The Liberty 23 is a 1979 David Thomas design penned for Hunter Boats (the British company, not Hunter Marine of the US). Thomas drew inspiration from the traditional British Navy Montagu Whalers and the unstayed masts of Gary Hoyt’s Freedom line of yachts. 

Hunter Boats built 19 Liberty 23s, which were a beefed up version of the Liberty 22 with additional ballast and sail area. The Liberty 23 also sprung from the same molds as the later Minstrel 23. Unlike the gaff-rigged sloop rig of the Minstrel, the Liberty 23 is a cat-ketch rig.

With the forward location of the mast, there is a relatively large and open cabin given the overall length. Typically, there is a double or two single berths, quarter berth, galley, and head.

There is an active Hunter Liberty Minstrel Owners Association in the UK with most of the boats having found homes in their native waters.