← The model library
Model profile · for Great Loop buyers

Ocean Alexander 423 Classico

The published record on this model and what owners report, with the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page covers the model. Every boat still needs its own homework.

A shallow-draft, folding-mast semi-displacement cruiser well suited to the Loop, but engine option and actual air draft vary hull-to-hull and must be pinned down.

The 1994 Ocean Alexander 423 Classico was a one-year designation (renamed 426 Classico from 1995) built in low numbers, so model-specific failure data is thin. Most reliable knowledge comes from Cat 3208 engine-family reports and OA-brand experience. A 1994 boat most commonly carries twin naturally aspirated Cat 3208s (~210 hp each), which owners regard as durable, but the model was offered with several engine options across its run so the specific engine must be confirmed. Its shallow (~3'10") draft and hinged/folding mast make it a genuinely Loop-capable hull, though reported folded air-draft figures vary widely by boat depending on mast, antenna and hardtop setup.

Follow the Ocean Alexander 423 Classico and get one email when something new lands on this page.

How to read the tags on this page. CLAIMstated by one source, not yet confirmed QUESTIONopen, and settled by looking at the boat itself CONTEXTbackground on how this model is built or used Sources are linked where published.

Air draft

CLAIM
The hinged/folding mast is what makes this a Loop-capable boat, but folded height varies by hull Listings confirm a hinged mast that folds to reduce bridge clearance (one 1994 boat cites 20'4" up, 16'6" down). Reported folded figures differ widely between boats depending on mast, added antennas, and hardtop setup, so published numbers cannot be trusted for a specific hull. The buyer must measure the actual air draft and identify exactly what folds or comes down. src: Curtis Stokes listing; Trawler Forum for-sale threads
Your move: Measure the actual air draft on the specific boat with the mast folded and every antenna accounted for; get in writing what can be lowered and to what height.

Draft & handling

CLAIM
One broker listing gives about 3'10" Draft is consistently reported around 3'10" across listings, shallow enough for the ICW, canal systems and typical Loop routes. Confirm the loaded draft on the specific boat, as gear and fuel add to it. src: Curtis Stokes listing

Range & fuel burn

QUESTION
What does she actually burn at displacement speed, and on which engines? The only published figures we found come from one broker listing for a 1994 423 with twin naturally aspirated Cat 3208s: 4 to 5 gph for both engines at 7 to 8 knots (1,200 to 1,400 rpm), about 6 gph at 8.5 to 9 knots, and 7 to 8 gph at 9.5 to 10 knots. That's one boat's owner-reported numbers, so ask for this boat's own. src: Curtis Stokes listing (1994 Andante)
Your move: Ask for gallons per hour at the speed she is actually run, not miles per gallon.

Reading the boat

QUESTION
What is the condition of the fuel tanks and windows on this hull? OA-brand and older-cruiser experience points to fuel tanks and window/frame leaks as areas that age and can be costly to address, but I could not confirm a model-specific pattern for the 423 Classico's low production run.
Your move: Have the surveyor inspect fuel tank condition and access, and check all window and frame areas for leaks and staining; ask the owner about any tank or window work done.
CONTEXT
Low production and a one-year designation mean thin model-specific data The 423 Classico designation applied only to 1994 (renamed 426 Classico from 1995) and the boat was built in low numbers, so forum failure history is limited. Much of the useful knowledge is engine-family (Cat 3208) or OA-brand-wide rather than specific to this hull, and should be weighed accordingly. src: Trawler Forum; YachtForums

Engines

The engines research is part of the full profile inside the product. It covers factory options, tested performance and the engine-specific questions in our members' dossiers, and it travels with every dossier and survey brief built on this model.

Follow the Ocean Alexander 423 Classico. One short email when something new lands on this page. Only when there's news, and one click stops it.

Looking at a specific 423 Classico?

This page is the model's story. The product reads an actual listing against it: your requirements, the hard gates, the record cross-checks, and questions ready to send. See a full sample dossier first if you like.

Work up your first boat free →

Not ready for that? Run a boat's numbers against the hard gates first. It's free and needs no account, and nothing is stored.

Own a 423 Classico? Tell the next buyer what broke →

I'm building an owner's file for this model, with checklists written for her systems. Want to know when it opens? What's in it

Spotted something wrong or have first-hand knowledge of this model? Email support@caniloop.net. Corrections are how a profile earns its Facts, and we credit them however you choose. This profile reflects sources opened and verified by a person. It's buyer homework, and it makes no judgment on any particular hull.