Versions & changes
Seven production years, two keels, and a deck layout that quietly improved along the way.
Fin or board
The single biggest difference between two Tonic 23s is what is under them.
Fixed fin keel
1.12 m of draft, 450 kg of ballast, and nothing to service. Stiffer on the wind and simpler to own.
Stub keel and centreboard
0.71 m with the plate up, 1.37 m down, and 480 kg of ballast in the stub. It goes places the fin cannot, at the cost of a pivot, a slot and a lifting tackle that all need attention.
Tip: if you sail anywhere tidal, the board version is worth the maintenance. If you keep her in a marina and race her, the fin is the better boat.
Working out which year you have
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01
Find the hull identification
On the transom, starboard side, above the waterline. Later hulls carry a moulded plate; early ones a stamped number.
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02
Check the cockpit lockers
The locker arrangement changed around 1988. Two lockers with the later hatch profile puts you after that.
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03
Look at the mast foot
The deck-stepped foot and its plate were revised in production. The heavier plate is the later one.
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04
Compare against the drawings
The interior layout drawing in the archive matches the boats from 1986 onwards.