BoatsAble Marine 20

Able Marine 20

Masthead Sloop · Long Keel · First built 1972

A long-keeled masthead sloop with a shallow 0.74-meter draft, produced by multiple builders across the USA since 1972

Designed by W. R. Loughlin, built by Loughlin Boat Works.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.23 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,134 kg of hull, so roughly 1,750 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 1,134 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.74 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a beamy beam gives 16 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 16
CoastalBluewater

2.16 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.16
LightHeavy

272 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 272
EasygoingPowered-up

15.9 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.9
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

  • Lighter than ~75% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~82% of boats her size on file

Compared with 106 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.9
Displacement / length
272.5
Comfort ratio
15.8
Capsize screening
2.16
Hull speed
5.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
419
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Designer
W. R. Loughlin
Builder
Loughlin Boat Works, Able Marine

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Pearson Yachts Ensign6.86 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed fractional day sailor and one-design racer built on the proven Electra hull for active club fleets
Cape Dory 25D7.62 mSame hull family1.5 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed long-keeled masthead sloop later produced as the Octavia 25
Jeanneau Cap 5405.40 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA 5.4-metre fractional sloop featuring a long keel and 0.64m draft, built by Jeanneau starting in 1986
Flicka 207.32 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA Bruce Bingham-designed cutter with a long keel, originally offered as amateur plans before becoming a production classic
Bristol Yachts 247.49 mSame hull family1.4 m longerA Paul Coble-designed masthead sloop with a long keel and over 50% ballast ratio for stable coastal cruising

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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