# New owner of an Ensenada 20



## ulferlingsson

I recently bought a 1972 Ensenada 20 (sail number 70). It seems to have been altered and rebuilt a bit through the ages, so I'd love to get some info about what it originally looked like. Such as:
-Was the standing rigging originally 1/8"? -What kind of plumbing did she have? (In mine there is a rusty old sink but no outlet and no water tank.) -Did she have flotation material under the berths? (If so, someone removed it from mine.) -Was there a spinnaker option for her?

Now about the skipper, who is from Sweden. I bought a 19' trailer sailer, Albin 57, in 1985 - but without a trailer. Shorter but wider than the Ensenada 20, with a spinnaker she sailed beautifully. After just a couple of years I changed to a Havsfidra from Fisksätra Marin. It is a 20' long-keeled boat without transom, and it had a 7 hp inboard 2-stroke engine (Vire). It has the same sail area as the Ensenada 20, but weighs more than twice as much. It is extremely seaworthy, and one can sail with genoa and without reefs in hurricane force winds (yes I've tried). In fact, it needs at least 20 knot winds to sail decently. Many have crossed the Atlantic with it, but not me. I just sailed across the Baltic Sea (was the first Swedish boat since before WWII to visit the Lithuanian - then German, in between Soviet - town of Nida), and also crossed the Baltic in a gail in October, plus I sailed over the North Sea and further up to Trondheim in central Norway, which is the same latitude as the northern end of Hudson Bay. 

It is so beautiful on the north-west coast of Norway, but cold, which is why I had the boat equipped for winter sailing; isolated hull, a 1.3 kW central heater with a radiator below each berth, ropes that repel water so the ice shakes off, and of course survival suits for the crew. In my work I was skipper on a 22' fishing-boat good for 30 knots, with a square cabin aft and an open space in the front intended for laying nets. But we used it for research, including we took it to Iceland and drove around on the North Atlantic with it. In up to 36 knot winds...

When I moved to Miami, Florida, I sold that boat, and after a few years with only a dingy I now started over with a trailer boat. I'm skeptical over the diminutive size of the standing rigging, the lack of strong attachment of the stays to the hull (don't know the English term for "röstjärn"), the poor strength of the midship region, and also the tiny size of the mooring hardware in general on all US boats. Guess boats here aren't built for hurricane force winds? Anyway, so far I have enforced the midship so the rig won't bend the deck, I've covered the stay attachment irons in epoxy and fiberglass, and I've made a new, stronger, attachment for the aft stay so that it can be tensioned properly in hard winds. But I am concerned that 1/8" wire has a very low breaking strength... Is that really standard?


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## ulferlingsson

Transporting the boat home.


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## Thinkerer

I have a 1974 Ensenada 20 that I have refitted extensively. I sail inland and it is a lightly-built boat. So far as I know the sink merely emptied into a bucket below - I have replaced my interior and have redone this somewhat. The 1/8" rigging is standard (and should be inspected if it has been used in salt water). There was no flotation in mine - I've added it under the bow V-berth. There was a spinnaker available at time of purchase as well - you could have one made or find something with similar measurements used, but it wasn't a huge kite.

There is a good web page on the boat (not mine) which this site will not let me post for some reason - google "anungoday" and it'll be first.

The biggest problem you'll have in the short term is leakage around the keel cable tube due to flexing of the hull. My solution was to glass a plate on the underside of the sole and join that to the keel indentation via a plywood fitting and it has worked well for some time.

You'll find her to be a good little sailor (with a *huge* PRHF rating if you're a racer) but nothing compared to the sturdy nordic boats that I've seen. With properly trimmed sails (and being sure to assemble the rudder correctly) she sails very nicely although the trailer is in bad shape.


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## fergman300

Hello...I purchased an Ensenada 20 just this year. So far I like it....lots of room inside. Hope you have fun with yours.. I have been fixing mine up since it was in bad shape. I did fit two deep cycle batteries undedr the sink along with blue 7 fallon water tank from Walmart...also set a flexible 5 gallon water bag...from walmart as the catch for the sink drain. its all fits nicely under there. you will have to remove the unders sink hatch door and cut it larger. I make a combo under sink hatch door and fold down table top. Can send pics if interested. Also Check out this event in Lake Havasue... just search Havasue Pocket Cruisers...its happening Feb 2011. Maybe see you there.


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## ulferlingsson

New trailer acquired - or rather, another quite old trailer but in great shape converted to fit this boat. It is a tilt trailer, and the boat rolls on keel rollers and scooter wheels.


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## cd66312

Yay! Someone else has this boat too!

I have the RK20, really the same thing, and my sink drains, I'll take some pics when I get home. Not sure if this was a mod from a previous owner of if it came this way.

On another note, I really want to remove my keel for inspection/refinish, has anyone had experience doing this? Do I need to cut the glass to get to the bolt?


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