The RK 20 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Lyle C. Hess as a cruiser and first built in 1972.Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 126. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010.
The RK 20 is a development of the Hess-designed Balboa 20, as is the Ensenada 20.
Production The design was built by RK Industries, a subsidiary of Coastal Recreation, in the United States. It was built between 1972 and 1981, but it is now out of production.
Design The RK 20 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig; a spooned, raked stem; an angled transom; a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a swing keel or fixed fin keel. The swing keel version displaces and carries of ballast, while the fin keel version displaces and carries of ballast.
Two cabin designs were available, a trunk cabin and a raised deck version.
The fin keel-equipped version of the boat has a draft of , while the swing keel-equipped version has a draft of with the keel extended and with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, or ground transportation on a trailer.
The boat is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.
The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. Cabin headroom is . The fresh water tank has a capacity of .
The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 264 and a hull speed of .
Operational history In a 2010 review Steve Henkel noted, "the RK20 fixed-keel version would seem preferable, since it eliminates the mechanical problems some owners have experienced with the swing keel."
See also List of sailing boat types
Related development Balboa 20 Ensenada 20
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