Mark V20

Designed by Mark Van Abbema

My Dad wanted a trailerable boat for short cruises, and for traveling across the country exploring different waterways. He didn't want it to be any longer than 20 feet, because that would be the largest size he could fit on the trailer he has. (We bought a used trailer to launch "Heart of Gold" with.)

He wanted a comfortable berth, sitting headroom in the cabin, and an enclosed stand-up pilot house. We started with a design close to Sam Devlin's Surf Scooter, but when it was shortened to 20 feet, the pilot house and cockpit were both too small.

We decided on the pilot house/cockpit combination, with an extended hard top. The sides will be enclosed with canvas.

Speed was not a priority, so it has a semi-displacement hull. A 50 HP 4-stroke is the biggest motor contemplated, which should give a comfortable cruising speed of about 11-12 knots. We used a 25 hp Mercury Four stroke Bigfoot, which pushes the boat 7 knots at 4,000 rpm.

Originally, the motor was going to go in a well, but we decided to mount it on the transom to make more room in the cockpit. There is a full height watertight bulkhead 2 feet forward of the transom.

The cockpit sole is at the waterline, to give 6'6" headroom under the hard top, so it is not self bailing. There is a sump and a bilge pump for rainwater that may get in.

There are storage compartments on each side of the motor. One of the compartments will house the porta-potti, Which can be moved to wherever is convenient for use. A cooler can be stored on the other side.

The flush deck is stronger and gives more room below than a trunk cabin would have. The forward most part of the deck will be at the level of the lower shear, for anchors and stuff. Anchors will be handled while standing in the forehatch, to save going out on deck. The cabin has a 7 foot long V-berth. There are removable panels so the aft part of the berth can be used as settees, with a nice view through the ports.

Aft of the berth are 2 1/2' counters on each side, with shelves above. 18 gallon fuel tanks are under each counter.

Pilgrim IV, the original Mark V 20

LOA 20 feet
Beam 7 feet
Draft 18"
Disp. aprox. 3,000 lb