BoatsFlicka 20

Flicka 20

Cutter · Long Keel w/trans. Hung Rudder · 1974–1999

A Bruce Bingham-designed cutter with a long keel, originally offered as amateur plans before becoming a production classic

Designed by Bruce Bingham, built by Nor'Star Fiberglass Yachts.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel w/trans. Hung Rudder

See her sail

The Flicka 20, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Sailing Into the Mystic

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draftDraws 0.99 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 27 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 27
CoastalBluewater

1.82 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.82
LightHeavy

409 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 409
EasygoingPowered-up

13.0 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.0
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The Flicka 20, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Flicka 20 is a 7.3-meter cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Bruce Bingham, initially offered as plans for amateur builders before commercial production by Nor'Star Fiberglass Yachts and Pacific Seacraft from 1974 to 1999. Its long keel and transom-hung rudder contribute to a displacement of 2494 kg and a draft of 1.0 meter. The design, inspired by Newport workboats, features a plumb bow. Pacific Seacraft built 434 hulls, and these boats are known for their robust construction, making them popular for circumnavigation despite their small size.6:45 Aboard *Sailing Into the Mystic*, a Flicka 20 crew abandoned a southward passage to Cabo San Lucas due to weather delays, highlighting the need for schedule buffers in long-distance cruising. *Lady K Sailing* notes that the Flicka 20, along with the Dana 24 and Falmouth Cutter 22, demonstrates that ocean-crossing capability is achievable in smaller, heavy-displacement hulls.11:16 James Evenson, on *Be The Captain*, lists the Flicka 20 among the smallest boats he would trust for a Pacific crossing.1:53 Interiors, decks, and rigs can vary widely among individual boats due to its varied production history.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Flicka 20 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale
1channel looked into buying
$40,000Median asking

  • An example found for sale on the west coast for $40,000, considered by the host

    from Lady K Sailingseen September 20254:34

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
32.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.0
Displacement / length
409.3
Comfort ratio
26.7
Capsize screening
1.82
Hull speed
5.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
519
Hull
Hull type
Long keel w/trans. hung rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1974–1999
Units built
400
Designer
Bruce Bingham
Builder
Nor'Star Fiberglass Yachts, Pacific Seacraft

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Bristol Yachts 247.49 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Paul Coble-designed masthead sloop with a long keel and over 50% ballast ratio for stable coastal cruising
Learning to Cross the Atlantic With Nothing but a Sextant — Sailing Yabá 2939:33from Sailing Yabá
Cape Dory 278.25 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull
5 Overbuilt Hulls Proving You Don't Need a $500,000 Yacht4:53from Knot Your Average Boat
Pearson Yachts-USA Triton8.63 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fiberglass cruising and saw international production.
Solo Sailor Atlantic Circuit - Morocco Nonstop to Cape Verdefrom Atom Voyager
Cape Dory 288.56 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising
Top 5 Overbuilt Sailboats That Will Outlive Your Grandchildren3:22from Knot Your Average Boat
Vancouver 278.23 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter with a long keel, built across two continents to provide a stiff, comfortable passage
Under SERIOUS Threat of Deportation from Tahiti (Final Hope with the High Commissioner) | Ep. 1919:50from Sailing Songbird
Nor'Sea Marine 278.23 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA masthead sloop with a versatile rig and ballast configuration, designed for trailerable offshore cruising
Buying a 40 Foot Sailboat at 21/yo0:46from Garrett’s Adventure

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.

Kingfisher 20A versatile twin-keel sloop designed by R.A.G. Nierop, produced in multiple variants from 1959 to 1981Hd 20A lightweight fractional sloop designed by Horst E. Glacer with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited sailingKingfisher 20+A twin-keeled masthead sloop designed by R.A.G. Nierop, offering a shallow 0.71m draft for versatile coastal cruisingSpacesailer 20A lightweight 6.1-metre fin-keeler launched in 1981, optimized for coastal sailing with a nimble 862kg displacementFord 20A lightweight fractional sloop with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio, designed as the flagship of the 1969 MFG fleet

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Flicka 20, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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