Review of Skipper 20

Basic specs., sailing characteristics.

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Skipper 20 is 2.11, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 5.2 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Skipper 20 is about 62 kg/cm, alternatively 348 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 62 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 348 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio) Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind: - Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15 - Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20 - Racers have ratios above 20 - High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24 Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 14.42

Maintenance

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Skipper 20 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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Skipper 20 by Southern Sails Inc.

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the perfect 20'' cruising boat?

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the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? so, if one were to design the perfect boat for coastal cruising, with the sole caveat that it had to be 20'' LOA or less, what type of package would it be? Thanks. -- James  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? James, I own an Ensenada 20, and my biased opinion is that it may be the best 20'' boat (light cruiser) out there. It has a flush deck cabin, which provides 3 major advantages (for its size). 1) A tremendous cabin 2) A tremendous deck 3) A very dry cockpit. It has a 550 lb swing keel, giving drawing less than 18 inches when up, but over 4'' when down. The mast has no spreaders and is accordingly very heavy built. She is beamy and comfortable to sail. Definately won''t win any races, but for the size, I doubt you well find a boat this size with more room above or below decks. It sleeps my family of 4 sungly, yet comfortably. But as I said at the beginning, I have a very biased opinion. Doug  

Frenzy

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? FLICKA 20  

Jeff_H

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? It is funny that you ask this question because it is one that I have wrestled with since I was a kid. It is a very difficult question to answer because we all have our own goals for what that small cruiser might be. Throughout my entire sailing career, I always thought that it would be neat to have a small single-hander that one could also cruise. As a kid I was in love with the Cape Cod Golden Eye. I thought it the near perfect small boat. Over the years my ideas about what the perfect 20 foot cruiser might be have greatly changed. I have literally drawn dozens of designs for small cruisers for myself to build. My earliest ideas were all somewhat camper sailors in the mold of the Herreshoff Alerion. Over time the designs have evolved into a small double-ended dory type, to something that is akin to a truncated more modern J22 to something that is closer to a Open Class boat similar to the Mini-Transat boats. All were designed to be the perfect under 20 foot pocket cruiser. While small cruising boats exist, these often lack the sturdy simplicity and self- sufficiency of earlier pocket cruisers. They often contain too many undersized berths and not enough real berths and storage. The efforts to get something like standing headroom results in boats with too much windage and too much weight. Also sailing ability has often been compromised for trailering ability. Boats like the Flicka try to catch the romance of these earlier boats but to me the are really caricatures of the type that fall flat on their faces when it comes to sailing ability. The idea of a small pocket cruiser has been around for well over a hundred years but even after all of that time small cruisers still raise a number of questions that after 100 years really haven't been resolved, for example: How small is too small to really distance cruise? This one is just rhetorical. Auxiliary propulsion: Probably the smallest cruisers, the Rob Roy type double paddle canoes got by with double paddles as auxiliaries. Rob Roys crossed the English Channel and explored much of the Med. and inland Europe. Over here, in the 1870's, a fellow cruised in a paper canoe from the St. Lawrence down the rivers to the East Coast. He then went down the whole length of the East Coast before stopping at cedar key on the West Coast of Florida. In the twenties it was not all than uncommon to carry a long sweep to get past that flat spot in the wind when time mattered less. Somehow we've gotten ourselves into thinking we need an auxiliary motor. It may actually be true that we do. Some years ago I beat up a narrow creek and sailed up to a fuel dock to buy some ice. There was a power boat at the dock ahead of me and the skipper laid into me for endangering his pride and joy recklessly by coming in with out my engine running just in case. More and more I find people (often sailors) who chew you out for tacking up a narrow channel or sailing through a tight anchorage. But beyond that, if you look at modern so-called pocket cruisers, compromises are being made to provide modern accommodations beyond the size that the boat can support. That produces boats that do not sail as well as they truly need to if they are to go everywhere by the wind. By that I am not just talking about speed or light air ability, but the ability of a boat to tack reliably and claw off a lee shore in a bit of wind, and turn in a tight enough circle to sail into and out of a dock. Beyond that powerboat wakes and crowded channels mean that sailing ability becomes doubly more important if you are not going to be motoring a lot. Electrical systems: We seem to expect all boats to have a fairly sophisticated electrical system. It is almost impossible to have legal running lights without one. That means charging the batteries that means photocells at the least and more likely an engine. Once a boat has batteries do we add nav. and communication equipment? Somehow it seems to be taken for granted that any cruiser will minimally have a VHF and a GPS, let alone the current trend toward radar on smaller and smaller boats. Dinghies and going ashore: Around the turn of the last century the British built what they called canoe yawls. These small cruisers started out around 18 feet long. The first canoe yawls were ballasted centerboarders. When you wanted to go ashore you simply beached the boat or tied up to a dock. Very quickly the canoe yawls evolved into deeper keelboats that could not be easily beached. When I was a kid you could cruise even on Long Island Sound in a boat that could be beached in almost any harbor for the night. In effect these boats were their own dinghies. Today, there are fewer places that you can beach a boat and go ashore. This would suggest that beachable boats are probably not really able to deliver the independence that would be ideal for the type. But pocket cruisers are too small to carry or tow a conventional hard dinghy and there often isn't room to conveniently inflate a dinghy. How about ice boxes? By this I mean we've come to expect iceboxes as standard equipment but ice is a very inefficient way to store food. The ice and surrounding insulation takes up a lot more room than the food it's cooling. On a small boat, it is relatively easy to store enough food and water to remain independent from support for several weeks but with ice the best you can do is two or three days especially in a warm climate. Yet today we seem to take ice for granted. Sailing performance: Modern hull shape, keel type, and sail area When we talk about small cruising boats we seem to always look back at the successful designs of the past. Hindsight is after all easier than looking ahead. But boats of the past were products of the available materials and technology of the time (not to mention a different pace.) Many of the venerable designers of the past were striving to advance the "art" just as hard as current generation designers like Farr. Nat Herreshoff designed a very successful fin keel with bulb and a spade rudder design in the late 1800's. He abandoned fin keels because they were outlawed under the racing rules of the period. But even his "traditional designs" like the pocket cruiser "Alerion" , with its sliding gunter rig, foil shaped keel and board, and extremely light weight construction for the day was a very advanced design. As soon as we talk about pocket cruisers we seem to look back. Obviously no one would consider a Melges 24 a candidate for a pocket cruiser, but I don't understand why we also don't look at boats like 'American Express', the Wiley designed 21' Trans Atlantic racer or the Farr 727. It seems like there aren't many manufacturers willing to look at developing advanced pocket cruisers. When you look at what seems to sell the most it's half-baked and scary. Internal lead and iron ballast was abandoned in sailing yachts in the middle part of this century because it was inefficient and frankly dangerous. So who at the beginning of the next millennium decided that internal ballast, water internal ballast at that, is suddenly a good idea. Look at the boats that really sell in large numbers and try to find a model under 28 feet that doesn't offer water ballast (not the Volvo sixty type). Then there is the Keel issue. I will catch some flack for this but there is no doubt that strictly from a sailing ability a properly designed small boat with modern fin with bulb and spade rudder will out sail a well designed long keel design every time. On the size boats we are talking about there is no such thing as tracking without dynamic balance and a balanced fin keel boat will hold course with a long keel boat. But there is the issue of draft. Daggerboards work well in boats this size but then again you end up with the cabin bisected by the Trunk. Swing keels work pretty well until you get into "deep serious" and the want to close on their own. Also in this size there is very little difference in motion between a lightweight and a heavy weight boat. Small boats are small boats and will feel like a small boat no matter how light or how heavy. Which brings us to sail area. In the past, pocket cruisers often had rigs that could carry enormous amounts of sail. Kunhardt shows an 18-foot Chesapeake lifeboat yacht (essentially a pocket cruiser of the day) with 275 s.f. of sail area in its "lowers". That is without main or jib Topsails. (That is more than carried by my prior boat, a 28 foot Laser which was a third of the weight) That is what it took to make old time pocket cruisers go, even in light air. But today we are unwilling to live with 8'-6" bow sprits on our traditional 18 footers. Yet traditional boat types argue for the type without seeming to remember that to push large wetted surface through the water takes even larger sail plans. I argue that it is far more tiring on the crew to wrestle with these large sail plans than to live with a lighter boat and smaller sail plan. Lastly Cost: In the early seventies, there was a large community of live aboard Hippies and ex World War 2 vets (who were collecting thirty-year pensions) in Dinner Key, Fla. They lived on an assortment of small cruising boats. You could buy a wooden whaleboat style lifeboat for $100.00 or so and convert it for $500 to a thousand to a really mediocre sailboat. The best life boat conversions sailed well and made the passage back and forth to the Bahamas with ease. You could buy one of these for $1500 or so. You could buy a nice Bahama Sloop for somewhere around $2500 to $2800. I bought my folkboat for $400 and had it pretty well ready to go cruising for a couple grand. To put this in perspective a new Ford Mustang was somewhere around $4000. A used Vanguard was about $11,000. So here we are at the end of the millenium, and I look around and boat prices are so far out there that they get beyond the point that quality boats are beyond the practical reach of most normal people. In 1985 my Laser cost the first owner $27,000 new, fully found with a trailer. Today, I understand the same boat would cost close to $100,000 to produce and it probably would not be Kevlar and Vinylester. We haven't had that much inflation A part of the jump in new boat prices is in "raising the standard of living" by cramming features often found in fully found serious offshore cruisers into what should probably be simple fast comfortable boats. If these boats are kept simple and are designed to be what they are, small boats, with most of the compromises that a small cruiser entails, then perhaps they would also be affordable. Respectfully Jeff  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? Jeff, That was quite a response, even by your standards. Terrific ideas you presented. I am currently in the process of restoring my Ensenada 20, and though I am almost finished with the exterior, I have removed almost all of the interior which I will be rebuilding this fall. The ideas you presented are wonderful, and I will certainly take all of that into account as I plan my new interior. Thanks for the well thought out information. Doug  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? wow. thanks. I thought a swing keel could be locked down? am I incorrect here? Thanks. -- James  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? Some swing keels can be locked down but most count on gravity to stay down. Jeff  

catamount

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? But gravity only works to keep the swing keel down as long as the boat is right side up! Should you take a knock down with the keel not locked down, not only could you have a 400 or more pound keel swinging back up into your boat, taking out your trunk, but you also loose all of your righting moment! The San Juan 21 Class Association requires racers to keep their swing keel locked down when racing for safety (but also presumably to make sure no one sneaks their keel up on the downwind legs). Some San Juan 21 sailors have apparently experimented with various types of shear pins for the locking bolt, such as wooden dowels, so that if they hit a rock the pin will break and the keel will kick up out of harms way. Regards, Tim  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? You are right about gravity, of course. I experienced the problem with a swing keel that could not be locked down when sailing a Venture out in the Atlantic and the boat was rolled so fast and so far that the board came up and damaged the trunk. Only a quick mainsail release saved our fannies. When I raced on San Juan 21''s we would retract the keel on a run. That was pretty much standard fair in the 1970''s. Jeff  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? "When I raced on San Juan 21''s we would retract the keel on a run. That was pretty much standard fair in the 1970''s." I don''t race my SJ21, but I''m pretty sure that that wouldn''t be allowed now. Regards, Tim  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? James, was your question theoretical, or are you thinking of ways to maximize Josie? If so, this thread could provide more practical suggestions, since its design and capabilities are already givens.  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? James, there may be several answers to your design question. One might be the Sharpie. There is a truly wonderful book, "The Commodore''s Story" by Ralph Munroe, of Key Biscayne, Florida. There are accounts of some amazing voyages up and down the Atlantic coast as well as gunkholing adventures in that particular hull form. If you happen to visit Miami, Florida, his home and workshop are maintained as a state historic site (known as "The Barnacle"). One of his innovations was a round bilged version of a New Haven Sharpie design - known as the "Presto". It is reputed to be very capable for shoal draft cruising, yet very seaworthy in open water. Any way, James, find the book at a library. The text and pictures are very rewarding to read. I think the Sharpie designs are but one of many possible answers to the question. I once rented a dhow (and skipper) on a very breezy day on the Nile river... steel hull, hand sewn cotton sails, a "wild" gaff design if ever there was one. It was very efficient maneuvering around obstacles (other craft, shoreline and docking. This dhow had no engine, either. There are stories of the "ancients" sailing dhows across oceans. There are, I think, many designs which answer your question. New discoveries are always rewarding. Regards, Mark L.  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? James, Munroe designed and built many boats. The "Presto" was just a variation of the basic sharpie design. Rounded bilges, yet still shoal draft. "Google" Ralph M. Munroe, or Presto or Egret and you''ll see.  

the perfect 20'''' cruising boat? James... where we live and sail there are long Winters to endure. Reading keeps us focused, informed and entertained. Another interesting story about an offshore adventure in an 18 foot DRASCOMBE LUGGER is the book, "A Single Wave" by Webb Chiles. It just amazed me what this sailor put(s) himself through...and what the Drascombe Lugger could (and later, couldn''t)handle. Check it out. Mark L.  

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The Skipper 20 is a 20.0ft fractional sloop built in fiberglass between 1978 and 1981.

The Skipper 20 is a moderate weight sailboat which is slightly under powered. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a day-boat.

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  • Thread starter Kerrymorganandersen
  • Start date Nov 21, 2018
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Kerrymorganandersen

Kerrymorganandersen

New Sailor here. I just bought my first sailboat, a Skipper 20, I can’t find to much history on them. How many were made? I could use a lot of pointers before I launch. Sails were inspected and passed. Bought all new sheets and halyards. Paid only $500 for boat and trailer. I hope it floats. Please help fellow sailors!!!  

Attachments

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i also don't know the sailor lingo. just bought it 2 days ago. I went to local sail shop and showed them the sails, they replaced a couple of "sail slugs". and replaced a missing "batten". Had a couple of small penny size holes that were patched. They said I was good to go.  

Not to worry about the lingo. The usual "term" that comes into play is something like "blown out", which refers to a sail that is stretched beyond it's capability to perform as expected. What this means to you, the new owner, is that a; you probably don't know what to look for, and b; if the sails are stretched to that point, they may look just fine, but the net effect is that the boat will be hard to sail, and will have a tendency to (for lack of a better description) lean over a lot more than it should. For now, the sails are serviceable, get it in the water and see what it does.  

Michael Davis

Michael Davis

That looks like a fun little boat. Sailboatdata.Com gives the specs. Looks good for a week-ender. Congrats.  

jssailem

Great looking Pocket Yacht. These boats are great teachers in the Art of Sailing. Congratulations and welcome to the Forum. As @Michael Davis suggests pop her in the water and see what happens. Be sure to plug or close all holes that might let water into the boat. Key #1. Keep water out of boat.  

jssailem said: Key #1. Keep water out of boat. Click to expand

shemandr

Congrats! That looks like a salty little package. Here's the page in Sailboatdata.com: https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/skipper-20 Have fun. Learn to shorten sail and be able to do that before you need to out on the water.  

What does shorten sail mean? Total rookie here  

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani

justsomeguy

justsomeguy

Kerrymorganandersen said: What does shorten sail mean? Total rookie here Click to expand

Nice post Charlie. We don't do that very often in the summer in the P.N.W. but a fair amount in the winter. Important safety knowledge. Practise when you don't need it... it's always a lot harder when you really need it.  

Michael Davis said: Practice when you don't need it... it's always a lot harder when you really need it. Click to expand

And when you get it in the water, take that tire off, and do the reverse "beat on it" to the fender.  

Meriachee said: And when you get it in the water, take that tire off, and do the reverse "beat on it" to the fender. Click to expand

F865FCF9-EE25-4864-BBEF-9783F74B546B.png

Kerrymorganandersen said: I have specs, just wondering how many are out there like this. I’m Click to expand
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Boats for Sale & Yachts

Southern sail skipper 20 1981 for sale $4,000 new 2022 boats for sale & yachts.

Launched in 1981, Southern Sail Skipper 20 is a very nice boat for weekend activities. The boat includes much equipment that is necessary for sailing. Offered at a very good price, this boat is an appropriate option for limited budgets.

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Very clean and well-equipped.  Easily trailered on its completely updated Shore Lander Trailer. “Full keel”  that draws 2′, small cabin for the weekend, and comfortable cockpit.

Website: https://www.southernboats.co.nz/

Boats for Sale & Yachts Southern Sail skipper 20 1981 for Sale $4,000 New 2022 All Boats

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skipper 20 sailboat review

I’ve always been a sucker for pocket cruisers, so when Ken Lange, the owner of International Marine , offered the chance to sail the builders newest micro-adventurer, the Voyager 20, it didnt take much arm twisting. Ken and I spent an afternoon putting the boat through its paces in near-perfect conditions for the boat, 8 to 11-knot wind breeze on Sarasota Bay. Along with us were two perspective customers who were downsizing from an Endeavour 40. As often happens, the vagaries of life had conspired to interrupt their cruising dream, but they still had a zest for sailing and exploring, and the Voyager 20 seemed like the perfect platform for more modest adventures closer to home.

Boats like these, opening a door to more manageable, affordable escapes, are enjoying a bit of a resurgance today. Just as the fascination with loveable micro-homes is growing, cute micro-cruisers continue to attract new followers here. (Although an interest of micro-cruisers have waxed and waned in the U.S., it never really subsided in the U.K., where pint-sized sailboats have been, and remain ubiquitous in the boatyards, harbors, and marinas.) While new sailboat sales are still sluggish, builders like Lange are targeting a niche too small for high-volume production builders to bother with-the niche between performance-oriented daysailers and entry level cruisers.

Anytime you talk about pocket cruisers you have to clarify what you mean, for the term is loosely applied to a wide range of small boats, some with very little in common besides displacement. Size is certainly a factor, but size is relative. Ive seen 26-feet length overall (LOA) being a commonly cited as the upper limit for the pocket appellation, and that seems about right, although a few decades ago a 26-foot sailboat was called something else-a yacht.

While there are a few thoroughbreds among the breed, pocket cruisers generally fall to the lower end of the performance spectrum, the inevitable result of trying to cram the comforts of home into 20 feet of waterline. Comfort-at sea and at anchor-take precedence over tacking angles, so you generally don’t see blistering speeds around the buoys. In my view, there are at least four main types of pocket cruisers.

  • Estuarine Elves -These are the maritime equivalent of the pop-top camper. They are easy to tow, suprisingly roomy, and generally forgiving sailboats. The poster childs are the popular West Wight Potters . The Victoria 18 , the Sanibel 18 , the ComPac Eclipse and any of the small catboats with any kind of cabin fall into this category. (International Marine also makes the West Wights and the Sanibel.) These are boats that can creep up the lakes, creeks, and rivers of North America and still manage bay chop. They have enough cockpit space for family daysailing, but also offer a place to duck out of the weather, sleep, eat and be cozy. New sailors and families are quite happy to putter along in them, but few offer wind-in-your-hair thrills with the wind forward of the beam.
  • Trailer Sailers – These are small cruiser/racers like the Rhodes 22 , San Juan 21 , Catalina 22 , Tanzer 22 , that can be Friday-night raced around the cans with other vintage boats, but also cruised. Like the Estuarine Elves, they are easy to trailer fairly quick to rig and launch, but with longer waterlines, more sail area and more efficient hull shapes, they generally perform better. This is probably the largest field of boats that could fit the pocket cruiser name; there are too many boats to list.
  • Auxiliary Pocket Cruisers – These boats can be trailered, but they require vehicles with big towing capacity and take much longer to rig. They usually have more ballast, built-in tanks, and can be equipped with inboard auxiliary engines-something you rarely find in the two smaller categories. Trailerability, in this case, means hauling the boat down to the Keys or Mexico for the winter, not down to the local ramp on a Sunday. These can be fixed-keel boats like the Contessa 26, the Pearson Ariel , and Cape Dory 25 (both Carl Alberg designs); or swing keels like the Paceship 26 (also available with fixed keel), Yankee Dolphin 24 , the Nimble 24, and the Lyle Hess-designed Balboa 26 . Although some boats in this category have circumnavigated, doing far offshore work in these boats requires a special breed of sailor-and Posiedons blessing.
  • Bahama-Mamacitas – Multihulls like the Corsair F-24 , the Wharram Tiki 21 , and the semi-custom trimarans like PS contributing editor Skip Allens new custom Wildflower probably could be shoehorned into the above group, but that would surely incite the wrath of Allen and the rest the multihull crowd, so Ill give them their own group here.
  • Microships – Generally these are fixed-keel boats with hefty ballast- displacement ratios that make them capable of cruising offshore. They are trailerable, but with displacement pushing 10,000 pounds, they require a powerful tow vehicle. Some, like the “Bill” W.I.B. Crealocks Dana 24 , have circumnavigated. Bruce Binghams Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 , or Hess’s Falmouth Cutter 22 are other examples of small boats that pop up in far flung ports.

So where does the Voyager 20, a more sophisticated cousin of the Potter 19, belong? Its 17.5-foot waterline and light displacement (1,750 pounds) puts it in the Estuarine Elves category, although it has several of construction features that you see in the Microships: heavy-duty Lewmar hatch and portlights and an encapsulated lead keel. It also has a fair amount of storage.

The layout below (featured in last week’s blog post ) is nearly identical to the Potter 19, with a small sink a port-a-potty, and v-berth. The biggest improvement over the Potter is the keel.

Lange borrowed the foil-keel design of the Montgomery 17 , a fun little pocket cruiser designed by Hess. Lange then added a centerboard to give it better performance to windward (the bugaboo of some shallow fixed-keel pocket cruisers in the 15 to 18-foot category). We saw more lift with the centerboard down, although the boat managed fine to windward with the board up.

With four adults and a cockapoo on board for our sail, the Voyager 20 was surprisingly stable and well balanced. The conservative ballast-displacement ratio, and hard chine held her upright, and the high freeboard and coamings kept the cockpit dry. With a relatively flat bottom, the boat tended to pound through chop when working to windward, but that is a trade-off for a short-waterline vessel that emphasizes high initial stability. The boat tacked through 90-degrees true on a GPS recorded track (accounting for any leeway), so it will get you where you want to go.

Built in California, the Voyager 20 is sold direct to customers. The fully equipped boat I sailed (complete with trailer, AC and 12-volt DC systems, galley, canvas, etc.) was listed at $38,000, more than three times anyone can expect to pay for a used entry-level trailer sailor on the used boat market with similar amenities. But the price is not out of line with the market for new boats, and it is hard to find other new boats in the 20-foot range that are not strictly daysailors. About the closest comparison that comes to mind in the new boat market is the Compac Eclipse (which also tops $30,000 when similarly equipped), and the Norseboat 21.5 ($35,000-plus depending on options). Id love to hear about some other pocket cruisers we should check out, and where you think they fall in the above categories.

For those who are boat shopping for a pocket cruiser you’ll find reviews of many of the boats I mention under “ sailboat reviews ” on the Practical Sailor website (some reviews are public, but many are for subscribers only). For those looking for something just a little bit roomier, our ebook Entry-Level Sailboats Volume 1 and Entry-Level Sailboats Volume 2 cover 25 popular boats between 26 and 31 feet that are readily available on the used boat market.

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One Hundred Choices for the Best Small Cruiser

* = Seven boats appear in above lists twice.

Listed on the opposite page are one hundred choices for the "Best Small Cruiser." There are, of course, many more than one hundred choices for the "best" small cruising sailboat. In fact, there are 360 choices reported in this guide alone, and at least a few boats beyond those, on which we failed to find sufficient data to include here. In any case, as the saying goes, one man's meat is another man's poison. That is, a sailboat that one person does not like at all can be one that someone else likes very much.

One of the main reasons for this is that different boats are designed for different purposes: boats best for cruising in shallow bay waters versus deep ocean waters, for example. Styles vary to suit different tastes: traditional versus modern design, for example. Boats that do well in around-the-buoy racing may not be so well suited to cruising. A boat built to the highest standards of quality may not suit the pocketbook of the casual weekend trailer-sailor. And the range of choices goes on and on.

To help narrow the field of choices for the reader who is eager to find the right boat to buy, and doesn't have the patience to wade through all the facts and figures on all 360 boats presented in this guide, we have (somewhat arbitrarily)

devised a hundred choices, broken into groups of a dozen or so. Are you looking for a single-masted character boat? We list thirteen of them here, from 18 to 25 feet on deck. Do you yen for a two-masted yawl or ketch? We list every one of the dozen covered in this guide. Do you prefer a custom- built boat or at least very high quality construction? We show thirteen "high-end" choices, though you could find others in these pages. We also list fifteen good cruising boats for a family of four, and another thirteen for a cruising couple without children or guests aboard. We choose fifteen round-the-buoys racers for your consideration, and a dozen blue water cruisers, including a 15-footer that has sailed from California to Hawaii (though some may not agree that such a feat qualifies such a boat for offshore work).

Although there isn't space to include photos of every boat in this book, or even the one-hundred choices listed as "best," we have dug up representative sample photos from our vast collection of boat sales brochures to include on the following pages. They are arranged in roughly alphabetical order. If you don't find a picture of the boat you're interested in, try searching Google. There's a huge cache of photos there.

Alerion Express Cat

Alerion Express Cat 19 (details on page 20) is a high-end cruiser designed, among other things, for easy trailering and ramp launching.

Sailboat Bay Cruiser

Bay Hen 21 (page 85) is a character boat that's easy to launch and trailer.

Alerion Express Cat

Beneteau First 26 (25) (page 323) will nicely accommodate a family of four for cruising.

Best Small Cruiser Sailboats

Bluejacket Motorsailer 23 (page 222) is a character boat with great comfort for cruising two.

Best Small Sailboats For Cruising

Beneteau First 235 (22) (page 152) is a good boat for a cruising couple.

Best Small Cruiser Sailboats

Blazer 23 (page 221) is a competitive racer. The author (trimming jib) is sailing here with other writers John Rousmaniere (steering) and Freeman Pittman, tech editor at Sail magazine.

Small Motorsailer Boats

Bluejacket Motorsailer 23 interior (also see to left) is particularly comfortable when cruising in rainy weather.

Bridges Point

Bridges Point 24 (page 275) is available either as a finished boat or a kit.

Cape Dory 25d

Cape Dory Typhoon 18 (19) (page 23) has enough ballast to stand up well in a blow.

1961 Sailboat

Cal 20 (page 89), produced from 1961 to 1977, is still raced in several fleets around the country.

Cape Dory 25d

Cape Dory 25D (page 330) comes close to being the ideal trailerable cruising boat.

Cape Dory 25d

Capri 26 (24) (page 282) features a cabin big enough to "drink ten."

Capri 18 (page 25) was introduced in 1985 and is still being sold today.

Cape Dory 25d

Cheoy Lee Flyer III (25) (page 334) has a Folkboat style hull.

Catalina 22 Mk I (page 157) wins the all-time popularity prize for cruising boats.

Catalina 25 (page 332) came in a great variety of configurations.

Catalina Gaff

Com-Pac 19 (page 27) was drawn by Island Packet designer Bob Johnson.

Island Packet Sailboat

Com-Pac 25 (page 336) has an unusual volume of interior space for her length.

Cornish Shrimper Sailboat

Cornish Crabber 17 (page 31) is elegantly finished on deck and below. Cornish Crabber 22 (page 164) sports a gaff cutter rig.

Oday Interiors

Cornish Crabber 24 (page 284) is a well-built gaff-rigged character boat.

Cornish Shrimper 19 (page 32), a character boat, has an elegant finish, but is short on headroom.

Interior Cornish Shrimper

Dehler 22 (page 167) has a number of high quality features.

Day Sailboat Interior Headroom

Dolphin 24 (O'Day) (page 285) was available either as a kit or as a finished boat.

Dehler 25 (23) (page 227) also uses a "slipway trolley."

Golif Sailboat

Elite 25 (24) (page 289) is fitted out in France, and features the French style of careful interior design.

Eastsail 25 (page 340) is generally built to a customer's specifications with extended offshore cruising in mind.

Golif Sailboat

ETAP 20 (page 98) is built to a high standard of quality and is unsinkable.

Golif Sailboat

ETAP 23 (22) (page 169) like other ETAP boats, she is double-skinned in a foam sandwich for flotation.

Day Sailboat Specifications

Golif 21 (page 99) from France has an unusual cabin ventilation system.

Oysterman Sailboat

Irwin 10/4 (25) (page 347), as the saying goes, can drink ten, eat six, and sleep four.

J/24 (page 294) is said to be the world's most popular one-design keelboat.

Oysterman Sailboat

La Paz 25 (page 353) features an open cockpit for deck chairs and berths for six below.

Jeanneau Bahia 23 (20) (page 106) features a clever cabin table design.

Oysterman Sailboat

Menger Oysterman 23 (page 237) Montgomery 15 (page 71) and is a character boat based on the Montgomery 17 (page 46) both have molded

Chesapeake Bay Skipjack. lapstrake hulls.

Montgomery Sailboat

Marshall Sanderling 18 (page 40) has been in production for almost fifty years, and continues to be popular.

Oysterman Sailboat

Morgan 24/25 (25) (page 358) is fast and weatherly, especially in light air.

Montgomery Sailboat

Newman Friendship Sloop 25 (page 360) conjures romantic memories of Maine fishermen.

Oysterman Sailboat

Nimble 24/25 (25) (page 361) was produced in several configurations, including both a sloop and a yawl rig.

New Moon 25 (page 379) can be fitted out to the customer's specifications.

Nimble Pilothouse Yawl

Nimble 24/25 (25) (page 361) is available as a pilothouse with six feet of headroom, great for cold weather cruising.

Morgan Sailboat

Nimble 20 (21) (page 116) features a yawl rig, rare in a boat so small.

Nonsuch 22 (page 185) was designed with the idea of elegant simplicity.

Flicka Rig

O'Day 26 (25) (page 362) is a near sistership to the O'Day 25.

Flicka Rig

Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 (page 120) is generally considered a very high quality product, commanding a premium price in the used boat market.

Pacific Seacraft Dana

Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 (page 303) is solidly built to cruise in a bay or an ocean.

Parker Dawson Sailboat

Parker Dawson 26 (page 364) has two separate cabins, and a center cockpit enclosed in canvas can be a third.

Seacraft Enclosed

Quickstep 24 (page 306) was built by several firms, giving a choice of several accommodations plans.

Rob Roy Sailboat

Rob Roy 23 (page 246) has the makings of a classic small yacht.

Santana Sailboat

Sand Hen 24 (page 308), with lightweight spars and no shrouds, should be easy to trailer and launch.

Santana Sail Pic

Santana 20 (page 131) was a very early entry in the "sport boat" market and is still popular.

Parker Dawson Sailboat

Santana 21 (page 132), with a D/L ratio of only 86, is classified as an ultralight.

Southcoast Sailboat

Santana 22 (page 198), an ageless design, is still popular after over 40 years.

Sea Pearl 21 (page 136) is simple, light, and shallow draft, perfect for casual beach cruising.

Southcoast Sailboat

Seaward 25 (24) (page 310) has a sleek and salty look and is well built.

Plan Sailboat Sirius

Shark 24 (page 312) has done well in racing over the years.

Southcoast Sailboat

South Coast 23 (page 255) was converted to a yawl from a sloop (see photo bottom left).

Stone Horse Pictures

South Coast 23 (page 255) Stone Horse 23 (page 258) is a classic shown here was built from a kit. designed over 75 years ago.

Tanzer 22 (23) (page 259) has a strong class association that promotes both one-design racing and cruising get-togethers (two views, left and right).

Terrapin Sailboat

Terrapin 24 (25) (page 371) ^ |ike her Vancouver 25 (page 372) is well namesake, slow but comfortable. equipped for extended cruising.

Terrapin Sailboats

Vertue II 25 (page 373) is a no-nonsense heavy cruiser made for ocean passages.

Potter Sailboat

West Wight Potter 15 (page 64) has made some long distance cruises, including one from California to Hawaii.

West Wight Potter 19 (page 65) is still selling well after over thirty years of production.

Continue reading here: Authors Gallery of Photos

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Readers' Questions

What similar boat to cornish crabber 17 plans?
The Colvic Watson 25 Sailer is a similar boat to the Cornish Crabber 17. It has a traditional long keel and tiller steering. It is a roomy boat and makes a superb cruising boat for coastal and inland waters.
How is beneteau and jenneau related?
Beneteau and Jeanneau are both subsidiaries of the French group, Beneteau Group. The two brands have been part of the Beneteau Group since 2000, when Beneteau acquired Jeanneau. Both brands specialize in sailboats, motorboats, and powerboats.
Is the Com Pac sailboat considered a high end production?
No, the Com Pac sailboat is not considered a high end production boat.
What is the headroom in a dehler 25 sailboat?
The headroom in a Dehler 25 sailboat is approximately 1.85m (6 ft).
Are etap sailing boats still made?
Yes, Etap sailing boats are still made. Etap produces a wide range of sailing boat models, including the Cruiser and Cruiser Club series, the 21, 22 and 23 meters, and the Open and Weekender series. Many of the Etap sailing boats are still in production today, offering quality and innovation that continues to make them popular among sailing enthusiasts.
How many sirius 21 sailboats are still sailing?
It is difficult to accurately quantify the number of Sirus 21 sailboats that are still sailing. Most estimates place the number at around 200, though it is likely that the actual figure is higher.
Is the Sirius 21 sailboat really Unsinkable?
No. While Sirius 21 sailboats are designed to be safe and stable, no boat is truly unsinkable.
Has any one done any blue water sailing on an Eastward Ho 24' sailboat ?
No, I have not done any blue water sailing on an Eastward Ho 24' sailboat. However, I do know a few people who have owned Eastward Ho 24' sailboats, and some of them have taken them out for extended cruises, so it is possible that someone has done blue water sailing in one.
Is the rob roy 23 a bluewater boat?
No, the Rob Roy 23 is not a bluewater boat. It is more suited for inland lake and river cruising.
Is beneteau 235 unsinkable?
No, the Beneteau 235 is not unsinkable. Like all sailboats, the Beneteau 235 is susceptible to water taking on board. Water can enter the boat through a breach in the hull or through open hatches and ports.
Are compac 19 good boats?
The Compac 19 is an excellent boat that is great for short day cruises, fishing, and weekend getaways. It is often praised for its excellent maneuverability, easy handling, and low maintenance cost. The boat features a functional and reliable design, making it an attractive choice for both recreational and commercial use. Additionally, the Compac 19 has a spacious cabin, large cockpit, and ample storage for overnight trips.
How to rig sirius 21 sailboat?
Rigging a Sirius 21 sailboat is a straightforward process, but it should be done carefully to ensure the safety of the boat and its crew. Attach the mainsail halyard to the handle at the top of the mast and thread it through the mast sheave. Attach the spinnaker halyard, also known as the topping lift, to the aft side of the mast and thread it through the mast sheave. Attach the jib halyard to the clew of the jib and thread it through the mast sheave. Attach the mainsheet to the end of the boom, then attach the boom vang and the outhaul to the boom. Attach the jib sheet to the clew of the jib and run it through the pulley at the base of the mast. Attach the main and jib traveler lines to the tracks on the deck and thread them through the blocks at the mast base. Attach the mainsail to the mast and boom and the jib to the fore stay. Attach the main tack to the clew and then attach the clew to the boom. Attach the jib tack and clew to the forestay. Finally, attach all of the running rigging lines and adjust the tension as needed.

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  • Sailboat Guide

1980 Southern Sails Skipper 20

  • Description

Seller's Description

1980 Southern Sails Skipper 20 is priced below market value and is ready for its next owner.

Seller states simple and easy to rig up and sail. One person can rig the mast easily and really simply. Sails are in pretty good condition tri sail and jibs included.

The look and layout are reported as cool and extremely solid. Really simple to pull this boat and trailer. The boat is easy to launch with its deep-vee hull.

Sleeps 4 if need be. Two quarter berths and a great size V berth.

Well maintained with updates over the years.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

  • SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
  • D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
  • LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
  • LOA: Length overall in feet
  • Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Skipper 20 specs above. Specs for the Cuddy are the same except… LOA for the Cuddy: 18.75’ (no bow sprit) Displacement for the Cuddy: 1900 lbs.

This listing is presented by PopYachts.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

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IMAGES

  1. Skipper 20 sailboat

    skipper 20 sailboat review

  2. buy small...SAIL BIG! Skipper 20 Boat Tour

    skipper 20 sailboat review

  3. 15: 2018 Sailboat upgrade projects update & overview Skipper 20 S/V Panache (Buy small

    skipper 20 sailboat review

  4. 1980 Southern Sails Skipper 20 Sailboat for Sale in Graham, TX

    skipper 20 sailboat review

  5. Southern Sail skipper 20 1981 for Sale $4,000 New 2022 Boats for Sale

    skipper 20 sailboat review

  6. Skipper 20 sailboat for sale

    skipper 20 sailboat review

VIDEO

  1. SKIPPERS JIGGING Technique Unleashed! Boatside Mackeral Catch & Cook 🎣🌊

  2. Best boat

  3. Skipper 34NC #boat #automobile #yacht

  4. Spinning a sailboat at the dock

  5. 21: Sailing the Florida Keys May 2019 # 1 Skipper 20 S/V Panache (Buy small

  6. Having fun sailing my Cal 20

COMMENTS

  1. Skipper 20

    SailormanDan. . Jan 24, 2009. 450. 1981 Cherubini Hunter 27 Shipwright Harbor Marina, MD. Oct 19, 2015. #8. A Southern Sails Skipper 20 is the first boat I ever bought. Typically for DC you end up "buying into the neighborhood" in order to get into this marina.

  2. SKIPPER 20

    It takes into consideration "reported" sail area, displacement and length at waterline. The higher the number the faster speed prediction for the boat. A cat with a number 0.6 is likely to sail 6kts in 10kts wind, a cat with a number of 0.7 is likely to sail at 7kts in 10kts wind. KSP = (Lwl*SA÷D)^0.5*0.5

  3. Skipper 20

    Skipper 20: Boat; Displacement: 2,000 lb (907 kg) Draft: 2.00 ft (0.61 m) Hull; Type: monohull: Construction: fiberglass: LOA: ... The Skipper 20 is an American trailerable, ... In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "this is a character boat of a type attractive to people who think that a sailboat hull shaped like a lifeboat is safer than a hull ...

  4. 1979 Skipper 20 by southern sails

    basssears. 170 posts · Joined 2010. #2 · Jan 12, 2019. Considered one before I bought our current trailer sailor (a Nimble 20). Considered somewhat similar to a Compac 19 (shoal draft fixed keel). IMO big plus to them (other than looks, which is subjective, but I think they're good looking boats) is the outboard is in a well, much less likely ...

  5. Skipper 20

    Location: Malta Europe. Boat: Skipper 20. Posts: 3. Re: Skipper 20. i have purchased a skipper 20 earlier this year. i dont see it as a trans atlantic vessel by far. im sailing it around the Maltese Islands on the mediterranean. its flexible to varying degrees with winds. It worries me with sea states. low freeboad combined with the outboard ...

  6. Skipper 20

    Skipper 20 is a 20′ 0″ / 6.1 m monohull sailboat built by Southern Sails Inc. (US) between 1978 and 1981. ... The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more. Formula. D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³ D: Displacement of the boat in pounds. LWL: Waterline length in feet ...

  7. Review of Skipper 20

    The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed. The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Skipper 20 is ...

  8. buy small...SAIL BIG! Skipper 20 Boat Tour

    My brother John has been sailing his Skipper 20 'Panache' for over ten years now. He is truly living the 'buy small-SAIL BIG' motto! We often poke fun at his...

  9. Skipper 20 By Southern Sails Inc. ShortyPen Sailboat Guide

    Boat Name: Skipper 20: Manufacturer: Southern Sails Inc. Hull Type: Pocket Cruiser: LOA: 20'0" (6.1m) Beam: 6'8" (2.03m) Weight: 2000 (909kg) Ballast: 800 (363.6kg) Keel Type: shoal keel: Berths: Draft Up: 2'0" ... Robert Evans video sailing Skipper 20: Comments About This Boat ...

  10. the perfect 20'' cruising boat?

    I own an Ensenada 20, and my biased opinion is that it may be the best 20'' boat (light cruiser) out there. It has a flush deck cabin, which provides 3 major advantages (for its size). 1) A tremendous cabin. 2) A tremendous deck. 3) A very dry cockpit. It has a 550 lb swing keel, giving drawing less than 18 inches when up, but over 4'' when down.

  11. Skipper 20

    The Skipper 20 is a 20.0ft fractional sloop built in fiberglass between 1978 and 1981. The Skipper 20 is a moderate weight sailboat which is slightly under powered. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a day-boat.

  12. Will a Pilothouse Destroy my Skipper 20 Sailboat Restoration? Ep55)

    This episode I discuss the plan for my salty Skipper 20 sailboat. Should I add a pilothouse, or will it destroy this wonderful trailer sailboat? What's up w...

  13. Skipper 20 Sailboat Owners

    Skipper 20 Sailboat Owners. Interactive page for owners of the Southern Sails Skipper 20 sailboats to share ideas, experiences, upgrades and anything else Skipper 20 or sailing...

  14. Sailing on my first sailboat a Skipper 20

    Sailing off everett, Wa in Puget Sound. Pretty cheasy commentary but i was excited

  15. Can this Little Sail Boat Cross Oceans?

    This episode I purchase a Skipper 20 Sailboat and contemplate a sailboat pilothouse conversion, while dreaming of sailing the oceans.Welcome to my boat build...

  16. Skipper 20

    New Sailor here. I just bought my first sailboat, a Skipper 20, I can't find to much history on them. How many were made? I could use a lot of pointers before I launch. Sails were inspected and passed. Bought all new sheets and halyards. Paid only $500 for boat and trailer. I hope it floats...

  17. SKIPPER 20

    What are the Best and Budget-Friendly Trailerable Sailboats in 2022? If you're looking for a fun hobby this weekend, then consider sailing. Small lakes and inland waters are perfect environments for sailing adventures.

  18. Southern Sail skipper 20 1981 for Sale $4,000 New 2022

    Southern Sail Boats for Sale Craigslist & Southern Sail Specs & Pictures. Year: 1981. Manufacturer: Swans Yacht Sales. Price: US$4,000. Very clean and well-equipped. Easily trailered on its completely updated Shore Lander Trailer. "Full keel" that draws 2′, small cabin for the weekend, and comfortable cockpit.

  19. 1980 Southern Sails Skipper 20 sailboat for sale in Tennessee

    Fresh bottom paint and all woodword redone. All lighting works, powered off of marine battery with solar panel charger. Trailer is included. Equipment: 143 sf of sail area. 110 jib. 2 mains, one new and never used. Location: Clarksville, Tennessee. L19287. 931-801-5215. Contact Seller.

  20. Pocket Cruisers Unite!

    I've always been a sucker for pocket cruisers, so when Ken Lange, the owner of International Marine, offered the chance to sail the builders newest micro-adventurer, the Voyager 20, it didnt take much arm twisting.Ken and I spent an afternoon putting the boat through its paces in near-perfect conditions for the boat, 8 to 11-knot wind breeze on Sarasota Bay.

  21. One Hundred Choices for the Best Small Cruiser

    Nimble 20 (21) (page 116) features a yawl rig, rare in a boat so small. Nonsuch 22 (page 185) was designed with the idea of elegant simplicity. O'Day 26 (25) (page 362) is a near sistership to the O'Day 25. Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 (page 120) is generally considered a very high quality product, commanding a premium price in the used boat market.

  22. 1980 Southern Sails Skipper 20

    Seller's Description. 1980 Southern Sails Skipper 20 is priced below market value and is ready for its next owner. Seller states simple and easy to rig up and sail. One person can rig the mast easily and really simply. Sails are in pretty good condition tri sail and jibs included.