Design and Construction
The MS-20 measures 19.68 feet LOA, with a waterline length of 17.22 feet and a beam of 7.22 feet. Her length-to-beam ratio of 2.71 gives her a narrow, purposeful hull form for her size.
Enderlein’s 20-foot platform combines a hand-laid, solid-fiberglass hull with a balsa-cored fiberglass deck. Marieholms Bruk AB finished both hull and deck in GRP. The boat displaces 2,756 pounds and carries 882 pounds of ballast, giving her a ballast ratio of 29 percent.
The boat has an iron fin keel. Reported draft ranges from about 2.95 to 3.25 feet, depending on load, allowing the boat to settle into shallow marinas that larger cruisers cannot reach.
Her displacement-length ratio of 234 places her among moderate racers under the standard classification. An immersion rate of roughly 447 pounds per inch speaks to a stiff little hull that resists sinking under extra gear.
Marieholm built the MS-20 as part of a family of 20-foot variants under Enderlein's partnership. It is distinct from the later S-20, which followed in 1976.
Rig and Handling
The MS-20 carries a fractional sloop rig. Its sail-area-to-displacement index is 12.6 with the ISO reference sail, rising to 14.4 with a 135 percent genoa. YachtDatabase found that the boat carries more rig than 73% of similar sailboats. This slight over-rigging favors light-air cruising on a modest hull.
The standing and running lines follow a compact pattern. Each of the three halyards is 60 feet long and 1/4-inch in diameter. The sheets and 50-foot mainsheet are 5/16-inch, keeping the deck hardware light and manageable for a short-handed crew.
The theoretical displacement hull speed is 5.6 knots, while the calculated maximum is about 5.9 knots. A Relative Speed Performance score of 4 suggests enough speed to maintain a steady coastal pace, without making any claim to offshore pace.
Accommodation and Seakeeping
Below, the MS-20 has three berths—a sparse but honest layout for a 19.68-foot motorsailer. That limited space suits weekending more than extended cruising with guests.
The Motion Comfort Ratio is 16.2, and the capsize screening value is 2.11. The reviewing publication noted that the latter figure is outside the threshold for ocean-race acceptance, a useful boundary marker for buyers considering long passages.
The underside has about 139 square feet of wetted surface. That small footprint keeps the boat quick to accelerate and easy to push through a marina berth under her Volvo Penta MD1 diesel and shaft drive.
The Verdict
The MS-20 is a narrow, well-ballasted pocket motorsailer. Enderlein’s influence shows in its efficient hull and surprisingly generous rig for its length. By the numbers, it isn’t a bluewater racer. As a shallow-draft weekender with a simple three-berth cabin and a bulletproof single diesel, however, it fills a specific niche well.
Pros
- Iron fin keel and 29 percent ballast ratio provide reassuring stability for the boat’s size
- Load-dependent draft of less than 3.25 feet opens access to shallow marinas
- Fractional rig with genoa raises the sail-area-to-displacement index to 14.4, making the boat lively in light air
- Solid-fiberglass hull and balsa-cored deck from a known Swedish builder
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.11 excludes the boat from ocean-race categorization
- Three berths and a 19.68-foot length limit cruising range and guest capacity
- Moderate-racer displacement-length ratio of 234 favors pace over load-carrying comfort
