At 1,350 pounds, with 550 pounds of lead ballast and 204 square feet of sail, the Santana 20 combines dinghy-like performance with the security of a keelboat. That balance has kept owners and crews loyal for decades.
Design and Construction
Shad Turner drew the Santana 20 during the heyday of the IOR rule but deliberately avoided the exaggerated “shapes du jour” of the period. The result is a very shapely, smooth, fair, and bumpless hull. Its form is moderate overall, though the stern is narrow by modern standards.
A broader waterline beam gives the boat good initial stability. Below the water, it has a 4-foot lead fin keel paired with a low-aspect-ratio rudder that now looks dated.
Schock built the Santana 20 in hand-laid fiberglass, with a balsa-cored deck attached to the hull by a shoebox-style joint. The builder also developed a proprietary keel-casting method: molten lead was poured directly into a premolded fiberglass shell containing the keel bolts.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Santana 20 carries a fractional sloop rig. Both the foretriangle height and mainsail luff measure 24.5 feet; the mainsail foot is 7 feet, and the jib base is 8.16 feet. Total sail area is 204 square feet.
Despite that sail area on a light hull, the boat’s gentle, moderate character makes it easy to sail and less physically demanding than newer designs. One contemporary account described the Santana 20 as combining a benign temperament with sparkling performance. That mix sits at the heart of its lasting popularity.
It is well suited to family day racing. Crews need neither harnesses nor dry suits—just a willingness to get out on the water and have fun.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The Santana 20 is fundamentally a daysailer and racer rather than a cruiser. Its accommodations center on a small, bullet-shaped cuddy cabin, which gives the boat its distinctive appearance.
The cockpit is the social and working heart of the design. In 1996, Tom Schock and class president Jeff Kerr led a deck redesign that opened the cockpit to the transom, making the working area at least feel larger. They also introduced a rolled cockpit edge like that of a 505 dinghy, which is easy on the legs.
Ninety boats with the newer design joined the fleet, and many older hulls were refitted with the new deck. Every effort was made to keep the older boats competitive within the one-design class.
Class, Refits, and Ownership
The class grew to an active membership of 350 boats, many of them sailed on inland lakes. It remains healthy through a blend of new production and refitted originals.
Trailer sailors value the Santana 20 highly. Schock Corp.’s production run of more than 900 boats is accompanied by a steady supply of class-supported hardware. Because the original hull shape continued through the deck redesign, one-design compatibility was preserved. An older hull fitted with the newer deck therefore remains a full member of the fleet.
Verdict
The Santana 20 earns its nickname, “The Original Sport Boat,” by combining dinghy-like responsiveness with keelboat security in a trailerable, family-friendly package. Its moderate hull and broad waterline beam make it forgiving, while the class structure allows older and newer boats to continue racing together.
Pros
- High-performance keel daysailer with more than 900 hulls built and active one-design class support
- Broad waterline beam provides good initial stability
- Easy and undemanding to sail
- Deck redesign preserved one-design compatibility and helped older boats remain competitive
- Trailer-friendly and beloved by owners as a family day racer
Cons
- Narrow stern and low-aspect-ratio rudder reflect an older approach than that of modern sport boats
- Minimal accommodations beyond the bullet-shaped cuddy
- A dedicated day racer rather than a cruiser
