| Balboa 20 | |
| Designer: | Lyle C. Hess |
| Location: | United States |
| Year: | 1967 |
| Builder: | Arthur Marine Coastal Recreation, Inc |
| Role: | Cruiser |
| Draft: | 4.42feet with keel down |
| Displacement: | 17000NaN0 |
| Hull Type: | monohull |
| Construction: | fiberglass |
| Loa: | 20feet |
| Lwl: | 17.5feet |
| Beam: | 7.08feet |
| Engine: | outboard motor |
| Keel Type: | swing keel |
| Ballast: | 4500NaN0 |
| Rudder Type: | transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig Type: | Bermuda rig |
| I: | 20.7feet |
| J: | 8.8feet |
| P: | 21feet |
| E: | 8.7feet |
| Sailplan: | masthead sloop |
| Sailarea Main: | 91.35square feet |
| Sailarea Headsail: | 91.08square feet |
| Sailarea Total: | 182.43square feet |
| Phrf: | 276 |
The Balboa 20 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Lyle C. Hess as a cruiser, at the request of Richard Arthur and first built in 1967.[1] [2] [3]
The success of the Balboa 20 allowed Hess to become a sailboat designer on a full-time basis.[2] [4]
The Balboa 20 hull design was used for two 1972 raised deck boats, the Ensenada 20 and the RK 20.[1] [3] [5] [6]
The design was built by Arthur Marine and Coastal Recreation, Inc in the United States, starting in 1967, but it is now out of production.[1] [3] [7]
The design goals for the boat were low cost and good seaworthiness.[4]
The Balboa 20 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, a spooned raked stem, an angled transom, with a lazarette, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a lifting keel. It displaces 17000NaN0 and carries 4500NaN0 of cast iron ballast.[1] [3]
The boat has a draft of 4.42feet with the keel extended and 1.58feet with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1] [3]
The boat is normally fitted with a small 3to outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[1] [3]
The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two quarter berths in the main cabin. The galley is located on the starboard side just forward of the companionway ladder. The head is located under the bow cabin berth. Cabin headroom is 48inches.[1] [3]
The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 276 and a hull speed of 5.6kn.[3]
In 1977 it was reported that the designer's personal boat was a Balboa 20, named Genesis.[4]
In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "Lyle Hess’s designs are usually thought to be prettier (or handsomer?) than most, but in this early design it is hard to see a clear distinction from many other trailer-sailers of the era. Worst features: The cast iron swing keel, weighing more than a quarter of the total boat and controlled by a winch in the cabin, is at best a maintenance headache and at worst could cause serious leakage in the hull due to strain."[3]
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