Melges 20

Name: Melges 20
Brand: MELGES

The Melges 20 is a manageable and fun-sized sports boat designed to encourage a wide range of sailors, including youth and family groups, to enjoy the thrill of fast sailing without the need for strenuous hiking.

LIKES

- High build standard
- Manageable sail plan
- Comfortable cockpit and steering position

DISLIKES

- Collision bulkhead would be good

OVERVIEW

-- Reichel Pugh design, and trailerable

Designed by Reichel Pugh, the American company behind many successful racing yachts including the Sydney-Hobart dominating Wild Oats 11, the Melges 20 is the new sibling to the popular Melges 24 sports boat which has the biggest one-design fleet internationally with more than 800 worldwide. Similar success looks likely with Audi cars sponsoring the new class internationally, ensuring plenty of promotion and giving prospective owners some surety of a critical mass of boats. Melges Asia Pacific has imported the first Melges 20 recently as a demo boat. Company owner Heath Walters wants to repeat the success of the Melges 24 one-design fleet concept with the smaller, relatively simpler boat. “It’s a light, easy to handle boat that is ideal for families and for racing,” said Walters.
The M20 fleet numbers are reaching towards 100 said Heath and are being built at the company’s factory in Chicago. Typically raced with a crew of between two and four, this high-performance sports boat is ideal for dinghy sailors wanting to move up a notch.
Towable by most family cars, it comes on its own road trailer so is ideal for going to interstate race venues where it can compete with variety of craft, thanks to the recent Sports Boat handicap system. The SMS (Sports Measurement System) has led to a much more equitable measuring system for the large variety of these boats that compete.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

-- quality design throughout

When considering this kind of boat, it’s best to remember that you could be buying into the next new-one design racing class in Australia, with the marketing dollars of Audi moving things on. Alternatively, as a standalone boat, it’s not cheap with indicative pricing of $57,200 but you are getting a boat from a pedigreed design house with quality build throughout. The strict one-design class ensures that spending on equipment is minimised – you can choose a sail maker to cut your jib, main and asymmetric, and that's about it. Adding a 2hp outboard is advisable and you are good to go.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION

-- Roomy cockpit and light displacement

With a long cockpit the M20 can double up as a family day boat with storage in the sealed forepeak, accessed through the bow hatch. A tent over the long boom can offer weather protection in the wide, open cockpit. The Melges 20 is specifically designed for easy road trailing, hoist or ramp launching. The boat has a retractable keel for trailing purposes, thus when the boat is on the trailer the deck is just chest high. The carbon fibre keel with lead bulb includes a kelp cutter on its shank and the light displacement fibreglass hull is relatively flat bottomed for fast planing.

MECHANICAL, HULL AND RIG

-- Easily handled rig

The carbon fibre spars support a roachy mainsail and roll-out non-overlapping jib, with North 3DL sails used on the review boat. The deck-stepped mast has swept-back twin wire shrouds which slide on Harken cars, allowing quick adjustment, negating the need for a backstay. Unusually, an above-boom vang is fitted which the mainsail zips around, and this proved easily adjustable from its mast-foot jammer. The mainsheet track is near the hefty carbon tiller, that protrudes through the open transom where a small outboard bracket can be mounted. Cleverly, a cockpit sole locker stores the 2HP outboard, thus keeping weight right down in the hull.
A roller-furling jib and extendable carbon bowsprit complete the lightweight setup and with no winches, the M20 resembles a large dinghy. However, prodigious use of 2:1 blocks ensure that young sailors and those with average strength can handle the modest sheet loads. The mid-sized asymmetrical spinnaker is designed for high-speed downwind sledding with crew leaning on back straps (rather than hiking out like on its big brother, the M24). The kite hoists from a basket in the cockpit, with the tack line simultaneously pulling out the bow sprit as it deploys: a simple system that worked well in during our test sail.
The lightweight GRP hull (520kg) has reasonably high topsides for crew comfort, has one chine running astern to give form stability when heeled and shows plenty of flare towards the transom. The flat-bottomed stern area means quick acceleration and the bow section carries its volume right forward to aid buoyancy when punching into chop. The lead T-bulbed lifting keel nestles against the hull when on the trailer, and slides down after launch. Raising it requires the jack that is supplied, something that worked and was simple to use.
Storage inside the forward hull section is voluminous with open bulkheads leading under the cockpit for sail stowage. Only downside was the lack of a collision bulkhead or any outside rubbing strake to minimise impact damage at the bow. The open transom ensures quick cockpit draining and strong fittings hold the carbon rudder. The uncluttered cockpit sole has longitudinal footrests and abrasive non-slip material for sure foot placement during sailing.

ON THE WATER

-- Off-the-wind flyer

The M20 is best dry sailed and can be dropped in from the road trailer it comes with, or as we did, simply hoisted off the trailer by crane. A sturdy stainless ring attaches through the lifting keel, with the lead T-bulb taking the load against the underside of the hull. Heath Walters assured me the deck-stepped mast wasn’t a drama to hoist. So, after bending on the jib and mainsail, which come with locking halyards, our four-man crew cast off for a foray up Pittwater. The TackTicks wireless instruments on the mast combine with the hull transducer and mast-top Windex to give the full range of necessary data – heading, speed, depth and wind angles. The light southerly breeze of 10 knots proved a very usable strength for the M20 which felt lively on the balanced helm as we reached and dodged the myriad of moored boats. After a few clumsy tacks, when I finally worked out the best articulation of the tiller extension, this novice sports boat sailor (under the guidance of Australian National Champion, Heath!) managed to hit some reasonable numbers, getting 6.9 knots upwind without too much effort and, of course, no hiking. The padded backrests and GRP footrests made for a comfortable steering position while the mainsheet was easily to hand, allowing both steering and trimming to be done simultaneously
The spacious cockpit gave enough room for the four crew to tack and gybe without impediment and 2:1 blocks allowed even our young crewman to trim. Recalling my two-man dinghy racing days, in Tasers and Albacores I quickly felt at home on the M20 but with a lot more stability.
But the fun was only starting as we rolled into a bear-away set to hoist the asymmetric spinnaker – with only the halyard and sheet to worry about, the kite popped effortlessly, pulling the carbon bowsprit as it filled. Easy-peasy, and my un-gloved hands didn’t complain while trimming it. With our crew weight slid back I felt the hull steadily rise as we sped off downwind. The M20 didn’t feel particularly tippy and gave even us novice sports boaters confidence to press on as the speed rose. The numbers on the TackTicks showed 8.2 knots in the softening breeze as we prepared to gybe. The sheets ran easily and without mishap as we shaped our course for another blast off the breeze. I suddenly realised I’d had a permanent grin throughout the sail, which reflects the M20 philosophy I think: Fun and function.

COMPARABLE BOATS

Dart SB3. The SB3 started in the early 2000s in the UK, and now attracts fleets of 80 or more boats making it the largest OD sportsboat fleet in England, with numbers in Australia of about 30-40. Similar to the M20, this non-hiking Tony Castro design is for three crew.
Archambault Sprinto. A new boat with lifting keel and cabin which is a versatile design – it can be used as a training boat, family day sailor and club racer, advise importers Newcastle Yachting.
Beneteau First 21.7s. Beneteau’s entry-level boat is a popular pocket cruiser in Europe with enough rig options to satisfy club racers while also offering some accommodation as well.

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0
Mechanicals/Equipment/Rig, etc: 4.5/5.0
Packaging and Practicality: 4.5/5.0
On the water performance: 4.5/5.0
Value for money: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

SPECIFICATIONS

Price: $57,200
Length: 6.096m
Beam: 2.133m
Draft: 1.374m
Weight: 520kg
Recommended Crew Weight Range (225 – 272kg)
Sail Area
Main: 16 sqm
Jib: 8.2 sqm
Asymmetrical Spinnaker: 40 sqm

Australian distributor:

Melges Asia Pacific, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, 4/16 Mitala Street, Newport NSW 2106
Phone: 0417 200 804 Website: www.melges.com.au

Melges 20

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