Review of Impala 20
Basic specs.
Looking for a new boat? Find an Impala 20 or similar boat for sale
The hull is made of plywood.
The boat is equipped with a galley and toilet facility.
Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.
The Impala 20 is equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.
Fin keel
The Impala 20 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.
Impala 20 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.20 - 1.30 meter (3.94 - 4.24 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Sailing characteristics
This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Impala 20 is 2.72, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.
What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 5.6 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Impala 20 is about 95 kg/cm, alternatively 536 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 95 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 536 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.
Sailing statistics
This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for Impala 20 is 10.1.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Impala 20 is 2.31.
The ballast ratio for Impala 20 is 40%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Impala 20 is 187 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.
What is Relative Speed Performance?
The Relative Speed Performance for Impala 20 is 88
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 16m2 (172 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.
Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.
If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Jib sheet | 6.2 m | (20.5 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 6.2 m | (20.5 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 15.6 m | (51.3 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 13.8 m | (45.1 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.
We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Impala 20 it would be a great help.
If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.