Review of Hurley 20

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The boat is equipped with 4 berths and a galley.

Galley of Hurley 20 anno 1969. Komfur og vask er en endring fra orginalen der er 20l vandtank m elpumpe.

The Hurley 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.

The Hurley 20 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.99 - 1.09 meter (3.25 - 3.55 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Bilge keel

Another option is a bilge keel. A bilge keel is a double keel, which allows the boat to be beached. Bilge keels are the most popular keel for tidal waters.

Hurley 20 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.79 - 0.89 meter (2.59 - 2.89 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Hurley 20 is 2.16, 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 5.7 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 Hurley 20 is about 79 kg/cm, alternatively 444 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 79 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 444 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Hurley 20 is 13.8.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Hurley 20 is 2.82.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Hurley 20 is 44%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Hurley 20 is 173 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Hurley 20 is 1

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 13m² (139 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.

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 Hurley 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.