Ultimate 20 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The U20 began life as a rework of the Hotfoot 20. Canepa acquired those molds in 1988, and Ron Moore built a prototype before Antrim began a year-long overhaul that stretched the hull nine inches to 20 feet 10 inches, added two inches of freeboard, and widened the beam to 8 feet 6 inches. The keel was moved aft eight inches and given a flared bulb reminiscent of America's Cup whale-tail foils. The hull lay-up is a 3/8-inch Baltek balsa core with 12-ounce bi-directional woven roving on both faces, Hydrex vinylester on the exterior skins and Polyester C2849 within, finished outside in smooth gelcoat and inside in polyester enamel. The deck uses the same core with a 10-ounce cloth and.75-ounce mat, and two 12-inch carbon-fiber panels sit under the keel and across the mast step and chainplates. Hull and deck are joined by a syntactic slurry of polyester putty, mill fibers and microballoons over a roughly two-inch eggshell flange, while the cockpit sole mirrors the deck but with a 3/4-inch Baltek core. Below the berth, a fiberglass pan with longitudinal stringers forms watertight compartments credited with 1,800 pounds of positive buoyancy, and the boat carries positive flotation as a standard feature.

Rig and Handling

The fractional rig was made more powerful by raising the mast to 30 feet above deck, a 45-pound spar that is easy to step. Swept-back spreaders at 25 degrees remove the need for a permanent backstay, and the full-roach, loose-footed mainsail grew to 205 square feet. A 100-square-foot working jib sits on a Harken roller furler recessed below the deck, and a deck-mounted bowsprit housed in a molded, six-screw slot carries the light-air kites. The lifting bulb keel is worked by a removable, patent-pending winch and locked by hand with six "Scotty" screws, drawing a mere nine inches retracted. A carbon-fiber rudder blade with fiberglass and wood head reinforcement is transom-hung on pintles and gudgeons. The designer noted that in a collision the sprit or its housing fails at 1,700 pounds of pressure before the hull does, and the boat is easy to sail and launch.

Accommodations

For a 20-foot sportboat the interior is genuinely usable. A forward V-berth runs 94 inches long and tapers to 64 inches wide at the boat's midsection, while port and starboard quarterberths measure 96 by 18 inches. The space can be fully enclosed with hatch boards and offers shelter from foul weather with enough comfort for overnight excursions, plus ample storage. The berth structure doubles as the buoyancy pan, so the cabin is both livable and a safety cell.

Known Issues

The owner-reported lineage notes that Ultimate Sailboats International built the bulk of the fleet in the late 1990s before going bankrupt, after which the molds passed through Abbott Boatworks—whose Sarnia, Ontario factory burned in 2006—and briefly to Columbia Yachts before W.D. Schock took up production in Corona, California. Owners report the older boats are holding up well, and the simple, well-designed construction is the reason.

Refits and Ownership

The class has survived six builders because the design is active and the boat straightforward to construct. One owner account in Sailing World observed that the old ones are holding up really well, and the manufacturer points to an award for the industry's highest resale value. For the budget-conscious shopper the U20 appeals on both initial outlay and retained worth, and Practical Sailor found it gaining acceptance among mid-level sailors chasing higher performance as well as veterans wanting big kicks in a small hull.

The Verdict

The Ultimate 20 is a rare thing: a sub-1,100-pound sportboat with real overnight accommodation, a lifting keel for trailering, and a race pedigree that includes national team selection. Its balsa-cored construction and engineered buoyancy make it a secure trailer-sailer, while the simplified rig keeps crew workload low. The long builder churn is a quirk of class history rather than a quality flag, given owner reports of durability.

Pros