneous parts and the labor to complete the installation. We also remove the outboard hardware and repair the holes in the transom. The pictures below show the factory shaft installation and we do the same thing using the same parts.

The best part of any installation is the test drive. We call it sea trials and we put the engine though its paces. We check for leaks and also check performance. The latest conversion was with an old engine. The engine came to The Sailboat Company in 3 cardboard boxes. It was a Yanmar YSB8 built in 1977. The bearings were good and after replacing lots of small parts, the engine and transmission are running well. Most sailboat motors have very little use so wear isn't normally a problem. They can have saltwater corrosion problems over the years.

Click the buttons to see the sea trials for the indicated boats: