Balboa 20
Description
The Balboa 20 is an American trailerable sailboat designed by renowned small-craft architect Lyle C. Hess (in collaboration with Richard Arthur) and built by Arthur Marine and later Coastal Recreation, Inc., in Newport Beach, California. First introduced in 1967 and produced through the mid-1980s, approximately 300–400 hulls were constructed, making it a popular entry-level cruiser-racer from the golden age of fiberglass production boats. It's celebrated for its sturdy, seaworthy construction and classic lines, with a full-length keel (swing or fixed options) providing stability for coastal cruising, daysailing, or even short offshore hops by experienced sailors. The fractional sloop rig is simple and forgiving, ideal for beginners or short-handed crews (2–4 people), and its compact size (under 2,000 lb. total weight) allows easy trailering with a standard vehicle. Variants include the fixed-keel version for deeper-water sailing and the raised-deck Ensenada 20 (or RK-20) for improved headroom and deck access.
Construction Details
| Designer | Lyle C. Hess |
|---|---|
| Length | 20.000 ft |
| LOA | 20.000 ft |
| LWL | 17.500 ft |
| Beam | 7.080 ft |
| Displacement | 1700 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.420 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.580 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 20.71 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 8.79 ft |
| p | 21 ft |
| e | 8.67 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.71 ft | 8.79 ft | 21 ft | 8.67 ft | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Foot | 8.67 ft - (2643 mm) |
| Leech | 21.95 ft - (6690 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 85.91 ° |
| Diagonal | 22.14 ft - (6748 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 93.82 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Foot | 9.67 ft - (2947 mm) |
| Leech | 17.33 ft - (5282 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 95.34 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 8.38 ft - (2554 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.96 ° |
| Area | * 83.78 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Foot | 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Leech | 18.75 ft - (5715 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 130.26 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.45 ft - (3490 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 5.25 ° |
| Area | * 120.24 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 20.75 ft - (6325 mm) |
| Foot | 14.75 ft - (4496 mm) |
| Leech | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 153.36 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.48 ft - (4109 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 0.91 ° |
| Area | * 139.9 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 20.75 ft - (6325 mm) |
| Foot | 12 ft - (3658 mm) |
| Leech | 18.33 ft - (5587 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 119.8 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 10.53 ft - (3210 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 5.62 ° |
| Area | * 109.28 ft² |
| Sail Type | DRIFTER |
|---|---|
| Luff | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Foot | 15.25 ft - (4648 mm) |
| Leech | 18.83 ft - (5739 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150.4 % |
| Length Perp | * 13.22 ft - (4029 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.87 ° |
| Area | * 138.85 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 22.5 ft - (6858 mm) |
| Foot | 14.75 ft - (4496 mm) |
| Leech | 20.75 ft - (6325 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 249 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | 21.42 ft - (6529 mm) |
| MidGirth | 15.83 ft - (4825 mm) |
| Foot | * 15.82 ft - (4822 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 288 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMJIB |
|---|---|
| Luff | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Foot | 7 ft - (2134 mm) |
| Leech | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 53.01 % |
| Length Perp | * 4.66 ft - (1420 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 25.25 ° |
| Area | * 31.46 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.