Anyone familiar with The Skipper 20. There is one for sale in my area with trailer in decent shape. It looks like a montgomery 17, but is a double ender with shaol keel and no centerboard. I can't find much about them on the web. Thanks
Skipper 20
- Thread starter doneright
- Start date
I love the looks of them. So adorably cute, and all tuffy-looking with the lapstrake hull.
Never even seen one in person though, sorry. Nothing useful to contribute.
Never even seen one in person though, sorry. Nothing useful to contribute.
No experience sailing them, but there's one on my dock. Didn't get much use this year that I saw, I know the Admiral was pregnant last summer, so I suppose the Captain has been busy this summer.
A Southern Sails Skipper 20 is the first boat I ever bought. Typically for DC you end up "buying into the neighborhood" in order to get into this marina. Newfie Girl unfortunately got hauled to the dump because her fixed keel was torn off from being run aground too many times and I replaced her with a swing keel Catalina 22, which was much easier to deal with on the river.
I remember that she was relatively bare bones, but that might have been a little more through neglect by the PO. I eventually found an active Yahoo group that had some folks who really liked them and had done upgrades to them: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/skipper20/info , looks like it's still active.
I remember that she was relatively bare bones, but that might have been a little more through neglect by the PO. I eventually found an active Yahoo group that had some folks who really liked them and had done upgrades to them: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/skipper20/info , looks like it's still active.
I live in Port Aransas Texas near Corpus Christi and currently own a 1983 Skipper 20. I absolutely love the little vessel though not much interior space. I have sailed offshore on fairly calm seas fishing with four people and have never had any problems what so ever. The only thing I dislike about the Skipper is that I have an 9.9 Yachtmaster outboard motor and its just to much motor causing water to come into the lazerette when motoringbut, the boat was designed to be pulled thru the water by the sails and not pushed thru the water by a motor. Its often very windy hear and the little boat sails absolutely beautiful as well as being a real head turner with the classy little design. I however am in the process of buuing a 1984 Hunter 25 for just a bit more space. Have an awesome evening and fair winds! Trey
Fellow Skipper 20 owners / enthusiasts, just joined after learning Yahoo Groups has shut down their service. Seeking to keep in touch and share my experiences with my own Skipper 20.
Thanks for your post, Trey.
I've owned my Skipper 20 for some 14 years, and for the first 8-9 used a Tohatsu 4HP 4-stroke installed in the lazarette - it just barely fit. Then when that motor died from internal saltwater corrosion, I purchased another one. But Tohatsu had redesigned the 4HP enlarging the dimensions and cowling so it no longer fit without reconstructing the engine well slot and lazarette lid; I decided I didn't want to reconstruct so I sold the new 4HP, and went without a motor for a good while (not easy but doable).
Am finally in process on selecting a new motor, prime candidate is a Honda BF2.3 Long Shaft. Chief attractions are:
A. air-cooling (no salt water running thru it so no internal corrosion),
B. dimensions promise to ensure it fits in the slot with room to spare, and
C. very light (31# as compared to 90# for Tohatsu) which reduces weight at the stern and makes it easy to pull the motor out and hang it on a stern rail motor mount, thus reducing underwater drag while actually sailing !
Fair winds,
Jim O', s/v ManuKai
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I own a 1980 Skipper 20 here in Port Aransas Texas where we have brisk seabreeze and I absolutely love the little boat. Its small inside but great cockpit, sails like a dream even in 30kts and is built "bulletproof", extremely tough little boat and very easy to handle.
Necropost alert.
I bought what I believe is the powerboat version of the Skipper 20. The title calls it a Skiffie (19', 1981 build date). Yanmar 1GM 9hp diesel inboard.
In the overhead shot you can see two round deckplates. The one partially hidden by the green bucket, I believe, would be where the mast goes (went). It is filled with foam.
Looking forward to the restoration this Winter; hope to get some use out of her before end of Summer. Just planning on using her for river and inner-harbor cruising here in Milwaukee.
Currently plan on removing the binnacle/steering post and moving the wheel to the engine cover. Thought about just going back to a tiller, too.
Sorry to dirty the waters with my stink-potter's post, but it's really hard to find any info on this boat.
I bought what I believe is the powerboat version of the Skipper 20. The title calls it a Skiffie (19', 1981 build date). Yanmar 1GM 9hp diesel inboard.
In the overhead shot you can see two round deckplates. The one partially hidden by the green bucket, I believe, would be where the mast goes (went). It is filled with foam.
Looking forward to the restoration this Winter; hope to get some use out of her before end of Summer. Just planning on using her for river and inner-harbor cruising here in Milwaukee.
Currently plan on removing the binnacle/steering post and moving the wheel to the engine cover. Thought about just going back to a tiller, too.
Sorry to dirty the waters with my stink-potter's post, but it's really hard to find any info on this boat.
I'm looking forward to seeing your boat on the Milwaukee river . There are a whole lot of places in Wisconsin to take a boat like that .
Thanks, Timm. Got her in the water today. At McKinley. Looking forward to putting around the harbor and rivers. At 5mph, the river is further away than I thought!