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Balboa Sailboats

Balboa are great little cruisers – mini-cruisers. There was a range of models from 20 to 28 feet, and all were designed for use with outboards, from 4 to 20 hp, depending the size of the sailboat.

The 20-foot and 23-foot Balboa are ideal for learning to sail, and also as compact trailer-sailers, as they have lift keels. The advantage of getting a boat of this size to learn on is that they are light, so if for example, you find that the bow is heading for the pontoon when you come into moor, you can just push it away with a hook, and then pull it in at the stern easily – you can't do that with larger cruising sailboats.

There is a compact cabin and a transom stern, with a transom mounted rudder that pivots up for coming ashore, except on the larger models, where the rudder is forward of the transom.

Balboa have been around for 30 years, and are well-designed craft. They have been made for many years.

The Balboa sailboat has a fine bow, are not too beamy and a clean stern. They are a good compromise between sailing ability and space below – it is difficult to provide

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balboa sailboat image

much space below in such a small sailboat. They are designed so that the mast can be lowered and raised easily for putting on the trailer, and sails are conventional – you get a 110 per cent jib, and a 150 per cent genoa, which you would probably use most of the time.

Balboa can be equipped with roller reefing foresails. This certainly make sailing easier, as you can reef and furl quickly and easily, but it takes quite a long time to remove the roller reefing gear when you lower the mast for trailing, so this is recommended only if you keep the boat on a mooring.

Dimensions of the 20-footer are: LOA: 20 feet LWL: 17 feet 6 in Beam: 7 feet 1 in Draft keel down: 4 feet Draft keel up: 1 foot 9 in Displacement: 1,700 lbs The draft, keel up, is such that you can go right up into little creeks where mos cannot go, but with the keel down you have plenty of lift to give good sailing. The Balboa 26-footer, is quite a bit larger, of course, with LOA and beam of 25 feet 7 in by 8 feet, and with a draft of 5 feet with the keel down. Still a compact and economical cruising sailboat.




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