Melges 20

BoatsMelges 20

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.13 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 520 kg of hull, so roughly 1,100 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.

CoastalBluewater

At 2.68 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.68

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 38.1

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

Lighter than ~95% of boats her size on file
Draws more than ~86% of boats her size on file
Narrower than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 563 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

38.1

Capsize screening

2.68

Hull

Hull type

Fin Keel w/bulb

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

First built 2007

Designer

Reichel-Pugh, Reichel, Pugh Yacht Design

Builder

Melges Performance Sailboats

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.

Santana 206.16 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance fractional sloop with a 1996 deck redesign that added an open transom and a roomier cockpit

Episode 1 - The Beginning10:05 from Vela Sin Rumbo

Borge Bringsvaerd Bb116.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Norwegian-built classic with an active class association that has raced continuously since the 1960s

Join us inside the Dragon's Lair: 11 Dragons and a handful of fast cars13:53 from SEILmagasinet

J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/226.86 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio designed for competitive one-design racing

Sailing a J22 in Newport Beach, CA (July 2022)0:30 from keeldragger

J Boats J/706.93 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Alan Johnstone, with over 1,100 units delivered for one-design racing

From Olympic drama to flying motorboats: Petter Mørland Pedersen in "Peiling på Seiling"22:59 from SEILmagasinet

Bavaria Yachts 6066.50 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA lightweight 6.5-meter fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited coastal sailing

Captain's Log Day 3: Things That Go Bump in the Night (3/10)4:19 from Be The Captain

J J/77.04 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA 2024 fractional sloop with a shallow 1.16m draft and a high 23.55 sail-area-to-displacement ratio for responsive daysailing

J7: Finally an affordable sailboat0:49 from SEILmagasinet

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.

Melges 19A Reichel-Pugh designed fractional dinghy with an exceptionally high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for rapid planing M-20 ScowA classic 1963 twin-board scow featuring a lightweight 270kg hull and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for agile racing Melges 24A 7.32-meter sportboat with a lifting keel and a 32.09 sail-area-to-displacement ratio built 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 Melges 20

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue