M-20 Scow Buyer's Guide
Shopping for an M-20 Scow on the used market means entering the world of vintage inland racers rather than family daysailers. Designed in 1963 by Harry Melges Sr. and Harry "Buddy" Melges Jr., the class produced about 675 hulls through Melges Boat Works and, later, Windward Boatworks, and it remains active with racing groups on lakes like Geneva (WI) and Okoboji (IA). A buyer is therefore looking at a one-design racing scow with strong class organization, not a bespoke cruiser.
Layouts on the Used Market
The M-20 is a 20-foot scow with a 14-foot waterline and a 5.67-foot beam, built on a flat-bottomed hull with twin bilgeboards rather than a trunk-mounted centerboard. That geometry means the cockpit is the boat: there is no cabin, no berth count, and no cruising interior to evaluate. What matters is the condition of the scow shell, the board trunks in the bilges, and the rig. Trailerability is a given thanks to the 595-pound displacement and 0.67-foot minimum draft, so most boats will have changed hands with a trailer and a mast crane rather than a marina slip.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, a swim platform and a bimini are commonly fitted to these boats, useful for launch-day comfort but irrelevant to racing pedigree. Beyond those, the M-20's equipment story is mostly about sail inventory and rigging for one-design competition rather than house systems. A buyer should focus on the fractional sloop rig and the spinnaker gear, since the class's thrilling downwind runs depend on a serviceable 293-square-foot kite and the associated sheets and pole.
What to Inspect
The defining construction feature to check is the twin centerboard, or bilgeboard, arrangement that provides lateral resistance without a trunk intrusion anchor. Because the boards live in the bilges of a flat scow hull, the board pivots, pennant lines, and bilge surfaces should be examined for wear or impact damage that a racing history can produce. The fiberglass hull itself is straightforward, but verify builder identity — Melges Boat Works versus later Windward Boatworks hulls — as part of provenance rather than a quality judgment.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for the M-20 Scow is the United States, consistent with its inland-lake class roots. For a buyer, the takeaway is simple:
- Confirm the boat is a Melges or Windward Boatworks hull with class-identifiable rig dimensions
- Inspect the twin bilgeboards and bilge areas for racing wear
- Check for a usable spinnaker and fractional rig inventory
- Expect a swim platform and bimini as common comfort additions, not upgrades
- Plan to join ILYA or NASSA fleets for the boat's real value: one-design racing
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the M-20 Scow. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25 | 1 | $59,000 | — |
| Jul 25 | 1 | $45,900 | -22.2% |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $61,375 | +33.7% |