classic 26 sailboat

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26’ FRANCES. A small double-ended cruiser.

HULL NUMBER 1 of the Frances design, built by Tom Morris in 1975. It had a custom tall, double spreader sailplan, no pulpits, and beautiful sails, for racing.

LALUZ. A flush decked Frances that has sailed more than halfway around the world.

THE TALL RIG boosted performance in light airs, but required a reef much sooner when the wind piped up. The majority of FRANCESes had a short house so you could stand up in them.

The second FRANCES was fractional sloop rigged with a self-tending jib. The first few FRANCESes were flush decked like this. When a short house was added with full headroom (if one was less than six feet tall), and more efficient sailplans were designed, interest in the boat blossomed. Before all was said and done, more than 200 yachts were built to this design.

ORIGINAL FRANCES DIMENSIONS

LOA: 25′  10″

LWL: 21′  3″

BEAM: 8′  4″

DRAFT: 3’  10″ (NOW 4′-1″)

DISPLACEMENT, as built: 6,800 lbs Full load 7300 lbs (approx)

BALLAST (lead):  3,500  lbs

SAIL AREA (100% foretriangle): 317 to 340  sq ft (varies)

DISPL/L RATIO: 316 – 330 (varies)

SAIL AREA/DISP RATIO: 14.5 to 15.6 (varies)

LA LUZ cruising in the tropics. She sailed from Maine to New Zealand.

The FRANCES is one of recent history’s most admired small cruising designs. Well over 200 of the small yachts are now sailing, and they are well loved wherever they voyage. I decided to design this small but capable cruising boat in 1974. My own boat was flush-decked, and I cruised it from Maine to Rhode Island. Another (LA LUZ) is halfway through a circumnavigation. A third (YANLI) has sailed from England to Australia and then to Hawaii and back to Australia.  Many of the sisterships added a small house for full headroom, and a variety of sailplans have been fitted.

FRANCES es were built in fiberglass by Morris Yachts in America and Victoria Marine in the U.K. Quite a few fine examples were custom built from our plans of cold-moulded wood using the WEST system.

And now, in her dotage, new aspirants are restoring these fine old boats for their own adventures. Sailing the open ocean in such a small boat is borderline foolhardy- though many have successfully crossed oceans. But if you are aware of the discomforts of facing a storm at sea in something of this size, and are aware of the many advantages of a small, manually handleable yacht, the Frances is one of the better alternatives.

The lines of the original FRANCES.

A preliminary sketch for the first FRANCES .

I often ponder what it might be about the FRANCES design that makes it so popular. I think it must be the aesthetics first and foremost.  But the real surprise is how well it sails. Nearly half of her weight is ballast, and it is made of lead. So despite her shallow draft she is reasonably stable and surprisingly fast. Of the various rigs the ones with larger headsails and smaller mainsails proved to be the faster and more weatherly, at the expense of more work trimming, of course. Some of the earlier sailplans were frankly overcanvassed, and a new sailplan, designed in 2020, offers more drive with less heeling,

YOU COULD add a spinnaker, and then you could race her. With a shallow keel and a lot of wetted surface, racing the short-rigged Frances is an exercise in futility. But it’s colorful and if there’s not a lot of windward work, you might just possibly collect silverware.

In the last year I have been contacted by three Frances owners who want to improve their 45-year-old boats, and one who intends to build a new one. The biggest improvement among many small ones is to fit a carbon fiber mast and a new sailplan. This new rig falls about halfway between the old short and tall rigs. It specifies a roller-furler for the jib and a genoa, and a solid vang for the boom, plus a deployable Spectra inner forestay and Solent jib for windier conditions. If you own an old Frances and want to improve it, or can buy one for a reasonable price but are realistic about the significant cost to bring it up to date, contact the designer and invest in a new rig and sails that will significantly improve your boat’s performance, and leave the political craziness and economic uncertainty of life ashore behind.

The original FRANCES hull is pared away in width below the points where the cabin sole needs width and the fairing radius between keel and hull is tight. This is a shape without a lot of form stability, so the FRANCES compensated with an unusually low center of gravity thanks to 3500 pounds of lead ballast.

THE NEWEST SAILPLAN. It uses a carbon fiber mast and simplified rigging with sweptback spreaders, a single aft lower shroud, and larger diameter stainless steel rigging. The offshore or inshore mission of each boat can be addressed by the amount of overlap of the genoa. This particular boat’s owner anticipates heading off on an immediate ocean crossing, so the genoa is of modest overlap and a deployable Spectra stay and Solent jib are available for heavy weather.

I adored my little FRANCES . She was beautiful, well mannered, stable enough, and just plain fun. Her sleek lines cut through resistance like a dreadnaught. Point FRANCES toward a destination and she was unstoppable. Her timeless virtues seem to have disappeared from the modern world. They just don’t build ’em like FRANCES anymore.

LA LUZ had a big genoa so she goes very well in light airs. She spent five years sailing in the South Pacific and ended up in New Zealand.

THE NEW VERSIONS will have a short cabin very similar to this, perched atop the midship raised deck. The perception of space this lends to the interior is quite amazing.

WITH THE SHORT, almost 6-foot headroom house, the interior of a Frances could feel much larger than you’d expect on a 26-foot boat. This is a custom WEST-system boat built in New Zealand.

The Aft Head arrangement for the Frances with one seaberth and a permanent double. (Note: The companionway steps may have to be slid forward depending upon your choice of propulsion).

The Aft Head arrangement for the Frances with two settees, and a large double berth forward. (Note: The companionway steps may have to be slid forward depending upon your choice of propulsion).

The original FRANCES is a highly respected, classic design. She’s comparable in many ways to an MGTD or a J3 Cub. They spewed oil and weren’t very fast by today’s standards, but they were so cute and stylish and safe that owners have enjoyed every minute of their use for decades. The hullform is conventional, heavily ballasted , with no concessions made for speed. It has a CSV (capsize screen value) of 1.70. Anything less than 2.00 is considered a good choice for offshore voyaging.

This design is featured in both of my recent books; MY YACHT DESIGNS and the Lessons they taught me, and THE BOATS I’VE LOVED— 20 Classic Sailboat Designs by Chuck Paine. Both are beautiful, full colored, first class books which give you lots more information on this design, and can be purchased on this website.

QUITE A FEW sailplans have been fitted to a FRANCES. This is one of the “tall rigs”, which could even be raced, and really got the boat going in light to moderate airs, but are too overcanvassed for offshore voyaging.  If your idea is to sail around the world, the more conservative rigs, with a three-foot shorter mast, would require reefing less often.

A British built cutter rigged FRANCES.                                                photo credit Charlie Whiteman

FOR MORE PHOTOS OF LA LUZ , A FLUSH-DECKED FRANCES THAT HAS BEEN SAILED HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD, CLICK HERE:

http://frances26.org/laluz.php

Further information may be obtained from:

CHUCKPAINE.COM LLC Tenants Harbor, Maine 04860-0114

To email Chuck:

[email protected]

A LONG, FUN HISTORY OF THE FRANCES 26 DESIGN

You’ll find great histories of the FRANCES design in both of my books, available as digital downloads from this website. But a recently formed Facebook Group called The Chuck Paine Yacht Designs Fan Club has produced all sorts of photos from owners all over the world, and a few interesting anecdotes. With the benefit of these gifts from the 48-year history of the Frances design, here is a much longer story, told mostly in pictures..

The first of many eventual sailplans had a tall fractional sloop rig with a self-tending jib set on a jibboom. This worked okay before  jib roller-furling became popular, but the boomed jib gave up some potential sail area and the tall mast was heavy and required a lot of rigging with its weight and windage.

THERE I WAS at age 30. Young and ambitious, I’d come up with an idea of what life was about for me. Design a new yacht, build a prototype in my beautiful rented shop, sell it to one of the many emerging fiberglass boatbuilders and do it all over again. With my superb shop full of the finest tools someone else’s money could buy, a pretty girlfriend who looked like she might stick around, and my loyal dog Shep at my feet, what could possibly go wrong?

IN 1973 I had recently quit my job working for Dick Carter as a draftsman. I’d met this girl (now my wife) and decided to take her on a backpacking trip from Scotland to India. I had this idea that when we returned I would take my life savings and design and build a boat. The Westsail 32 had become a life-changing phenomenon for sea-seeking vagabonds, and I figured what the world needed was a smaller, more affordable double-ender.  26 feet was all I could afford so that determined her size. I lucked out and was able to rent this beautiful, heated and insulated shop full of the best woodworking tools for next to nothing. This shows the nearly finished hull upside down in midsummer of 1974, when I met this guy named Tom Morris who was getting started as a boatbuilder and fell in love with the design. We made a handshake deal that he would take a fiberglass mold off my hull, invest in a lot more tooling and a ballast mold, and I would press on and finish my boat in time for me to take it to the Newport Boat Show in September, and we would both become rich and famous. In the end, luck intervened.

AFTER TOM MORRIS had taken his mold off my hull the day came to turn her over.

AS THE SUMMER wore on my boat was nearing completion. Her hull was built using the then popular foam core over stringers method, with a conventional glass covered plywood deck over frames.

WITH MY BOAT NEARLY FINISHED, the shop burned to the ground. Gone were my new boat, my life savings, all my tools, my landlord’s beautiful shop that I had planned to live out my life in, and my newfound livelihood. But I dusted myself off and determined to take the insurance settlement and build another Frances in the Spring.

IN A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE I had met Tom Morris and he had committed to building new Franceses. When he heard about the loss of my boat he offered to sell me a hull from his new mold at cost, and space in his shop in Southwest Harbor in which to complete it. I hired my twin and he moved to Maine to help me get it built. We worked together for six months of intense work and got her finished in time to show her at the 1975 Newport Boat Show. Tom and I sat together on the side deck for four days and sold boats… it was that easy back in the halcyon days of fiberglass boatbuilding.

WHEN CUSTOMERS CAME ALONG who wanted to build a FRANCES of some other material than fiberglass, I would sell them the appropriate plans. Most of these customers hailed from other parts of the world. This one is Tom Thumb , built in Australia.

NUTCRACKER was built in the WEST System by a lady sailmaker from Toronto.

HERE’s NUTCRACKER 46 years after first launched, restored to like-new condition. WEST System cold molded yachts last virtually forever, given a facelift every 50 years or so.

TOM THUMB coming at you. A lot of boat, a lot of ballast, and a lot of wind.

A GUY NAMED DICK CROSS BOUGHT A KITBOAT FROM Tom and hired my brother Art to help him finish it. Art drew a rig with a huge 150% overlap genoa, and in less than ten knots of wind the boat really flew. Like many well-drawn double-enders his boat KARMA could be easily steered by a wind-vane self steerer. Here Dick is having a kip while the boat steers itself happily to windward. Dick was a man’s man. No roller furling on that genoa, and if the breeze got above 10 knots he’d have to wrestle it into submission and hoist a smaller jib. And don’t forget his version had a bowsprit.

IN 2022 I caught up with hull number one of the FRANCES, built by Tom Morris alongside the hull that I was completing in his shop. She’s still going strong. I still remember that her original owner asked me to design a tall double-spreader rig for her so that she could be raced.

TOM MORRIS sent this photo of one of his first builds, BLENKEZOUKER, to most of the European yachting magazines. As a result Bernard Hayman, the then editor of Yachting World in Britain, wrote an embarrassingly favourable editorial, decrying the fact that it took a bloody Yank to design something so beautiful. Four British boatbuilders saw the editorial and heard that it had in the words of Hayman elicited more inquiries to Yachting World than any article in its history, and asked to build it under license. Tom Morris and I chose a young and ambitious entrepreneur, Peter Gregory, and his new company Victoria Marine, to build the Frances in the UK. In a few years he had built more than 150 Franceses is various versions, and commissioned three more Chuck Paine designs to be built at his shop in Warsash at the mouth of the Hamble river. The success of the Frances and my next design for Peter, the Victoria 30 , caught the eye of Charles Maunder at Bowman Yachts in Woolston (Southampton, UK), and in the next few years he built hundreds of yachts to four of my designs.

CHUCK AND DEBBY at their first London Boat Show, 1977.

HERE’S ONE OF the many Franceses at her birthplace Stone Pier Yard in Warsash, UK. Not your typical English weather, but when the sun shines in southern England, it’s glorious.

A CUTTER RIGGED Frances somewhere along the coast of England.  The wobbly perimeter of the sunshade makes me crazy.

THUS BEGAN MANY YEARS of commuting to England to sell boats, and to convince either Peter or Charles Maunder of Bowman Yachts that he needed a new design. I would attend the London Boat Show at Earls Court Exhibition Centre every January, and the Southampton Boat Show every September. In all those years I can’t recall  a Southampton show when the relentless rain that typifies an English summer didn’t cease for the week in September that I had to be at the show

A TYPICAL Southampton Boat Show scene.

DITTO. Was it my sunny disposition that brought the fine weather?

GALAVANT WAS built in New Zealand in wood/epoxy. If you ever get to Christchurch, drive to its seaport Lyttleton and maybe you will find her there.

SOME OF THESE home-built boats were really nicely done. GALAVANT ‘s owner decided to open up the interior by eliminating the usual “main bulkhead”, using a series of hanging knees to provide adequate strength. I like it.

SAME BOAT looking aft

I PARTICULARLY LIKE the cabin sole- nice, light color.

ANOTHER PHOTO OF HER SHAPE.

FELICITY . A British Frances that sailed to Maine.

SOLEIL . Tom Morris owned this one himself for awhile.

A VICTORIA FRANCES. Location unknown. This is the tidy original “British Cutter” rig. Not fast, but it could stand up to much more wind than the tall, racy rigs.

I FOUND YANLI in Bateman’s Bay, Australia. When I encountered her I didn’t know her story. She must have been shipped there on the deck of a freighter, I thought. Nobody would be crazy enough to sail a Frances that distance. Then through the Chuck Paine Yacht Designs Fan Club on Facebook I learned her actual story. A fellow bought her new in Warsash, UK. He financed her. Put down his down payment, hoisted the sails, and that was the last the bank heard from her owner for years. He sailed her south to the Canary Islands, then across to the Caribbean. Then through the Panama Canal. Howcum the bank didn’t have an arrest warrant waiting for her at this obvious choke point I can’t fathom. Then on he sailed to New Zealand. As if that weren’t enough adventure sailing too small a boat on too large an ocean, he then sailed across the Pacific again to the North, to Hawaii. And that is where the bank finally caught up with him. The bank arrested the boat and sold it to an Aussie. Who then sailed it BACK across the Pacific to Australia. Which is how I got to take this photo in Bateman’s Bay Australia three years ago- not looking too bad after the equivalent of sailing around the world!

THE JOYS OF downwind sailing.

INYONI . Needs some bottom paint.

TOM THUMB in Sydney, Australia.

TULA . Someplace in Florida, I think.

FREJA . Location unknown.

A BRITISH BUILT FRANCES, someplace in England..

THE CUSTOM VARNISHED companionway and forward hatch are nice touches.

FELICITY SAILED transatlantic from the UK to Maine. She lives in Rockland, Maine now, a few miles from my home.

WILDWOOD is one of the Tom Morris built beauties.

THIS BRITISH BUILT Frances is trying out her new mainsail.

A HOME-BUILT Frances on turnover day. Location and details unknown.

FELICITY wing and wing.

TOLERANCE . In my dotage I’ve come to find varnished teak railcaps intolerable. I really like the ones that are simply painted white. They’re so much easier to take care of. And if the shape of the design is inherently beautiful, varnished teak is just gilding the lily.

A CLOSEUP OF GALAVANT sailing in Lyttlton Harbour, NZ.

ERICA . I think she’s at Universal Marina on the Hamble river.

GALAVANT Galavanting nicely to windward.

GALAVANT’s colorful reacher.

ONE YEAR PETER GREGORY showed one of his creations in the water at the Southampton Boat Show.

WHIM. Tollesbury, Essex, UK.

WHIM ‘s nice, wide open interior.

SOLEIL’ s Interior

SOLEIL – Morris built Frances

SOLEIL ‘s Galley.

A CUTTER RIGGED FRANCES. Location unknown.

AN ENGLISH FRANCES somewhere in the UK. One reason the Frances sails reasonably well despite the shoal draft is the absence of a garboard radius. The entire keel does its work of preventing leeway- all the way up to where it meets the hull.

A cutter rigged Frances somewhere in the UK.

ELLA is one of the two FRANCESes I am aware of that fitted a gaff rig.

Discovering the classic Contessa 26 Thousand Knights III. VIDEO

My Classic Boat team is out on The Solent with Richard Pickance and crew on his 1978 classic Contessa 26, Thousand Knights III.

Filmed at the Cowes Classic Week, they’ve got on-board interviews and exclusive video of the race start.

If you like it, don’t forget to subscribe to My Classic Boat YouTube channel and you’ll get news of the latest videos from the world’s most watched vintage boat channel.

Copyright, Bob Aylott, myclassicboat.com music The Green Orbs.

About the Contessa 26

The Contessa 26 is a 7.77 meter (25.6 ft) fiberglass monohull sailboat, brought about when Jeremy Rogers, with a background in traditional wooden boatbuilding along with one of his Folkboat customers, David Sadler, created a modified version of the same boat in GRP. Rigged as a masthead sloop, with a deep keel and a hull-mounted rudder, the sailboat was launched in 1966 and early boats proved to be very successful racers, including long-distance events. Jeremy Rogers Limited went on to produce the Contessa 32.

The design characteristics of the Contessa 26 comes from the Nordic Folkboat which was conceived by the Royal Gothenburg Sailing Club in 1939 as a new one design class for the masses which would provide more accommodation for the cruising family than the traditional Dragon Class. This idea effectively spawned a competition organised by the Swedish Sailing Association in 1940 that attracted 58 entries. Choosing one winner proved difficult so the final design was effectively decided by committee and Tord Sundén was commissioned to draw a boat based upon designs from Sweden’s Jac Iversen and Denmark’s Kned Olsen.

Sometimes named the VW of the seas, the Folkboat concept was the same as Porsche’s Volkswagen: to make a car/boat that was appealing across a wide section of society. In 1942 the Folkboat was as much a creation of the century of the common man as the bicycle. It’s one of the most popular designs of all time and Loibner says there are more than 4,000 still around. With her graceful lines, acutely raked transom and easily handled rig, she proved almost as fast as a Dragon, and considerably more seaworthy.

Beneteau Introduces the New First 30… the Planing Cruiser

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COLUMBIA 26 Classic on Westcoast for 2022 Purchase

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I am looking for a Columbia 26 or similar design for liveaboard on the westcoast of British Columbia. I would travel as far as California to get into one if I absolutely must, maybe even as far Baja if I had to, to get into the right boat. The Columbia 26 classic and the Bayfield 29 really stand out to me as ideal for an eventual circumnavigation. If Matt Rutherford can do what he did within 5 years of learning, then surely I can learn on a Columbia 26 for a few years and get to Tahiti by 2030. Pretty simple goal. I am interested in learning about other boats from experienced owners and past owners of Bluewater Capable boats like these 2 mentioned above. Bayfield is seriously underrated but they are so rare on the westcoast of North America. The Columbia 26 seems ideal for security of outboard and security of not having to rely on an inboard on a 40-50 year old classic plastic as these are known. Pearson Triton 28 would not work for me as I am over 6'1, the Columbia 24 I think is the smallest I could go, I hear some of the Columbia 24's are nice like the Challenger and maybe have more headroom for a taller person like me? Been all over the world budget travelling. To learn to sail and find the exact boat I need for long-term ambitions while be affordable to get into in 2022. Anyone looking to move on from their fin keel Columbia 24/26 in the coming year or 2 years??? If you are on the westcoast, please contact me as I need the Columbia 26 design as to not bonk my head too hard on the way to French Polynesia by 2030!!! A simple goal compared to Matt Rutherford!! INTERESTED IN ALL INSIGHT INTO WHAT COLUMBIA fits me well!! I am sort of built like a small defensive lineman, 6'3" 280lbs, so Columbia 24 with 5'9" headroom is tough. Better toilet in the Columbia 26 one I can maybe fit in, but just barely. COLUMBIA YACHTS RULE!!!! seem well designed compared to most others. LEAD THE WAY, as they say. Looking to do so on the water though.  

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The Columbia 26 was a lightly built, value engineered, coastal cruiser (Think Hunter, Catalina or Beneteau only built by a financially struggling, fledgling company cutting any corner that the could because it was before there were published standards and that boat is now 50 years old)..Columbias of that era were thrown together cheaply and aimed at a price point. From a naval architecture standpoint, Columbia took a half way decent 24 footer and extended its length in ways that are not a good thing from a motion comfort and seaworthiness standpoint. Arguably., if you are a super sailor and dump a ton into beefing the boat it up, iA Columbia 26 might make a pretty mediocre choice for long distance passage making. In stock form, it does not have the carrying capacity, deck plan, internal structure, quality of glasswork, or an interior layout that would normally be considered acceptable for such a long passage. But as you note, skilled sailors have gotten by with less suitable designs, Then again, a lot people who have bought the wrong boat, and underestimated what the sea can throw at them have disappeared at sea or needed to be rescued. To quote Dirty Harry, I guess the question to your question is "how lucky do you feel?" Jeff  

That is top notch info, Jeff. Wow. I emailed the Dutch manufacturers of the MIDGET 26, and asked them if I could pay off about boat over 5 years for pick up in 2026. I hope they would consider this option for me. What Bluewater Boats would you consider to be safe for someone on a budget? I like the Bayfield 29 for the spacious head, but that's the main draw for me. I don't have the experience and understanding like you do. I am westcoast shopping, so no Cape Dory options over here, no MicMac 26, that looks pretty super that one too. Pearson Vanguard 32 is a boat I like, but it's so slow. Maybe it is very safe and early to late 60's Pearson hulls are as thick as the old wooden boats. I don't want my prop caught in any netting or ****, rudder with skeg is smart if I am saying this properly. Westcoast of North America is very limited for Bluewater Boats compared to the Great Lakes and Eastcoast. A Nordica 20 very cheap but a solid as can be hull? Maybe 19.5 feet to circle the pacific 3 times in my lifetime is possible as a goal. MIDGET 26 of that same Nordica/Midget/Halman 20 design wow if anyone has not seen the MIDGET 20, MIDGET 26 and MIDGET 30/31, trust me, look up the interior and be amazed. WOW For westcoast, looks like a CAL 27, 2-27, Crown 28, all from the same hull, Columbia 24, maybe not the 26, as you scared me off. Columbia 29 & 30 are possible? Maybe not the best manufacturer then. MS FRASER 30 care common in Vancouver, but if I can get a new boat and pay it off before i have it from MIDGET's manufacturer?? Better to go new if I can then, eh? What boats are westcoast common for Bluewater strong? PEARSON ELECTRA 22 seems strong to take on Bluewater and would be faster than most. Self bailing cockpit? Not sure if it has. Older is better for these classic plastic I have heard. Triton 28 PEARSON? Maybe an option westcoast common but old.  

Even better would be an Ericson Independence.  

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Beam:  15'2'    Draft:  5'6'     Beam:  16'    Draft:  8'     Beam:  10'2'    Draft:  8'4'     Beam:  10'    Draft:  2'     Beam:  5'9'    Draft:  3'5'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  1' © 2001-2024 ./)   . . ./)   . . International Network About Harris & Ellis Yachts Testimonials Newsletter Signup Iconic Yachts NINE LIVES | 1983 Nonsuch 26 Classic Longueuil, qc, ca. The Mark Ellis designed Nonsuch 26 has been very popular since its introduction 1982. All boats of this type were constructed by the highly respected Hinterhoeller Yachts Ltd located in St. Catherines, Ontario. They offer a spacious interior which is not surprising given their beam of 10 feet and 6 inches. The boat sleeps 4 adults very comfortably and it is officially designed for 6 persons. Standing room is well above 6 feet throughout the cabin. The NS 26 is a remarkably stable boat. It is very easy to sail, even singlehanded under rough weather conditions. All NS 26s have 7 opening ports with 3 in the salon, 1 in the galley, 1 in the head, and 1 in each of the two quarterberths. Even by themselves they would allow for very good aeration and yet they are accompanied by a skylight of tinted Plexiglas. Currently, her home port is in Longueuil, Quebec and she has always been sailed in fresh water. She has a fin keel with a draft of 4 feet and 6 inches. She has 2 batteries, the preferred 21 hp Westerbeke diesel engine and is equipped with a full cockpit enclosure and custom swim platform. She has been continually upgraded and primarily used for local cruising. Specifications Length: 26ft Builder: Hinterhoeller Yachts Ltd. (CAN) Beam: 10' 6" Draft: 4' 6" Displacement: 8500 lbs Hull: Fiberglass Status: Active View Full Details Designer: Mark Ellis Keel: Fin Keel MEASUREMENTS Length Overall: 26 ft Length Waterline: 24.42 ft Max Draft: 4' 6" Displacement: 8500 lb Ballast Weight Measure: 2750 lb Cabin Head room measure: 6' 2" Beam Measure: 10' 6" Total Power: 21 Engine Brand: Westerbeke Year Built: 1983 Engine Model: 2-Cylinder Engine Type: Inboard Engine/Fuel Type: Diesel Engine Hours: 1700 Engine Power: 21 hp Fresh Water Tanks: 1 (50 Gallons) Fuel Tanks: 1 (24 Gallons) Accommodations Number of cabins: 1 Number of heads: 1 General Equipment Anchor 1: 9 kg Vulcan Anchor 2: 5 kg Bruce Anchor Chain: 30 feet Anchor Rode: 200 feet Batteries: 2 x 12v house and 1 x 12v starter Battery Charger: 40 amps Battery Parallel Switch Battery Selector Switch Bilge Blower Bilge Pumps: 1 Manual Bilge Pumps: 1 Electric Alternator Info: High Output Boarding Ladder Cabin Curtains and Blinds Clock and Barometer Cockpit Table Storage Cradle Head: Composting toilet Hot Water Heater: 6 gal water heater – Electric and Engine Loop Pressured Water Screens on Hatches and Ports Shore Power Inlets: 1 Shore Power Amps: 30 amps Shore Power Cord Length: 2 x 30 feet Swim Platform Survey Year: 2021 Teak and Holly Cabin Sole 12-volt Refrigerator with Freezer 2-burner Propane Stove Safety Equipment Carbon Monoxide Detector Fire Extinguishers: 2 Fume Detector Life Jackets: 4 Searchlight: Handheld Electronics Auto Pilot: Autohelm 3000 Chart-Plotter: Raymarine Compass: Ritchie on Binnacle Depth Sounder: Raymarine ST60 Knot Meter: Raymarine ST60 AM/FM/CD Stereo: JVC VHF with DSC: Standard Horizon VHF Handheld Canvas Info Colour: Tan Mainsail Cover Cockpit Enclosure Cockpit Cushions Winter Cover Sails and Rigging Keel Type: Fin Rig: Wishbone Spar Material: Aluminum Mainsail: In good condition Back Stay Adjuster Topping Lift Winches Self-Tailing: 1 Winch Handles: 2 Wheel Steering The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice. NINE LIVES | Nonsuch 26 Classic 26ft Cad$ 29,500. Grant and Pat Bowlby   Mobile: 613-331-5944 Request More Information Nonsuch 26 Classic Broker: Grant and Pat Bowlby 613-331-5944 Or send us a message about this boat Share this Boat  More Information Featured Listings Bayliner 3270 Motoryacht Brockville, ON CAD$ 36,000 Northern 37 Ketch Bayfield, ON CAD$ 40,000 President 43 Double Cabin Motoryacht Gananoque, ON CAD$ 69,900 Alberg 29 Sloop C&C 29 MkII Sloop CAD$ 27,500 Nonsuch 30 ULTRA Midland, ON CAD$ 63,000 Our Latest from Instagram Lake Ontario and... Dave Harris 416-562-4856 [email protected] Thousand Islands, Rideau Waterway and Eastern Ontario 613-331-5944 [email protected] Georgian Bay Ewan Campbell 705-529-9433 [email protected] South Western Ontario George Ayers 226-932-6974 [email protected] Lake Simcoe, Toronto and the GTA John Heintzman 416-435-5029 [email protected] Western Georgian Bay and Bruce Peninsula 226-791-2881 [email protected] Southwestern Ontario 519-751-9656 [email protected] © 2024 Harris & Ellis Yachts. All Rights Reserved Classic 260 Our smallest Classic tender Our smallest Classic tender. This compact model can carry 4 people, making it ideal for short trips. Agile & strong offering a 360kg payload whilst remaining lightweight & super manageable.   Key Features Specifications Overall Length Internal Length Overall Width Internal Width Tube Diameter # of Air Chambers Maximum Load Maximum People Boat only Weight Engine Shaft Design Category Package size for boat (l x w x h) 220 x 105 x 43.8cm 7'3" x 3'6" x 1'5", standard features. ORCA® Hypalon or PVC tube Flush mount non-return valves High tensile chromated & powder coated aluminum hull Bow locker (Fit 24L fuel tank) Integrated transom supports Lifting points and towing eyes Heavy duty rubbing strake Bow cushion Welded seams (PVC) Removable seat Tow bridle points Brushed foam teak finish deck Full length keel guard Tank strap kit Under seat bag Highfield dry bag Foot pump, oars, repair kit Optional Equipment FRP Bow Step Molded bow cleat We sailed around the world and we couldn’t be happier of our decision with the dinghy! It has been by far the best companion for our circumnavigation. Amazing quality, durability and must of all safety and fun! Thank you Highfield Sailing Vessel Maroro (@sv.maroro) Adventure Locker Vendee globe, are you ready to explore, our partners. Classic 290 Classic 310 Classic 340 Classic 360 Classic 380 Classic 400 Classic 420 Classic 460 115 IMAGES 1992 Classic yachts Classic 26 Cruiser for sale 1979 Contessa 26ft Sail Boat For Sale 1999 Classic Yacht Classic 26 MacGregor 26 classic, 1988, Chula Vista (San Diego), California BayCruiser 26 CLASSIC 26 VIDEO "Gust Adjust" Jens for the Sunfish Sailboat S5EP7//Seamanship: Picking Up a Mooring Singlehanded Under Sail Vela One Meter Sailboat The lady hawkeye (ranger 26 sailboat) Swallow Yachts BayCruiser 26 Launch My 1972 Pearson 26 sailboat COMMENTS Classic 26 The Classic 26 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim.It has a masthead sloop rig, a raked stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel.It displaces 3,900 lb (1,769 kg) and carries 1,500 lb (680 kg) of ballast. [1] [2]The boat has a draft of 4.30 ft (1.31 m) with the standard keel and is normally fitted with a ... CLASSIC 26 A boat with a BN of 1.6 or greater is a boat that will be reefed often in offshore cruising. Derek Harvey, "Multihulls for Cruising and Racing", International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1991, states that a BN of 1 is generally accepted as the dividing line between so-called slow and fast multihulls. 26' Hinterhoeller Yachts Nonsuch 26 Classic New York. $35,000. Description: For Sale: 1982 Nonsuch 26-Foot Classic Sailboat - Hull #42. Step aboard one of the strongest and most reliable sailboats ever built by Hinterhoeller Yachts. This 1982 Nonsuch 26, hull number 42, is a timeless classic known for its robust build, ease of handling, and exceptional sailing performance. Review of Classic 26 The Classic 26 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel. The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.31 - 1.41 meter (4.30 - 4.60 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below. Classic 26 Classic 26 is a 25′ 9″ / 7.9 m monohull sailboat designed by W. Shad Turner and built by Classic Yachts Inc. starting in 1991. ... The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more. Formula. D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³ D: Displacement of the boat in pounds. LWL ... Sailing Lake Champain I have been sailing Lake Champlain for 8 years and love every minute of it. I have a Classic 26" made in 1993 by Classic Yachts, Inc. (now out of business). There were only about 40+ of these boats made. I would be very interested from hearing from any of the other owners, especially about upgrades. additions, repairs to their boats, inboard ... Classic 26 The Classic 26 is a 25.75ft masthead sloop designed by W. Shad Turner and built in fiberglass by Classic Yachts Inc. (USA) since 1991. 41 units have been built. The Classic 26 is a light sailboat which is a good performer. It is stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a day-boat. Nonsuch 26 boats for sale US$39,000. Yachts360 | Wilmington, North Carolina. <. 1. >. * Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price. Boats Group does not guarantee the accuracy of conversion rates and rates may differ than those provided by financial institutions at the time of transaction. Nonsuch 26 By Condition. Owner's Review of the MacGregor 26 Sailboat Models It can be a safe or dangerous sailboat, depending on how it is sailed. ... Together, the 26D and 26S are often called the "classic" MacGregor 26, and sometimes the 26C. Owners of these earlier models tend to refer to them as "the real sailboats" prior to the changes coming with the MacGregor 26X. The MacGregor 26X, 1996 to 2004, marked a major ... Regulator Classic 26 boats for sale The starting price is $67,500, the most expensive is $115,000, and the average price of $89,950. Related boats include the following models: 28, 31 and 34. Boat Trader works with thousands of boat dealers and brokers to bring you one of the largest collections of Regulator Classic 26 boats on the market. You can also browse boat dealers to find ... CLASSIC 26 Blue Water Surf Value Rank (BWSVR) 6198. Capsize Comfort Value Rank (CCVR) Classic 26 Sailboat Boats for sale In the water and sail ready in Marina Del Rey. This boat is a Must see A Deal At $3,500 Slip Transferable, if you want it. (upon qualification) Come have a look Must come see, if you are looking at getting into sailing cheep!. 6 new and used Classic 26 Sailboat boats for sale at smartmarineguide.com. MacGregor 26 Classic Sails MacGregor 26 Classic (S and D) Mainsails, Headsails and Downwind Sails for MacGregor 26 Sailboats in-stock and ready to ship. Rig Dimension Provided By Sailboat Data. I: 22.0ft. J: 9.67 ft. Foresail Area: 106.4 ft 2. Classic Yachts Classic 26 Join Date: Mar 2017. Location: Redondo Beach, CA. Boat: Classic Yachts / Classic 26. Posts: 7. Classic Yachts Classic 26. So besides what's on Saildata.com and mentions of being similar to a Laguna 26, THERES NOTHING OUT THERE ABOUT MY BOAT?! No forum, no parts guy (I.e. Catalina Direct), no Owners Group for a Classic 26. 26' FRANCES. A small double-ended cruiser. WITH THE SHORT, almost 6-foot headroom house, the interior of a Frances could feel much larger than you'd expect on a 26-foot boat. This is a custom WEST-system boat built in New Zealand. ... MY YACHT DESIGNS and the Lessons they taught me, and THE BOATS I'VE LOVED— 20 Classic Sailboat Designs by Chuck Paine. Both are beautiful, full ... Nonsuch 26 Classic boats for sale Find Nonsuch 26 Classic boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of Nonsuch boats to choose from. ... 1983 Nonsuch 26 Classic. US$22,040. ↓ Price Drop. Sunnybrook Yachts | Chester, Nova Scotia. Request Info; 1985 Nonsuch 26 Classic. US$31,328. Sunnybrook Yachts | West Bay, Nova Scotia. That's why the Contessa 26 is the Sailboat for Elegant Sailors The Contessa 26 is a 7.77 meter (25.6 ft) fiberglass monohull sailboat, brought about when Jeremy Rogers, with a background in traditional wooden boatbuilding along with one of his Folkboat customers, David Sadler, created a modified version of the same boat in GRP. Rigged as a masthead sloop, with a deep keel and a hull-mounted rudder, the ... COLUMBIA 26 Classic on Westcoast for 2022 Purchase The Columbia 26 was a lightly built, value engineered, coastal cruiser (Think Hunter, Catalina or Beneteau only built by a financially struggling, fledgling company cutting any corner that the could because it was before there were published standards and that boat is now 50 years old)..Columbias of that era were thrown together cheaply and aimed at a price point. Sail Antique And Classic boats for sale 2003 Hank Hinckley Great Harbor 26. US$99,500. United Yacht Sales - New Jersey | Tuckerton, New Jersey. Request Info; New Arrival; 1974 Formosa Cruising Ketch. US$95,000. ... According to the antique and classic boat society, antique boats are any boats built between 1919 and 1942, while classic boats are any boats built between 1943 and 1975. ... Classic sailboats for sale by owner. Classic used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. Avoid Fraud. ... 26' Hinterhoeller Yachts Nonsuch 26 Classic New York City, New York Asking $35,000. 25' TPI Freedom 25 Somerset, Massachusetts Asking $5,000. 34' Sabre 34 MK1 Norwalk, Connecticut Antique and Classic Sailboats for sale Find antique and classic sailboats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader! ... 2003 Hank Hinckley Great Harbor 26. $99,500. Tuckerton, NJ 08087 | United Yacht Sales - New Jersey. Request Info; 1934 Jensen Custom 60 Converted Danish Fishing Ketch. $155,000. Nonsuch 26 Classic The boat sleeps 4 adults very comfortably and it is officially designed for 6 persons. Standing room is well above 6 feet throughout the cabin. The NS 26 is a remarkably stable boat. It is very easy to sail, even singlehanded under rough weather conditions. All NS 26s have 7 opening ports with 3 in the salon, 1 in the galley, 1 in the head, and ... Regulator 26 Classic boats for sale Regulator 26 classic. A powerboat built by Regulator, the 26 classic is a center console vessel. Regulator 26 classic boats are typically used for day-cruising, freshwater-fishing and saltwater-fishing. These boats were built with a fiberglass deep-vee; usually with an outboard-4s and available in Gas. Classic 260 Tender Boat Classic 260 Open RIB Tender - 8'6" length. The perfect combination of lightweight and usability in a small open tender boat by Highfield Aluminum Boats catamaran gulet powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht