BoatsM-20 Scow

M-20 Scow

Fractional Sloop · Scow Twin Cbrd. · First built 1963

A classic 1963 twin-board scow featuring a lightweight 270kg hull and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for agile racing

Designed by H. Melges Jr, built by Melges Boat Works.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Scow Twin Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.73 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 270 kg of hull, so roughly 850 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 270 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 0.20 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a narrow beam gives 6 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 6
CoastalBluewater

At 2.70 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.70
LightHeavy

97 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 97
EasygoingPowered-up

39.9 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 39.9

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~96% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~89% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~99% of boats her size on file

Compared with 538 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
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
39.9
Displacement / length
96.8
Comfort ratio
5.8
Capsize screening
2.70
Hull speed
5.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
284
Hull
Hull type
Scow Twin Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1963
Units built
675
Designer
H. Melges Jr
Builder
Melges Boat Works, Windward Boatworks

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.

Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull family1.4 m shorterA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centerboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility
Getting Underway - Portland to Boston23:16from The Mariner
RS 216.40 mSame hull family0.3 m longer
Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37from City Sailing
Microtonner 195.50 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Nestor Volker to the International Micro Class rule for competitive racing
I Met the Man Who Puts Sailboats Inside the São Francisco River | #SAL #4256:23from Hashtag Sal
Melges 247.32 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA 7.32-meter sportboat with a lifting keel and a 32.09 sail-area-to-displacement ratio built for rapid planing
Per Christian Bordal in Peiling på Seiling: – We must recruit more than just our own children14:42from SEILmagasinet
Catalina Yachts 227.26 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA swing-keel masthead sloop with 15,000 units sold, offering a highly versatile and trailerable coastal cruiser
The ZERO KEEL and ALPHA RUDDER - Are Kraken Yachts Really THAT GOOD?9:27from Practical Sailor
Dufour Yachts T66.15 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA lightweight 800kg fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in light air
Who I am and why the sea is part of my life0:56from NAUTICPIOLI

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.

Inland 20 ScowA Melges-designed scow updated with a carbon spar and a sprit-flown asymmetrical spinnaker for high-performance racingMelges 20A 6.1-meter sportboat featuring a fin keel with bulb and a high-performance fractional rig for rapid planingM-16 ScowA high-performance fractional sloop with a rotating spar, sharing the modern MC Scow hull design since 1999Mc ScowA high-performance cat-rigged scow with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, evolved from 1950s J Scow rootsMelges 19A Reichel-Pugh designed fractional dinghy with an exceptionally high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for rapid planing

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the M-20 Scow

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