Specifications
Pacific Seacraft factory specifications for the production Flicka 20. Slight variations exist between hull years and rig configurations; these are the canonical sloop numbers.
| Length overall (LOA) | 20 ft 0 in |
| Length on deck | 20 ft 0 in |
| Length waterline (LWL) | 18 ft 2 in |
| Beam | 8 ft 0 in |
| Draft | 3 ft 3 in |
| Displacement | 6,000 lb |
| Ballast | 1,800 lb |
| Ballast ratio | 30% |
| Sail area (sloop) | 249 sq ft |
| Mainsail | 125 sq ft |
| Working jib | 124 sq ft |
| Genoa (150%) | 186 sq ft |
| I (foretriangle height) | 23 ft 6 in |
| J (foretriangle base) | 7 ft 7 in |
| P (mainsail luff) | 21 ft 3 in |
| E (mainsail foot) | 11 ft 6 in |
The Flicka 20's weight and sail area are quoted differently from source to source. The figures above are Pacific Seacraft's as-built numbers; here is how they reconcile with the others you may encounter:
Compare these ratios side-by-side against the Dana 24, Falmouth Cutter 22, and Contessa 26 on Keel Index, or open the Flicka 20 entry directly.
| Designer | Bruce Bingham |
| Year designed | 1971 |
| Builder | Pacific Seacraft (Fullerton, CA) |
| Years built | 1978 – 1998 |
| Hulls built | ~400 |
| Hull material | Hand-laid fiberglass with end-grain balsa core (deck) |
| Construction | Full keel, attached rudder, hand-laid GRP |
Every Pacific Seacraft Flicka carries a 12-character Hull Identification Number (HIN) moulded into the transom. The format changed in 1984 to comply with the U.S. Coast Guard's revised standard, so there are two patterns to recognise. If you have any information on Nor'Star Flicka hull numbers, please get in touch.
Example — Flicka hull number one: PCS205000179
| PCS | Manufacturer code assigned to Pacific Seacraft. |
| 20 | Two-digit hull length in feet. |
| 500 | Three-digit sequential hull number. |
| 0179 | Month and year of manufacture — here, 01/1979 (January 1979). |
Example: PCS20500A191
| PCS | Manufacturer code assigned to Pacific Seacraft. |
| 20 | Two-digit hull length in feet. |
| 500 | Three-digit sequential hull number. |
| A1 | Letter = month of manufacture (see table); digit = last digit of model year. Here A1 = January, model year ending in 1. |
| 91 | Two-digit calendar year of manufacture — 1991. |
The single-letter month code used in the post-1984 HIN.
The Flicka 20 draws 3 ft 3 in (0.99 m) on its full keel — shallow for a heavy-displacement bluewater boat, which helps it explore thin water and dry out upright against a wall.
Displacement is about 6,000 lb (2,722 kg), of which roughly 1,800 lb (816 kg) is encapsulated lead ballast — a 30% ballast ratio that gives the boat its stiff, sea-kindly feel.
The Flicka 20 has about 5 ft 11 in of standing headroom below — exceptional for a 20-foot boat, and one of the reasons it feels far larger inside than its length suggests.
Yes. With a capsize screening formula of 1.66 (below the 2.0 bluewater threshold), a heavy displacement/length ratio of 447, a full keel and 1,800 lb of encapsulated ballast, the Bruce Bingham–designed Flicka 20 was built for offshore work. Many have crossed oceans, including California to Hawaii and beyond.
Within limits. Its 8 ft beam is legal road width, but at roughly 6,000 lb plus trailer and with a fixed keel it needs a heavy-duty trailer and a capable tow vehicle. See the trailers article for owner setups. It is trailerable for relocation, not a light launch-and-retrieve trailer-sailer.
About 400 Flicka 20s were built, the majority by Pacific Seacraft between 1978 and roughly 2000, with earlier hulls produced by Nor’Star and as owner-completed kits from Bruce Bingham’s original 1971 design.