| ETAP 20 | |
| Designer: | E. G. van de Stadt |
| Location: | Belgium |
| Year: | 1975 |
| No Built: | 1,000 |
| Builder: | ETAP Yachting |
| Role: | Cruiser |
| Draft: | 3.74feet with keel down |
| Displacement: | 18740NaN0 |
| Hull Type: | monohull |
| Construction: | fibreglass |
| Loa: | 19.85feet |
| Lwl: | 17.06feet |
| Beam: | 7.55feet |
| Engine: | outboard motor |
| Keel Type: | lifting keel |
| Ballast: | 4410NaN0 |
| Rudder Type: | transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig Type: | Bermuda rig |
| Sailplan: | fractional rigged sloop |
| Sailarea Main: | 10.4m2 |
| Sailarea Headsail: | 7m2 |
| Sailarea Spin: | 22m2 |
| Sailarea Upwind: | 17.4m2 |
| Sailarea Downwind: | 32.4m2 |
The ETAP 20 is a Belgian trailerable sailboat that was designed by E. G. van de Stadt as a cruiser and first built in 1975.[1] [2] [3] [4]
The design was built by ETAP Yachting in Lokeren, Belgium between 1975 and 1992, with 1,000 boats completed, but it is now out of production.[1] [3] [5]
The ETAP 20 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fibreglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a plumb transom, a kick-up transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a weighted bulb lifting keel. The keel is raised and lowered with a worm gear operated from on deck. It displaces 18740NaN0 and carries 4410NaN0 of ballast.[1] [3]
The boat has closed cell foam sandwich compartments that render it unsinkable and also will float it level, even when the boat is full of water.[3]
The boat has a draft of 3.74feet with the lifting keel extended and 1.57feet with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, or ground transportation on a trailer.[1] [3]
The boat is normally fitted with a small 3to outboard motor for docking and manoeuvring.[1] [3]
The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee quarter berths in the main cabin along with a drop-leaf table. The galley is located on both sides just aft of the bow cabin. The galley is equipped with a single-burner stove and a sink. The head is located under the "V"-berth in the bow cabin. Cabin headroom is 48inches.[1] [3]
For downwind sailing the design may be equipped with a spinnaker of 22m2.[4]
The design has a hull speed of 5.5kn.[3]
The boat was at one time supported by a class club, the ETAP Owners Association.[6]
In a 2009 review Yachting Monthly described its as, "a stout and safe little 1980s starter boat designed by E G Van de Stadt, the Etap 20 sails nicely and handles rather like a big dinghy. She has a simple, open-plan interior with four berths and reasonable headroom under a raised, semi-flush deck. The lifting keel box takes up remarkably little room, yet she has enough ballast to right herself following a knockdown. There is space for a simple cooker and a chemical toilet stows under the forward bunks. Stowage is somewhat limited. She is easily trailed and can be rigged and launched in half an hour."[7]
In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "this nicely conceived 20-footer was introduced in Europe in 1980 and in the U.S. in 1985, by Belgian builder ETAP (acronym for Electro Technical Apparatus, a diversifiedmanufacturer of lighting, aluminum, and fiberglass products, which entered the boatbuilding business in 1970). Best features: Like the firm's other small sailboats (including the ETAP 29i and ETAP 23), the ETAP 20 is built to a very high standard, and is unsinkable ... Designated stowage space for sails and outboard engine, and a stowable dining-and-chart table, are nice touches ... The lifting keel with bulb at bottom keeps center of gravity low when lowered and gives easy trailering when raised using self-locking worm drive, operated from on deck. Worst features: None to speak of."[3]