Rio 20

See her sail

The Rio 20, on the water

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.16 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 800 kg of hull, so roughly 1,400 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draftDraws 1.05 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 beamy beam gives 11 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 11

CoastalBluewater

At 2.35 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.35

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 179

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 28.3

TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

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

Lighter than ~79% of boats her size on file
Narrower than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 563 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Rio 20, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Rio 20 is a 6.1-meter masthead sloop designed by Roberto Barros and built by Multiglass in Brazil since 1975. It features a fin keel with a transom-hung rudder, a beam of 2.2 meters, a draft of 1.1 meters, and a displacement of 800 kg. Barros, known as "Cabinho," designed the Rio 20 and other boats like the Paraty 1 to be accessible for amateur construction, aiming to popularize sailing in Brazil. His design philosophy prioritizes self-reliance and traditional skills over complex modern technology, reflecting his own 1965 offshore passage from Rio de Janeiro to Polynesia on a self-built 25-foot boat.0:15

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

37.5%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

28.3

Displacement / length

178.5

Comfort ratio

11.5

Capsize screening

2.35

Hull speed

5.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

415

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/transom hung rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1975

Designer

Roberto Barros

Builder

Multiglass

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.

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

How He Survived a Tropical Storm at Sea14:25 from Be The Captain

Gilbert Marine Tequila7.20 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA Philippe H. Harle-designed masthead sloop that claimed the 1971 Quarter Ton Cup with her prototype performance

Lost at Sea Sailing Couple From YouTube Dies in Life Raft - Ep 307 - Lady K Sailing0:45 from Lady K Sailing

Abbott Boats Inc. Yngling6.35 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 6.35-metre fractional sloop that served as the Olympic class for women sailors from 2004 through 2008

Kristian Nergaard - most medals in 202410:10 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 Tillotson Pearson J/247.32 mSame hull family1.2 m longerThe world's most popular one-design keelboat, featuring a light 1406kg displacement for responsive, agile handling

The Scariest Dangers at Sea (And How to Survive Them)31:46 from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

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

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.

Roy 20A lightweight 1978 masthead sloop by Roberto Rovere, designed for responsive coastal sailing with a fin keel Atoll 23A high-performance fractional sloop with a 27.58 SA/displacement ratio, designed by Roberto Barros for spirited sailing Windrose 20A Ron Holder-designed fractional sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, built for versatile shoal-water sailing Tahiti 16A nimble 1975 fractional sloop by Roberto Barros with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited light-air sailing Gib'sea 20A lively Joubert-designed masthead sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, built for spirited coastal sailing

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Rio 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