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Responsive and Fun for All Sailors

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Fast Round-the-Buoy Racer

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Superb for Teaching Sailing!

The colgate 26 – a sailboat for all reasons, boat show special.

6338 Presidential Court, #201 Fort Myers, Florida 33919 +1.239.985-7505

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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.

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EMBARK ON AN ADVENTURE

Experience your grand adventure in the Regal 26 Express, a vessel that embodies superior comfort and function from top to bottom. With the seemingly-unlimited versatility of the cockpit seating and a generous salon—complete with an entertainment center and full-sized aft berth—this bold cruiser has it all.

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Layout and Seating

Lay down the backrest, get comfortable, and soak in the rays on the large sunlounge.

Face-To-Face Seating

Comfortably seat five in the face-to-face seating and enjoy spending time with those that love being on the water as much as you do.

Social Seating

Face forward or aft with a flip of the backrest.

ONE-OF-A-KIND SALON

Regal's uniquely shaped salon provides the most-in-class space with an expansive seating layout and berth for overnight stays.

The cabin's galley features an optional electric stove and refrigerator, a stainless steel sink, and plenty of storage for everything you need to entertain your guests.

SPACIOUS MID-CABIN

Featuring a comfortable double berth, the mid-cabin is an efficient and spacious use of space below deck.

Differentiating Advantages

Elevate Your boating experience with a PowerTower, which lowers with the touch of a button.

Integrated Foredeck Steps

Steps are integrated into your cabin door for easy access to your foredeck, which can be equipped with a sunpad.

Power of Choice

Choose your power.

Like the layout of the 26 Express, but prefer a different power? When you choose Regal, you get the freedom to match your style with your preferred power.

Outboard: 26 XO

Built for ultimate versatility with details crafted to elevate your boating experience, the 26 XO achieves a higher standard of excellence. With ample space and comfort awaiting you in the cockpit, below, you will find hospitable amenities and accommodations designed to keep you and your guests refreshed and relaxed all day long.

Hull Bottom

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Cockpit Layout

Cabin Layout

26 express specifications.

Standard Features

Cockpit features.

Courtesy Blue LED Lights

Standard blue LED cockpit lights not only provide ambient light to ensure you and your guests can safely maneuver around the boat but also make a statement at the dock.

Foredeck Steps

The foredeck steps are very wide and integrated into the door. Upgraded with Harken bearings, the steps can easily handle the added stress.

Fusion Marine Sound - 4 Cockpit Speakers

The best sound begins with the best equipment. That means four 200 watt Fusion cockpit speakers with an IP65 waterproof rating.

Fusion Stereo Bluetooth

Get the best sound out of the best equipment wirelessly.

Multi-Position Sunlounge

Removable cooler.

The 26 Express and 28 Express features a removable 25 quart Igloo cooler with designated storage that will handle even the thirstiest of crews.

Stainless Drink Holders

Regal's stainless drink holders will last longer than the competitors' plastic ones.

Transom Shower

The transom shower will help keep your boat nice and clean.

Trash Receptacle

A trash receptacle comes standard on every Regal.

Helm Features

12 Volt Accessory Plug

A 12-volt accessory plug is ready at the helm when you need it.

Hand-wrapped Steering Wheel

Regals feature a premium hand-wrapped steering wheel for the utmost comfort and control.

Stainless Binnacle Control with Safety Lanyard

Comfort and safety go hand in hand when at the helm.

Trim Tab Controls

The standard trim tabs give you complete control over your boat even in the roughest of seas.

Hull & Deck Features

The first mate will enjoy the flat foredeck when working the anchor or bow lines.

Anchor Roller

Your next Regal comes standard with an anchor roller and stainless steel guard plate to keep your foredeck free of scratches.

Composite Stringers

Featuring all composite stringers to make the boat stronger and lighter.

Deck Hatch with Privacy Screen

Let the breeze in but keep the bugs out with the deck hatch and screen.

Fast Vent Fuel Fitting

Regal uses stainless whereas others use plastic.

In-Mold Gelcoat Boot Stripe

This superior gel finish will last longer than taped-on vinyl graphics.

Large Engine Hatch

The 26 Express features a large engine hatch that provides plenty of room for service and maintenance.

Limited Lifetime Hull Warranty

Regal offers a Limited Lifetime Hull Warranty.

MarineTred Non-Skid

Diamond MarineTred is incorporated into the mold for a superior finish. It's less abrasive and easier to clean.

Low-To-The-Water Swim Platform

The low-to-the-water swim platform makes enjoying activities in the water easier.

8" Stainless Cleats

Regal features six 8" stainless steel cleats, which won't rust or break over time.

Stainless Deck Hardware

Regals feature upgraded 316-grade stainless hardware.

Stainless Rub Rail

Regal's stainless rub rail not only looks good but also offers added protection.

Stainless Steel Bow Scuff Plate with Lifting Eye

The stainless bow scuff plate protects the gelcoat from trailer chocks and provides for a lifting eye.

Vinyl Ester Barrier Coating

The additional layer of resin coating provides superior protection against hull blistering.

Windshield & Canvas Features

Tinted, tempered and curved windshield.

When you buy a Regal, you know you are buying an un-compromised product. Regals feature a stylish one-piece windshield.

Aft Stateroom Features

Spacious mid-cabin, cabin features.

Fusion Apollo RA670 Marine Stereo

The Fusion radio has full integration for your smart phone via Bluetooth and has AM/FM radio capabilities.

Fusion Marine Sound - 2 Cabin Speakers

Two 200 watt Fusion speakers make the cabin sound like a home theater.

Hull Side Windows

The large hull side picture windows let in an abundance of natural light, making your salon feel like home.

Galley Features

Hand-crafted cabinetry.

The hand-crafted cabinetry looks stunning as you enter the cabin.

Refrigerator

A 4.2 cubic foot refrigerator will store more than enough for your next boating adventure.

Head Features

Toilet paper holder.

Regals feature designated storage for all of your amenities.

Technical & Systems Features

Automatic bilge pump.

The automatic bilge pump takes action before you even realize what is wrong.

Bow Thruster

This transversal propulsion device tremendously increases maneuverability; docking becomes a breeze.

Dual Battery Switch

Regal features a smart battery management system by using one battery for starting and the other for all your electronics. Of course, they are both equally charged via a VSR and can be combined for emergency situations.

Integrated Self Bailing Cockpit System

Keep a clean bilge with all your wash down and rain water draining directly overboard.

NMMA, ABYC, USCG & CE Certified

Regal makes sure that it meets the highest standards of safety in the industry.

SeaStar Electric Steering

There is nothing like fingertip control created by the power steering.

Pressurized Water System

A pressurized water system is standard, complete with sinks, water pump, tank, and a filter.

Weather Resistant Deutsch Connectors

On a Regal, you'll find Deutsch connectors for superior protection and durability.

Performance Reports

26 Express Performance Report - Merc 6.2L 300 B3

26 express performance report - volvo v6 280g5 dp, 26 express performance report - volvo v8 300g5 dpsb, 26x-26xo pdf manual 4-2019.

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26' macgregor sailboats for sale.

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• By Richard Smith
• Updated: January 24, 2014

One of many designs that Gary Mull made for Ranger Yachts, the Ranger 26, conceived to be the ideal compromise between a safe and comfortable on-soundings family cruiser and a competitive racer, reflects much of the art and technology that Mull blended so well in the many boats he designed during his all-too-short career. The Ranger 26 is undeniably fast: One won the 1970 IOR North American Half-Ton Cup.

The 26 is a good-looking boat with a distinctive sheer and a nice balance between freeboard and cabin height—a handsome profile wasn’t sacrificed to standing headroom—and exemplifies the construction techniques of the 1970s.

The hull is laid up by hand, and the balsa-cored deck mates to it on an inward-facing flange along the sheer line. A black-anodized aluminum toerail, fastened with bolts on 6-inch centers, completes the joint. The 1-ton iron fin keel is bolted to the hull and should be inspected periodically because the half-inch galvanized keel bolts have been known to corrode badly.

The Ranger 26 is a masthead sloop. Its deck-stepped mast is supported by upper shrouds, double lowers, a headstay, and a backstay rigged with a tensioning bridle.

At about 12 inches wide, the side decks are on the narrow side. Sailors going forward must take care when negotiating the chainplates and genoa tracks and blocks. An anchor roller wasn’t fitted as standard equipment, so anyone planning on cruising a Ranger 26 would want to consider fitting one that could perhaps also hold an anchor.

The cockpit is a little over 7 feet long and is ample for racing, cruising or socializing. The width between the seats is about right for leg bracing when heeled. Since the boat has no quarter berths, an abundance of stowage space is available under both cockpit seats.

An outboard motor provides propulsion. The transom has a cutout to accept it, but a low bulkhead just forward of the transom keeps water out of the cockpit proper and provides a convenient mounting location for the mainsheet traveler. Steering is by tiller.

The accommodation plan is conventional for this type of boat. A molded-fiberglass pan that forms the base for interior furniture includes berth fronts and platforms, and a padded vinyl headliner extends down the cabin sides. A compartment for a portable toilet and a storage closet separate the V-berth from the saloon. In the saloon, a dinette (that converts to a small double berth) is fitted on the port side, and a settee is fitted to starboard. The small galley consists of a sink to port of the companionway and a two-burner propane stove to starboard. Standing headroom is about 5 feet throughout, and sitting headroom above the seat cushions is more than 3 feet. The cabin trim is teak, and the bulkheads are teak-veneered.

Bandit , the boat I sailed for this review, races with a 130 percent genoa fitted on a Harken furler. In the 8 to 10 knots of wind that day, the boat handled well under the main alone. Once the genoa was unfurled, the boat heeled slightly before quickly accelerating to about 5 knots.

Bandit carries her 40 years lightly because she’s been well maintained. She’s a fine example of a 1970s-era racer/cruiser and is still able to show her transom to many competitors.

The Ranger 26 was built from 1969 to 1976. Depending on condition and equipment, list prices range from $3,000 to $5,800—quite a bargain for the inshore cruising opportunities that the boat offers.

Richard Smith and his wife, Beth, sail their Ericson Cruising 31, Kuma , in the Pacific Northwest. This article first appeared in the December 2013 issue of Cruising World.

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Owner's Review of the MacGregor 26 Sailboat Models

There is some confusion about all of the different MacGregor 26 models and some controversy about their sailing abilities.

The MacGregor 26 evolved after the Venture 22 and the MacGregor 25, which had been built from 1973 to about 1987. The M25 had a weighted centerboard keel like other trailer able sailboats but featured positive flotation, a low price, easy trailer ability and a comfortable interior with an enclosed head (porta-potty). These features carried forward into M26 models and helped make MacGregor one of the bestselling sailboats.

Differences in MacGregor 26 Models

• The MacGregor 26D (daggerboard), built from about 1986 to 1990, introduced water ballast to replace the weighted keel. When the water was drained for trailering, the boat weighed only 1650 lbs, making it even more attractive for towing with a regular automobile. The daggerboard, like a keel, helps prevent the boat from being blown sideways but could be lifted up for shoal water and trailering.
• The MacGregor 26S , 1990 to 1995, replaced the daggerboard with a swing centerboard (which kicks up in an accidental grounding) and made other smaller changes. 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 change from the earlier "classic" M26 models by allowing a relatively huge outboard engine that essentially turned the 26X into a powerboat with a mast. Earlier models typically carried outboards as low as 5 or 6 HP (max. 10 HP), but the 26X now took up to 50 HP. For comparison, many thirty-six foot sailboats of this era, displacing more than five times the M's weight, had inboard engines of 25-30 HP. The water ballast could be drained of power, allowing the M26X to come up on a plane like a speedboat. The outboard well had to be moved to the centerline, with twin rudders to each side, and steering changed from tiller to a small powerboat-type steering wheel. The cabin height was increased for greater room inside and the boat is said to sail less well than the earlier 26.
• The MacGregor 26M (motorsailor), 2005 to present, continued the 26X's trend, now allowing up to a 60 HP outboard. The swing centerboard was replaced with a daggerboard to free up more space below and the second tier of windows was added with standing headroom. The boat is advertised to motor at 24 MPH. In addition to the water ballast, there are 300 lbs of permanent ballast, likely needed for stability with so much windage and the high weight of the engine. At 2550 lbs dry (excluding engine), it now needs stronger vehicle and tow package.

Risks and Precautions

Many traditional sailors joke about MacGregors because of the light fiberglass construction (the hull can "oilcan" flex in places if you push hard against it) and its powerboat characteristics since 1996. Many say it is not a "real sailboat." Most misunderstood, however, is the water ballast that has been a hallmark of all twenty-six models.

The water ballast tank is horizontal and only a foot or so beneath the surface, unlike a vertical ballasted keel or centerboard that extends much deeper. Some have even questioned how water, weighing the same as the water displaced by the boat, can be called ballast at all. The ballast tank has been well engineered, however, and does provide righting moment the same as a keel when the boat heels over, because the weight of water far out from the centerline on the "uphill" side (in the air once heeled over) does pull the boat back down the same as a weighted keel.

This does mean that the boat is more tender, or tippy, initially. A story has been told about a sailor on one edge of the deck who grabbed the mast when the boat heeled, and his own weight pulling on the mast that far above the waterline caused the boat to capsize all the way over. Whether true or not, the story illustrates a common perception of how tender the MacGregor is.

It is true that an M26 with 10 people aboard capsized with two fatalities -- most likely due to uneven distribution of the human weight on the boat.

Safely Sail the Water-Ballast

In normal conditions, however, careful sailors can safely sail the water-ballast M26 by following standard precautions:

• Reef sails when the wind is blowing.
• Maintain good balance with crew weight balanced against heeling.
• Prevent accidental gybes.
• Keep the ballast tank full and well-sealed.
• Maintain steerage control at all times.
• Heave to or take other storm action in high wind or waves.
• Don't drink and sail.

The larger safety issue is that for many owners, the M26 is a "starter boat" and they may not have the experience or knowledge to avoid possible problems in time. The bottom line is that anyone who goes sailing needs to be fully aware of the limitations of their boat and practice all safety guidelines.

Experience With the MacGregor 26S

Having owned and sailed a 26S extensively for three years, it indeed sails fairly well and lives up to its reputation of being a roomy and easily trailered pocket cruiser. This sailboat can meet most budgetary needs and has room enough for a family of three to cruise for up to a week at a time.

It is a light boat, but with sailing experience and caution, trouble in winds to thirty knots can be easily avoided. The fiberglass is thin but you can avoid running into rocks. Thousands of MacGregor owners have had experiences where they thoroughly enjoyed sailing.

Keep in mind that it's a light boat and always take the precautions listed above. For powerboat owners of the 26X and 26M, the boat should be as safe as any powerboat but do not hit a rock or another boat at 24 MPH.

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Video shows moments before superyacht went down in storm off Sicily

Newly released video captures a luxury superyacht being battered by a violent storm before it suddenly sank off Sicily with 22 people aboard Monday.

The grainy images obtained by NBC News and other outlets were recorded on closed-circuit television not far from where the Bayesian was anchored, about a half-mile from the port of Porticello, on Sicily’s northern coast .

The yacht's 250-foot mast, illuminated with lights and lashed by the storm, appears to bend to one side before it finally disappears and is replaced by darkness.

The speed with which a yacht built to handle the roughest seas capsized stunned maritime experts.  

“I can’t remember the last time I read about a vessel going down quickly like that, you know, completely capsizing and going down that quickly, a vessel of that nature, a yacht of that size,” said Stephen Richter of SAR Marine Consulting.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five of the 22 other people who were aboard the 184-foot vessel remain unaccounted for and are believed to be trapped in the Bayesian’s hull, nearly 170 feet underwater.

Officials confirmed Monday that at least one person, the ship’s cook, had died.  

Superyachts like the Bayesian, which had been available for charters at a rate of $215,000 a week, are designed to stay afloat even as they are taking on water to give the people aboard a chance to escape, Richter said. 

“Boats of this size, they’re taking passengers on an excursion or a holiday,” Richter said. “They are not going to put them in situations where it may be dangerous or it may be uncomfortable, so this storm that popped up was obviously an anomaly. These vessels that carry passengers, they’re typically very well-maintained, very well-appointed.”

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the U.K.-registered Bayesian could carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. Its nearly 250-foot mast is the tallest aluminum sailing mast in the world, according to CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters. 

On Tuesday, Italian rescue workers resumed the search for Lynch and the five other passengers still missing: Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife.

“The fear is that the bodies got trapped inside the vessel,” Salvatore Cocina, the head of civil protection in Sicily, told Reuters .

The Bayesian is owned by a firm linked to Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was one of the 15 people rescued Monday after it capsized.

“It’s extremely rare for a boat of this size to sink,” Richter said.

What’s not rare is the kind of storm that sank it , said Simon Boxall, senior lecturer in oceanography at Britain’s University of Southampton.

“People assume the Mediterranean is this rather calm and passive place that never gets storms and always blue skies,” Boxall said. “In fact, you get some quite horrendous storms that are not uncommon at this time of year.”

The president of Italy’s meteorological society has said Monday’s violent storm may have involved a waterspout, essentially a tornado over water, or a downburst, which occurs more frequently but doesn’t involve the rotation of the air.

Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorology Society, also said recent temperatures may have been a factor. 

“The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius [86 Fahrenheit], which is almost 3 degrees more than normal,” Mercalli told Reuters. “This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms.”

The Mediterranean sailing vacation was designed to be a celebration for Lynch, who two months ago was acquitted by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges stemming from the 2011 sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

Prosecutors alleged that Lynch, dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates,” and Autonomy’s vice president for finance, Stephen Chamberlain, had padded the firm’s finances ahead of the sale. Lynch’s lawyers argued that HP was so eager to acquire Autonomy that it failed to adequately check the books .

Lynch had taken Morvill, who was one of his defense attorneys, on the luxury trip. 

Chamberlain was not on the Bayesian.

In what appears to be a tragic coincidence, a car struck and killed Chamberlain on Saturday as he was jogging in a village about 68 miles north of London, local police said.

“Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family,” Chamberlain’s lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, said in a statement .

Henry Austin reported from London and Corky Siemaszko from New York City.

Henry Austin is a senior editor for NBC News Digital based in London.

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.

Local News | LoveBug, 103-foot capsized yacht, raised from…

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Local News | LoveBug, 103-foot capsized yacht, raised from water ahead of towing to New Jersey

Donjon Marine Co., the New Jersey-based firm that has worked to raise the vessel over the last two weeks, plans to begin towing the yacht north through the Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal to the mouth of the Maurice River in New Jersey Tuesday morning, said Steven Newes, the company’s senior vice president.

The salvage team will tow the LoveBug alongside the Farrell 256, a 200-foot crane barge, for safety, as the yacht is a “dead ship,” or a vessel without power, he said. Once it reaches the mouth of the Maurice River, the yacht will be handed over to a smaller vessel for transport to a shipyard along the river. Delivery is anticipated by Wednesday evening although which shipyard the LoveBug will end up at is unclear.

As salvage efforts wrap up, the Coast Guard has established a temporary safety zone for the mouth of West River within 200 yards of the LoveBug. Vessels will not be allowed to enter the zone unless authorized through Aug. 30, according to a notice posted Monday on the Federal Register .

The Farrell 256 and a second crane barge, the 250-foot Columbia NY, have worked to free the yacht from the muddy bottom of the West River. The LoveBug had settled into the mud “quite a bit,” Newes said, complicating efforts to place slings underneath the yacht to lift it.

Salvors’ progress lifting the LoveBug from the shallow waterway could be seen Friday and Saturday as the rear half of the yacht, underwater for weeks, emerged. By Friday evening, the yacht’s name on its transom was visible above the waterline, and by Sunday morning, only a small portion of the deck at the back of the yacht was underwater.

Once the yacht was lifted, salvors found mud inside. The mud needs to be removed to patch the yacht and “render it safely afloat” for towing, Newes said.

Until salvage crews pulled the LoveBug from the water, the yacht had remained aground in the same location between Beverly Beach and Shady Side for almost four weeks. Though the yacht was originally resting on its starboard, or right side, it rolled some prior to salvage beginning.

The Italian-built yacht was sailing south on the Chesapeake Bay from Annapolis on July 27 when it began to tip over. The Coast Guard received a mayday call at 12:36 p.m., but by the time crews arrived, the five people onboard had been rescued by a good Samaritan and a nearby towboat. Paramedics tended to two of the passengers, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, but both declined to be treated.

The LoveBug, which cost between $110,000 and $125,000 to charter for a week, was not operating as a charter when it overturned, said Hunter Dortenzo, a Natural Resources Police spokesperson.

Though VesselFinder, a marine traffic site, indicated the LoveBug is owned by Bees Honey LLC, a limited liability company based in the Marshall Islands, Federal Communications Commission records show otherwise.

The yacht’s shipboard radio station license is registered to Jabulani Charter Florida, a Florida-based limited liability company with a Rockville mailing address. The licensee should be the vessel owner, according to an FCC spokesperson. Efforts to reach the person listed as the licensee were unsuccessful.

The Natural Resources Police and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting separate investigations into what happened to the yacht.

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Sydney sweeney lets it all hang out in racy cutout swimsuit during lake getaway.

Summer isn’t over yet.

Labor Day might be around the corner, but Sydney Sweeney is keeping the sunny vibes going in a cheeky thong suit in her latest Instagram post .

The “Anyone But You” actress, 26, showed off a plunging black swimsuit with pink floral knots at the hips in a photo on her Stories, wearing the same design in a get-ready-with-me Reel she posted using Armani Beauty makeup.

“lakeside with #luminousilk @armanibeauty #armanimakeup” she captioned the post, applying the brand’s Luminous Silk Concealer ($42) before adding some pink to her cheeks using Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint ($39).

Sweeney wore multiple diamond tennis bracelets and a tiny pair of dangling heart earrings as she went on to apply Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Setting Powder ( $69 $59) with a fluffy brush.

The “Euphoria” star finished off the Reel by dabbing some of the same cheek tint on her lips, covering up with a straw hat and aviator sunglasses before puckering her lips at the camera.

Fans were loving her “glowing” look, like one who wrote, “Took me a minute to realize you was doin makeup 😅.”

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“Sydney is the Marilyn Monroe of Gen Z” another fan added.

This isn’t the first time the “White Lotus” star has bared her bottom in a black swimsuit while spending time lakeside; she wore a sporty black wetsuit with a thong bottom on August 16, writing, “i think they call this a thirst trap.”

She’s also a fan of Gooseberry’s $99 plunging black design , which she owns in a whopping three colors .

Cheers to soaking up as much summer as you can, Sydney.

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5th body recovered from Mike Lynch's family yacht off Sicily as questions mount over luxury vessel's sinking

By Anna Matranga

Updated on: August 22, 2024 / 10:48 AM EDT / CBS News

Rome — Divers recovered the body of a fifth victim of the Bayesian superyacht wreck Thursday morning, Sicily Civil Protection Chief Salvo Cocina confirmed to CBS News, and the Reuters news agency cited Italian Interior Ministry official Massimo Mariani as saying it was the body of Mike Lynch, the British tech magnate whose wife owned the vessel.

Italian Coast Guard spokesperson Vincenzo Zagarola told CBS News that teams were still working to recover the body of the sixth and final person left missing when the boat went down. The six bodies had remained stuck inside the 184-foot luxury yacht for days after it sank early Monday morning off the coast of Palermo, Sicily in a severe thunderstorm.

Four bodies were retrieved Wednesday from the Bayesian, which was resting on the seafloor at a 90 degree angle at a depth of over 160 feet. The vessel's position and items that moved around inside the ill-fated yacht made recovery efforts slow and hazardous.

Italian authorities have not officially identified the remains recovered from the Bayesian, which belonged to Lynch's wife Angela Bacares. She was among the 15 people who managed to escape from the boat as it sank quickly on Monday morning, but Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among those left missing.

Another victim, the Bayesian superyacht's chef, was found dead soon after the boat capsized. 

Along with Lynch and his daughter, the technology mogul's American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, and British banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, were believed to have been trapped in the yacht when it sank.

Questions as to how the state-of-the-art boat could have gone down so quickly have mounted steadily since the accident. 

Italian media were reporting Thursday that, after questioning survivors and witnesses, Italian prosecutors had opened an official investigation into a possible "culpable shipwreck." No individuals had been named as potential suspects.

On Thursday, Giovanni Costantino, head of the Italian Sea Group, which owns the company Perini Navi, which built the Bayesian in 2008, blamed human error.

"A Perini ship resisted Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 [hurricane]. Does it seem to you that it can't resist a tornado from here?" he remarked to the newspaper Corriere della Sera. "It is good practice when the ship is at anchor to have a guard on the bridge, and if there was one he could not have failed to see the storm coming. Instead, it took on water with the guests still in the cabin. ... They ended up in a trap, those poor people ended up like mice."

One possible factor could have been that the ship's keel — a fin-like structure that sticks out from the bottom of the boat, designed to provide stability and counterweight to the huge mast — was not fully deployed. The yacht had a retractable keel that could be raised for entry into shallow harbors. But a raised keel at sea would have made the ship much more vulnerable to instability in the strong winds that struck early Monday morning.

When asked whether divers had seen the ship's keel in a raised position, a spokesman for the Italian Coast Guard told CBS News that only the prosecutor investigating the incident could confirm such information but that the Coast Guard "was not denying" it. 

The ship's captain, 51-year-old New Zealand national James Cutfileld, was questioned for two hours by prosecutors on Thursday, according to Italian media.

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• Sailboat Reviews

This C. Raymond Hunt design from the 1970’s has standing room and ample beam, making her a roomy family coastal cruiser. Our criticisms are few, the most serious of which is the iron keel.

Paceship Yachts was originally a Canadian boatbuilder, located in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Later, it was bought by US conglomerate AMF in 1977 and based in Waterbury, Connecticut. AMF had already seen promise in the marine industry, having bought Alcort (Minifish, Sailfish, Sunfish, Super Sunfish, Force 5, etc.) in 1969.

But like most big companies focused more on the bottom line than on the romance of sailing and the sea, the labor intensive nature of building fiberglass boats proved resistant to the efforts of industrial efficiency experts who tried to speed up the production process and simplify assemblies. And, boat sales, because they are discretionary purchases, proved particularly vulnerable to the up and down swings of the economy. When Irwin Jacobs, head of the marine conglomerate Genmar (formerly Minstar) bought AMF (for its powerboat companies), Alcort was sold off and in 1981 the PY26 molds were sold to Tanzer in Canada where it was sold as the Tanzer 27, with a deck-stepped mast.

The first Paceships were built about 1963 and included a 16-foot daysailer, the East Wind 24 cruiser, and the Paceship 32, formerly the Bill Tripp-designed Galaxy, first built by American Boatbuilding in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. In 1965, the McVay 20 Cruisette was added and the following year the company introduced the 30-foot Acadian yawl. The Northwind 29 appeared about 1970, and in 1973 Britton Chance designed the Chance 32/28, a racer, for Paceship.

The first of the company’s two popular trailer sailers, the PY23, was offered in 1974. Designed by John Deknatel of C. Raymond Hunt Associates, it sold very well. Interest was sufficient to prompt the company to try a larger, similar looking version, the PY26, also designed by Deknatel. Production ended around 1980.

The Design The PY26 was first offered with a fin keel drawing 4′ 6″. Unfortunately, this was cast iron instead of lead. In 1979, just before production ceased, a centerboard version was made available; draft with board up was 2′ 7″ and 6′ 7″ with the board down. Like the smaller PY23, the board pivots from a ballasted stub keel external to the hull, an arrangement we like for trailerable boats.

Though the PY26 centerboard version is theoretically trailerable, its 9′ 6″ beam exceeds standard highway limits, and its 6,900 lb. displacement would require a substantial towing vehicle.

The canoe body (hull without appendages) is relatively shallow. The PY26’s displacement/length ratio ranges between 227 to 250, depending on which displacement figure is used (early brochures show 5,800 lbs., 6,000 lbs. and 6,400 lbs. for the keel model). The wide beam gives the boat good initial stability and the 2,200 lbs. of ballast in the 4′ 6″ keel will provide adequate ultimate stability.

The rudder is mounted outboard on the transom, which may seem a bit unusual for this size boat, but this location provides good control and certainly is easier to inspect and maintain than an inboard spade rudder.

The sloop rig gives the boat a modest 15.7 sail area/displacement ratio. Surprisingly, the mast is stepped on the keel, which is generally considered to be better than deck-stepped (less likely to break and therefore can be a small, lighter section). This could be thought of as a “big boat” feature.

The cockpit coaming is high and provides good back support. Deknatel liked to bring the coaming up and into the cabin to either side of the companionway. He did this with several of his designs for O’Day as well, so those boats (O’Day 23, etc.) share a common style. The tall coaming forward helps keep water on deck and spray out of the cockpit and makes for cleaner fitting of a dodger.

There is a nice though conservative rake to the stem and the reverse transom is almost vertical. The sheerline is quite straight, which is both contemporary and maximizes space below. We think the PY26 is a good looking boat that does not appear dated even 20+ years after its inception.

Construction Both the PY23 and PY26 were built with the usual materials of the day—hand-laid fiberglass cloth, mat, woven roving and balsa core. The interior is built up with a fiberglass pan that forms the cabin sole and berth foundations. Overhead, a one-piece fiberglass headliner finishes off the underside of the deck. Bulkheads are plywood and the trim is teak. Note that fiberglass headliners preclude the tabbing of the bulkheads to the underside of the deck. Instead, a channel is molded into the headliner into which the bulkhead snugly fits. While perfectly acceptable for local sailing, this arrangement does permit the bulkhead to work as loads on the hull and deck push and pull the two structures.

The rig includes an anodized mast and boom, with stainless steel wire rigging—split backstay (for the tiller), headstay, upper shrouds and single lower shrouds that terminate at the same chainplate. The mainsheet is attached near the end of the boom and leads to a traveler at the aft edge of the bridge deck. This places the mainsheet handy to the crew or helmsman, but can obstruct access to the companionway and interfere with seating forward in the cockpit.

The Canadian-built boats had teak toerails, but this was changed to a slotted aluminum toerail at AMF, a feature popularized by C&C. While the aluminum extrusion may not look quite as nice (and the anodizing may get nicked), it needs no maintenance and the slots are convenient places to shackle snatch blocks for the spinnaker sheets.

As noted above, the keel is cast iron, which, unlike lead, can rust. To protect it, the keel must be coated with epoxy before painting. A primer will be required.

The design and construction of the PY26 seems pretty good, and more than adequate for its intended purpose, which we take to be club racing and coastal cruising.

Accommodations There’s only so much you can do in 26′, but the PY26 has just about all one could expect in this size. There is a V-berth forward and access to a tiny forepeak. A door from the head opens into the forward cabin, so it won’t be possible to fit a V-berth insert without removing the door.

The head compartment extends to both sides of the boat, with the toilet to port (a Porta-Pottie was standard, a Wilcox-Crittenden through-hull toilet optional) and to starboard a small sink and vanity. The saloon has two settees. On the AMF boats, the one to starboard extends through the main bulkhead to provide needed footroom under the head compartment sink. There is stowage behind each backrest. A quarter berth is located aft of the port settee.

The dinette table folds up against the main bulkhead when not in use. Down, there’s space for four place settings.

This leaves a modicum of space for the galley under the bridgedeck, with just enough room for a sink, a generous 125-lb. icebox, two-burner alcohol stove and stowage bins. The stovetop was gimbaled in some models, fixed flush in others. The AMF boats had a slightly different configuration, with an L-shaped galley work space and it is in these boats that the starboard settee was pushed forward under the head compartment sink. The Canadian-built boats did not have the L-shape and so have a conventional starboard settee.

If the boat still has the original fabrics, it is probably time to upgrade them as they will be old and the patterns dated: plaid upholstery and shag carpeting.

The 6′ 1″ of headroom is remarkable for a 26-footer, considering that not many years earlier designers were pressed to give you 5′ 9″, and when they did, the cabin, when viewed in profile, often looked ungainly. The Pearson 26 is a good example of this.

Owners are nearly unanimous in their praise of the interior. As the owner of a 1979 model wrote us, “We cruise Long Island Sound for three weeks with three children, and stay sane!”

Performance Owners completing our Boat Owner’s Questionnaire rate the boat’s upwind and off the wind speed between average and above average. One owner said his boat is “Surprisingly fast for a heavy boat. Have outsailed many 30-footers.” Another said his PY26 “Points very well.”

Several owners had not purchased genoas and noted that with mainsail and lapper performance lagged a bit, as would be expected. It’s always nice to have big sails for light air days. PHRF ratings are between 194 and 207 for the keel model; the centerboard model rates between 207 and 210. This is faster than a Cal 25, Pearson 26 or Catalina 27.

In terms of seaworthiness and stability, owners again feel good about their boats, generally rating the PY26 as above average for these categories. The owner of a 1976 model wrote, “Sailed in over 40-knot winds across deck, 10- to 12-foot waves and she was very secure.”

At the same time, several owners cautioned that this is not an offshore boat. True. In any case, the PY26’s generous beam does provide a good deal of initial stability. Reefing will begin in about 15 knots of wind.

The standard boat was fitted for outboard propulsion, with a transom bracket and gas tank stowage. Typical outboards used range from 7.5-hp. to 9.9-hp. However, most owners responding to our survey have 8-hp. Yanmar diesel inboards. Many of them stated that their boats are underpowered. One said he can cruise at 5.5 knots in gentle conditions, but slows to 3 to 4 knots in heavy chop. Nearly all said they wished they had a 12-hp. diesel. Several also said the engine was loud, though better soundproofing with lead-lined foam should help.

Conclusion It is our impression, and that of our readers, that the PY26 is a wholesome, family cruiser with a lot of interior volume for a 26-footer, as well as a fair turn of speed. Her systems are fairly simple, so upkeep shouldn’t be too much hassle, especially if you have the outboard model. For this type of boat, we prefer an outboard to an inboard for ease of maintenance. An underpowered inboard has almost no redeeming features. The major drawback to the outboard is its tendency to lift out of the water or cavitating when motoring into headseas.

Some boats may not have seacocks on all through-hulls, which should be installed per ABYC (American Boat & Yacht Council) recommendations. And the electrical system is minimal; given its age, it may need upgrading. As with any balsa-cored boat, have a surveyor check for delamination.

We did not pick up any major differences between the Canadian-built and AMF-built boats, so it appears that construction quality was fairly consistent. There are, however, some minor design differences, which we have noted, such as the toerail material and galley shape.

Asking prices we found are consistent with the BUC Used Boat Price Guide and range between $10,000 and $12,500. You can buy a 1970’s-era 26-footer for less; in fact, during our search we found several Pearson 26’ for less than $3,000, but these are probably beat. And, the Pearson 26 is an earlier design without the headroom or beam of the PY26.

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Life-size dinosaurs, a candy store tour and more to do this weekend

Take a road tip to Wiscasset for art, food, car racing and a gargantuan amount of candy.

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One of many dinosaurs that will be at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. Photo courtesy of Jurassic Quest

Make no bones about it, it’s going to be a great weekend, starting with  Jurassic Quest at Cross Insurance Arena . Animatronic dinosaurs will delight the kids, who will also get a kick out of digging for fossils and riding on a baby dino. Another option in our weekly roundup is “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” at the Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick.

‘Beautiful’ at Maine State Music Theatre, Pet Rock in the Park and Jurassic Quest

Some of the candy available at the Granite Hall Store in Round Pond. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

For an even sweeter experience, we’re sending you candy shopping. We’ve shined a light on five shops  with something extra to offer and created a nifty guide of 18 to look you can find  all around southern Maine and the Midcoast. From giant shops like Sweetz & More in Wiscasset to charming places like the Granite Hall Store in Round Pond, there’s a candy shop out there calling your name.

These 5 unique Maine candy stores are a real treat

The Brackett’s Market 4-Cylinder Pros compete Saturday at Wiscasset Speedway. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Should your sweets-seeking adventure bring you to Wiscasset, we clue you into  several other things to do  in town, including car races at the Wiscasset Speedway.

A trip to pretty Wiscasset can also include art, history, speed

Bagel sandwich with eggs, cheese and pork roll from Dutchman’s Wood-Fired Bagels in Brunswick. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

Want to hit breakfast right out of the park? Make your way to Brunswick for an egg and cheese sandwich from Dutchman’s Wood-Fired Bagels . We’re particularly partial to the one with pork roll and bodega sauce. Your taste buds can thank us later.

Pork roll and bodega sauce on a breakfast sandwich? We’re not in Brunswick anymore

Ling-Wen Tsai, “Rising/Sinking Study Chair,” wood and milk paint, 12 x 12 x 5 inches. Photo courtesy of Corey Daniels Gallery

Farther south in Wells, check out “Life Forms,” a women’s sculpture collective at the Corey Daniels Gallery. You’ll see works by about a dozen artists as you make your way through the exhibit.

Women’s sculpture collective debuts work in Wells

U.S. Navy Band Country Current performing in Tennessee. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class April Enos

For some Sunday afternoon live tunes, head to Memorial Park in Freeport at 3 p.m. for a free performance by Country Current . The band is the only U.S. Navy country/bluegrass ensemble, and the show should be a foot-stomping good time.

See U.S. Navy band Country Current for free in Freeport

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