Able 20
Description
The Able 20 (also known as the Able Shipwright 20) is a compact fiberglass daysailer and pocket cruiser designed by W.R. Loughlin and built by Loughlin Boat Works in Miami, Florida, starting in 1972. It's a no-nonsense, seaworthy trailerable boat with a traditional long keel for stability and easy handling, ideal for solo or family day sails on lakes, bays, or coastal waters. With its heavy ballast ratio and moderate sail plan, it's forgiving for beginners yet capable in a blow—often compared to scaled-down classics like the Alberg 22. Production numbers are unknown (likely low, given the era), and the builder is long defunct, but a small cult following persists among restorers. Original brochures may be archived at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Variants include a "tall rig" option with a 26 ft mast for better light-air performance.
Construction Details
| Designer | W. R/. Loughlin |
|---|---|
| Builder | Loughlin Boat Works |
| LOA | 20.000 ft |
| LWL | 16.000 ft |
| Beam | 7.330 ft |
| Displacement | 2500 lb |
| Ballast | 1000 lb |
| Max Draft | 2.420 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 24 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 8 ft |
| p | 20.42 ft |
| e | 8.50 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 ft | 8 ft | 20.42 ft | 8.50 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 20.42 ft - (6224 mm) |
| Foot | * 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.7 ft - (6614 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 21.84 ft - (6657 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 90.505 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 20.24 ft - (6169 mm) |
| Foot | * 10.67 ft - (3252 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.46 ft - (5322 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9.2 ft - (2804 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 93.12 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 24.04 ft - (7327 mm) |
| Foot | * 12.98 ft - (3956 mm) |
| Leech | * 22.55 ft - (6873 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | * 144.24 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 24.04 ft - (7327 mm) |
| Foot | * 13.2 ft - (4023 mm) |
| Leech | * 22.12 ft - (6742 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 238 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.