Hawk 20 for Design
A high ballast ratio to give stability rarely permits speed but the hull shape is so efficient and (after exhaustive trials) the balance of the rig so perfect that Hawk will actually plane. Because Hawk is so stiff it sails at only a moderate angle of heel thus retaining power. It has been clocked planing on a reach with two aboard at 12.6 knots. It sails briskly in Force 2 and regularly exceeds its theoretical hull speed in Force 4 or 5 at 6 to 7 knots, and 7 to 8 knots (or even 12 knots planing) in Force 6. At the same time it is a very comfortable, stable boat for pottering single handed in a Force 1 or just parking in the rushes for a snooze. Hawk is exceptionally manoeuvrable under motor because this is in a special inboard closable well, directly in front of the rudder and, being well forward of the transom, there is little chance of cavitation. Considerable time was spent on the development of a well balanced tilt-back road trailer with a perfectly positioned pivot and a multi-roller system with nylon bearings to take the drama and back-ache out of launching and recovery which can be done in minutes wearing ordinary sailing shoes instead of waders or boots, single-handed if necessary, with the trailer brakes and wheel bearings clear of the water. 
Design Features:
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Performance
Hawk 20 is very stiff because of its hull design and ballast ratio. The hull is optimised to provide clean entry, low bow wave, dry sailing in all but the roughest conditions, astonishing stability, and large planing quarters. She planes readily given the breeze and her stability at speed has to be experienced to be believed. She is very easily driven and makes little wake in the whole speed range. Hawk 20 is a fast, modern day boat which sails like a dream: she was clocked planing at 12 knots during the Practical Boat Owner test March 1993. Single handed or with crew she tacks like a Laser, gybes with no fuss, and carries a kite without a tremor. She will sail fully-rigged in Force 6 and feels safer than many a cruiser. But she also eases along smoothly in near calm. The speed is comparable with most 25 footers. Going to windward in a blow, the Hawk 20, does not slam into the waves nor bury her nose: the water curls away as she rides the swell.
Racing
The Hawk 20 is strictly one-design. All boats are built to weigh the same, carry the same rigging and standard sails. No major extra expenditure will be needed. Rule benders will not be able to gain advantage by spending money. For less than half of the cost of an X boat you can race a one-design vessel – and the Hawk is comfortable, buoyant, dry, self-righting, simple and cheap to maintain. Hawk brings you the joy of close racing at low cost, without the disadvantages of wetness and risk of sinking. Have you noticed that a large proportion of cruisers today are used as day-boats but are expensive to berth and maintain; and owners take the better half of each week on the telephone to keep them crewed?
Self-righting
A near 50% ballast ratio ensures that Hawk 20 is fully self-righting. If knocked over a full 90 degrees she will spring back upright without assistance, provided she is left free to do so, without the crew holding onto any part of the boat or rigging. Hawk 20 has the stability of a fin-keeler with all the convenience of a centre-boarder.
Outboard Motor
Hawk 20 is designed to use a 4HP motor which may be left in the down position, tilted up or stowed in ‘midship lockers. The motor can operate on shallow drive whilst steering with Hawk’s own rudder raised for shallow draft. A 5HP motor will also fit if a charging coil is required for log, radio or lights.
Buoyancy
The sealed buoyancy compartments are filled with closed cell foam so that even if holed, the Hawk will float safely. The lockers and stowage compartments provide further water exclusion.
Self-draining
The sole is above the waterline and drains into the self bailer wells and the seats self-drain. If left on a mooring without a cover the Hawk will not need bailing.
Closeable Outboard Well
An outboard motor compartment with closeable well is provided inboard under the stern deck and covered by a hatch. It is possible to tilt the outboard motor up easily without back strain. When the motor is tilted up closure blocks can be dropped into position and secured in seconds, restoring the shape of the hull for efficient sailing.
Unique Centre-Board Keel Design
The pivoting centre-board is lowered and raised by crew or helmsman using a single rope which disappears through the cowling within which the operating tackle is enclosed, making it impossible for fingers, sheets, clothing or children to get snagged. The special design of the centre-board means it can be removed from above, avoiding craneage. The centreboard is made of marine grade aluminium alloy to resist corrosion and will take knocks and bumps far better than a GRP board; it is not a commonplace flat metal plate but a high quality casting, fully aerofoiled for performance.
Minimum Draft
A draft of only 9 inches with centreboard up and a lifting rudder make it quite easy to explore shallow creeks or return to a drying mooring long after the tide has started to ebb.
Ample Dry Locker Space
There are two large lockers, one each side under the seats amidships. In the sealed bulkhead just aft of the mast are two bottom hinged hatches giving access to two more dry lockers for clothes, cameras, sandwiches etc. Under the foredeck there is an enormous stowage locker, accessible through the large foredeck hatch. It will take a folding bicycle or a folded inflatable dinghy or even a toilet.
Quality
Hawk is built to a very high standard. Instead of short fibres of glass sprayed from a gun, Hawk is built from the best glass mats, rovings and cloth, all laid up by hand in a temperature controlled factory by Composite Manufacturing and Design Ltd. The whole hull is laid up with the latest osmosis resistant isophthalic resins, which have lower water absorption even than epoxy resin. The ballast is pure lead, cast to the shape of the hull to place the centre of gravity as low as possible, providing the remarkable stability and self-righting capability.
Mooring Points
For’ard there is a Samson double bollard on the foredeck with two fairleads and a proper stemhead roller whilst aft there is a large cleat on both quarters.
Rig
The modern seven-eights Bermudan rig offers the best combination of power and ease of handling. Nothing beats a Bermudan rig to windward and the big mainsail, 140 sq ft, provides ample off-wind boatspeed even without the optional spinnaker. A big mainsail also allows easy spilling in gusts. An easy-reef system is standard which allows the sail to be reefed using one rope led to a winch. The mainsail can be flattened with clew outhaul and backstay tensioner which are all standard. You will like the way the spinnaker is set and recovered. A stainless steel guide ring mounted on the stem-head leads the spinnaker to and from a thru’ deck chute flush with the foredeck, into a large diameter tube down through the main bulkhead so that the spinnaker can be launched from and recovered into the tube where it stays until needed again. It does not have to be rebagged, nor can it get around the crew’s feet. If water gets into the chute it drains into the self-draining cockpit and NOT into the bilge. The combination of this spinnaker chute and Spiro self-launching pole make it unnecessary to leave the cockpit whether launching or recovering the spinnaker, even when gybing.
Boom Tent
Because Hawk is so comfortable and capable of long passages, many people have expressed interest in having a boom tent and some type of toilet facility to enable them to extend their sailing range. These are available as options.
Trailer/Sailer
Although ideal for permanent moorings because of its self-draining capability, Hawk is perfect for long distance trailing. Our galvanized tilt-back trailer with its multi-roller system allows launching and recovery in minutes without physical strain and without getting the trailer wheels, hubs, brakes, or your feet wet.
Design
There has been a lot of input and experience from the Reid family. Rollo Reid, Technical Director, has sailed most of his life and helmed the Royal Engineers’ Contessa in the 1974 Round Britain Race and other similar long distance events. Peter and Tim Reid, both involved in technical matters within the company, have sailed from the age of 6 and have competed successfully with Lasers and Hurricane and Tornado catamarans (Tim is an ex UK National Hurricane Champion) and Michael Reid has cruised and raced for nearly 40 years. All of them have been involved in developing and testing Hawk 20.