From their bullet-like cabin trunks with rounded side hatches to the fact they've sunk and were resurrected to race a couple days later, the boat and the crowd that sails it are just plain fun. And it's tough, if not impossible, to get onto the water in a racing keelboat any more cheaply.

Designed by Shad Turner on the heels of his successful Santana 25 Quarter- and Half-Ton designs, it was to be Schock's low-risk venture into the Mini-Ton market. George Eddy, at the helm of Sailing World's predecessor Yacht Racing, took a look at the plans in 1976 and told Tom Schock "That's a nice boat, but who's going to buy it? And what should we call it?" Eddy answered his own question with "sportboat," a moniker which now classifies a genre.

The "who would buy it" question was answered at the 1976 Long Beach Boat Show where 50 deposits on the $4,995 boat were taken. Tom Schock described the frenzy: "The price was going up during the show, and we actually saw people buying multiple boats to be able to sell as futures options. One salesman even took a Rolex as a down payment. "
The immediate success allowed Schock to market the Santana as a one-design instead of a mini tonner. About 600 boats were sold in the first two years. Hull 931 was launched earlier this year.

The Santana 20 class gained a new lease on life in 1996 when the manufacturer offered a new open cockpit modeled after modern designs. The new boat is more user-friendly, but retains the same hull, weight, and sailing characteristics as the original. Furthermore, Schock offers an entire replacement cockpit for older models. Since the changes, 31 new boats have been built and 60 retrofit decks have been sold.

The Santana 20 sails well. At 1,350 pounds it can and does plane downwind in a breeze. However, it struggles going into a chop. The fractional rig features unique proportions, with a tall skinny main and a rather large foretriangle and overlapping headsail. It is an exceptionally quick boat in light winds and flat water. All the small boat considerations of weight placement and heel angle become critical.

Convenience is a major strength. Its 4-foot draft is shallow enough for trailer launching, or it can be launched from a hoist. The mast is quickly stepped by hand, and the boat can also easily be towed by a 6-cylinder vehicle. There isn't much below deck, but there's room for a portable toilet and a place to stretch out between races or when cruise camping.

Best of all is the price. Decent used boats with the old style deck can be had starting at about $3,500. Installing a new deck costs another $4,000, but raises the resale value to about $12,000. A new set of sails (main, jib, genny, and spinnaker) run just shy of $4,000. Brand new boats with trailer, sails, and all the go-fast gear are $27,000.
"Tuna" 20s hold together well. Compression posts should be examined and some of the older boats' galvanized keel bolts are suspect, but both are easy to fix.

While at its best as a one-design, you can irreverently sneak up on a few PHRF fleets with a rating of about 222.

Specs
LOA: 20' 2.5''
Draft: 4'
Crew: 3
PHRF Range: 215-241
Price Range: $3,500-$27,000
www.s20.org