contessa 26 sailboat for sale

• Yacht Listings
• Buyer Seller Resources
• Meet the Team
• Why Use a Yacht Broker?

Homepage » Yacht Listings » 26′ JJ Taylor & Sons Contessa 26 26' JJ Taylor & Sons Contessa 26

Listing No. 4775

Specifications

Price/ $ 22,500

Hull Material/ Fiberglass

Colour/ White

Engine/ 2000

Beam/ 7' 6"

Displacement/ 5,400 lbs

Host Office/ West Vancouver

Location/ Thunderbird Marina

Moorage/ yes

The Contessa 26 became famous when 18-year old Tania Aebi chose one for her single-handed solo circumnavigation in 1985. This well respected vessel has classic lines, low freeboard and design characteristics that carries over from it’s Nordic Folkboat heritage. “Windsong” is a 1976 J.J.Taylor Canadian built version of this popular boat and has been beautifully maintained. A new Yanmar 1GM was installed in 2000 and she has had many upgrades including newer instruments, an upgraded mainsheet traveller system, battery charger, and Garmin GPS. Sail inventory includes a main, furling genoa and spinnaker ready to go for a summer of sailing. Assumable moorage may be available. Please call Sonia Telford at 604-315-7157 for an appointment to view.

See other boats/yachts

53′ carver 530 voyager, 15’4” grand rib 470.

Thunderbird West Vancouver

• Boats for Sale

New and used Contessa 26 boats for sale

• Contessa 26
• United Kingdom

Find your perfect Contessa 26 today. We have Contessa 26 brokers and sellers from around the world at great prices.

Sign up to our newsletter

By submitting this form, you agree to our Privacy & Cookie Policy

Change units of measure

This feature requires cookies to be enabled on your browser.

Show price in:

Show lengths, beam and draft in:

Show displacement or weight in:

Show capacity or volume in:

Show speed in:

Show distance in:

• Login/My Account

Boats for Sale

For sale – caroline iv, 1973 contessa 26.

by nagstevens | Feb 25, 2024 | For Sale , Uncategorized

Caroline IV for sale, Arisaig. Our much-loved Contessa 26 Caroline IV is now for sale. Since buying Caroline in 2008 my wife and I have sailed her extensively on the west coast of Scotland. For example, in 2023 we cruised the Hebrides before heading over to Loch...

For sale: Undine, 1978 Contessa 26

by admin | Jan 14, 2024 | For Sale

Undine, 1978 Contessa 26 sail #307, built by Maclan Marine For Sale – Undine, 1978 Contessa 261978, Maclan Marine built, sail # 307, original light Ivory hull and topside, self-draining cockpit, sprayhood and cockpit tent, Harken jib reefing and furling system, 2 x...

Phoenix for sale

by admin | Nov 10, 2022 | For Sale

RACING CONTESSA 26Phoenix is a 1969 J. Rogers built Contessa 26 capable of winning the iconic GoldRoman Bowl. Converted to a Mk2 with a self-draining cockpit, recent anti-osmosis hull treatment,faired to a racing finish including new external paintwork and racing...

Advertising with the CO26 class association

A number of Contessa 26s trade here each year. Contesssa26.net puts your boat where interested owners are looking. If you would like to advertise, contact us here: [email protected] .

CALL +44 (0)2088781707

< Boats for Sale

CONTESSA 26

Boat Description

1969 Contessa 26 Immaculate, fully restored Contessa 26 'Eva Luna' (by Jeremy Rogers Ltd. of Lymington) cruising sailing yacht is For Sale by Vivid Blue Marine. 'Eva Luna' has been painstakingly restored is now a cruiser / racer sailboat that is ready to sail away for use as a cruising boat, which can also be raced. 'Eva Luna' is a beautifully restored Contessa 26 sailing yacht that has received top-to-toe care. She is immaculate condition and is a superb example of a true classic offshore cruising/racing yacht by one of Britain's designers/builders. Her hull is painted in a lustrous deep Oxford Blue with lighter blue anti-foul below the waterline. Her interior has been extensively restored and is in tremendous condition. Her sails are in good order and all have been laundered, serviced and a new UV strip fitted to the genoa. 'Eva Luna' has been fitted with a brand new YANMAR 1 GM 10 diesel engine. The engine comes supported by a three-year warranty that takes effect at first launch. 'EVA LUNA' is an early (1969) Jeremy Rogers built boat hull no.97 and is in exceptionally good condition. She was completely refurbished in 2005 with new interior woodwork and over the past 12 months has undergone a major professional refit and overhaul to a very high standard. Brand new YANMAR 1 GM 10 Diesel engine Electrics rewired, two x new batteries Sails serviced and laundered Winches serviced Seacocks replaced and serviced Hull repainted Oxford blue Coachroof, side deck and stern deck non slip repainted Mast and boom resprayed silver New anti foul, new anodes 'Eva Luna' is set up for short handed cruising with all lines led aft.

• BOAT OF THE YEAR
• Newsletters
• Sailboat Reviews
• Boating Safety
• Sailing Totem
• Charter Resources
• Destinations
• Galley Recipes
• Living Aboard
• Sails and Rigging
• Maintenance
• Best Marine Electronics & Technology

Contessa 26

• By Ryan Langley
• Updated: March 27, 2012

For a boat to become legendary, it doesn’t have to be particularly fast or of groundbreaking design. It only needs that special spark that captures the sailing world’s hearts and minds long enough for it to go down in history. A number of boats with that quality come quickly to my mind—the S&S 34, Flicka 20, Swan 38, Valiant 40—but none holds the same place in my memories as the Contessa 26.

I grew up reading of feats accomplished aboard Contessas by Tania Aebi, Brian Caldwell, and John Kretschmer, so when the Australian adventurer Jesse Martin asked if I’d like to deliver his Contessa 26 from Grand Bahama, in the Bahamas, to Panama and through the Canal, I jumped at the opportunity.

The Contessa 26 was drawn up in 1965 by Jeremy Rodgers, who’d built Folkboats for a number of years, and David Sadler, who had ideas on how to improve the design. They took the classic Folkboat, modified the keel, added more sail area forward for racing performance, changed the layout and deck structure, and built it of fiberglass instead of wood. Four decades later, the popular and widely loved vessel is still safely taking sailors to the far reaches of the globe.

Right away, the Contessa 26 proved itself a strong, seaworthy vessel. It performed well in the Round Britain and Ireland Race and the OSTAR solo transatlantic race, but the brave little boat really became famous when 18-year-old Tania Aebi chose the design for her solo circumnavigation in 1985 and her adventures in Varuna were published in Cruising World . In 1996, Brian Caldwell sailed a Contessa to become the first to circumnavigate under the age of 21.

The Contessa 26 is good-looking, with low freeboard and a narrow beam. For such a small boat, it has a large cockpit, which is nice for having guests aboard and daysailing but a potential danger when filled with water at sea. When sailing, the Contessa heels over quickly, but it soon steadies up and can carry full sail in up to 20 knots of wind.

It doesn’t take much wind to get the boat moving, and it can comfortably make 120-nautical-mile days on passages. After sailing the boat upwind for 300 miles through the Bahamas, I’ll admit that its upwind performance isn’t impressive, but it makes up for it with its ability to survive almost any storm.

The single-spreader sloop rig could easily be converted into a cutter with running backstays and an inner forestay for offshore performance and safety. On some boats, the halyards and reefing lines have been led aft to the cockpit for easy handling. For those who prefer to work forward at sea, the wide side decks and ample handholds permit safe passage to the foredeck.

Down below, the boat has a V-berth forward and a small head and hanging locker aft of that. A small galley and navigation table are positioned aft of the main bulkhead, and two sea berths complete the accommodations. There’s no standing headroom below, which can get old after a few days locked up in the cabin at sea, and the poor air circulation could benefit from added vents, but the boat has everything a singlehander really needs for long-distance voyaging.

Jeremy Rogers built about 350 Contessa 26s in the United Kingdom, and another 400 were built by J.J. Taylor in Canada. At listed prices from $10,000 to $15,000, used boats are an affordable option for sailors who want to safely head offshore on a budget.

CONTESSA 26 LOA 25′ 6″ (7.77m.) LWL 21′ 0″ (6.40m.) Beam 7′ 6″ (2.29m.) Draft 4′ 0″ (1.22m.) Sail Area (100%) 304 sq. ft. (28.2 sq. m.) Ballast 2,300 lb. (1,043 kg.) Displacement 5,400 lb. (2,449 kg.) Ballast/D .43 D/L 260 SA/D 15.8 Water 10 gal. (37 l.) Fuel 11 gal. (45 l.) Engine Various Designer David Sadler/Jeremy Rodgers

Ryan Langley is a 19-year-old adventurer, sailor, writer, and musician from Port Angeles, Washington.

• More: 21 - 30 ft , before 2000 , Bluewater Cruising , keelboat , monohull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats , sailboats classic plastic
• More Sailboats

Balance 442 “Lasai” Set to Debut

Sailboat Review: Tartan 455

Meet the Bali 5.8

Celebrating a Classic

Kirsten Neuschäfer Receives CCA Blue Water Medal

2024 Regata del Sol al Sol Registration Closing Soon

US Sailing Honors Bob Johnstone

Bitter End Expands Watersports Program

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Email Newsletters
• Cruising World
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

Boats for Sale & Yachts

Contessa by j.j. taylor contessa 26 1981 boats for sale & yachts, contessa by j.j. boats review and specs.

Table of Contents

One of the sweetest ocean-going pocket cruisers ever built, there are just over 300 of these sailing the waters of the US. The Contessa 26 has clean traditional lines and a modern, high-aspect ratio sail plan, making her a contender for single-handed ocean racing. Rebuilt Yanmar diesel in September 2010. New varnish November 2010! New running rigging June 2011! If you are serious about a compact cruising yacht, you must see this Contessa. Two Prior Surveys (1998 and 2000) are available. Please review the detailed specifications for full run-down of features.

Contact Information

Contessa by Boats for Sale Craigslist & Contessa by Specs & Pictures

Incoming search terms.

• contessa 26 price
• jj taylor 26 for sale

Related posts:

• Contessa 32 2007
• J J Taylor & Sons 1938
• Contessa 35 1975
• Taylor 1991

This entry was posted filed under All Boats . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

1986 Contessa 26

1970 contessa 26 - "crusader", location: royal military college - kingston, ontario. , price: $12,500 ---recently donated to brigantine inc by seller now asking $5,500.00.

Additional Photographs

This Contessa 26 was refitted SOME YEARS AGO with $35,000 worth of upgrades when purchased by the current owner.

Upgrades at the time including; new allgrip, deck hardware, re-engine yamar 13m with currently less than 600 hours, refrigeration unit, a lowered cabin sole, teak and holly, four opening port holes, a full bimini,  a roller furling jib- 150 & 120 genoa. scuppers have been moved forward to accommodate more load in the cockpit. the refit was done professionally., this boat currentlyneeds some cosmetics and a good cleaning repairs but otherwise is deemed seaworthy and was sailed this season and is currently in the water in kingston harbour..

Specifications:

LOA: 25.60'

LWL: 20.00'

Beam: 7.60'

Draft: 4.00'

Disp: 5460 lbs.

Ballast: 2300 lbs.

Designer: Jeremy Rogers

Contruct: Fibreglass

Hull Description: Red with white accents  

Make: JJ Taylor

Model: Contessa 26

Name of Vessel: Crusader

Engine: Yanmar 1GM10 inboard diesel engine

Live the adventure with this quinesential go anywhere solo sailer.

Inventory List:

Fuel tank – 8 gallon, aluminum, new 2003

Mainsail – Kingston Sail Loft 2004 - fully battened, loose footed, 2 reefing points, with 

Harken lazy jack system

Jib – Raudaschl - 110%

1 main halyard, 2 jib halyards, all lead aft to clutches on the deck

Winches – 2 Barient single-speed 8P, 2 Barient two-speed self-tailing 21

2 – 8” floating, locking winch handles

15” Windex

Silva Compass

Battery - new in 2009

Head with holding tank

Integral ice box

Sink with hand pump, fibreglass water tank

Cushions - excellent condition

Force 10 Barbeque, rail-mounted

Bug busters weighted screens for main cabin hatch and companionway; screen section 

for lower hatch board of companionway

Flares - updated 2011 

Elvstrom anchor, chain, 200 ft rope rode, bow roller, anchor locker in bow

Type BC fire extinguisher

Whale gusher manual bilge pump

Fenders (6)

Swim ladder

Coleman single-burner propane stove

Wooden cockpit table

Privateer Yacht Sales 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.

FOLLOW PRIVATEER YACHT SALES ON FACEBOOK  

   latest pys news, join the adventure of a lifelime visit ...     ,                                  , see our lastest listing, larinda 1767 sultana inspired, attraction vessel tallship schooner , new feature listing, solstice moon, ask us about donated boats offered  for sale to support  brigantine inc's traditional sail training program for youth..

SOLD! ---Own the Largest sailing ship built in Canada, A ready made floating 3-Star Hotel at an affordable price!

the Caledonia.

(Financing term available for quilified buyers)

 Check our website daily for updates

Peter Milley, President of Brigantine Inc/ Canadian Tallship Expeditions is past Chairman of the Canadian Sail Training Association. An Individual Member and Director of CSTA was elected Dec 17, 2011 to the executive as Secretary of this organization representing Canadian Tallships and sail training vessels.

Brigantine Inc/Canadian Tallship Expeditions and the Sail Training Vessel, St Lawrence II participated in all the Canada 150 Tall ship port events on the Great Lakes and Maritimes in 2017. During 2018 to present, we have operated in the Great Lake and upper Gulf of St. Lawrence with trainees from across Canada. This included a number of youths from Nunavut and the Yukon Territories. If you have a son, daughter or grandchild interested in a life changing tallship experience, with an Brigantineintroduction to a professional marine career log into www.brigantine.ca to book a berth for 2024 to sail Newfoundland and Labrador waters and visit the French Islands of St Pierre and Miquelon.  Visit us at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour  join the fun.     Brigantine Inc. founded 1954 ,is the oldest contineous traditional sail training program in the western hemisphere. 

Want to Volunteer

The opportunity of a lifetime to help north america's oldest continuous traditional sail training program.

call: 613 544-5175

The Brigantine Inc. website has the 2024 sailing schedule; www.brigantine.ca Fair winds and following seas in 2023. Book now to sail with youth from across Canada from Lunenburg Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and Labrador waters with a visit to the French Islands of St Pierre and Miquelon.

We are quickly advancing into the 2024 sailing season and it's a great time to purchase. Don't miss out.. It's a "buyers market" and there are deals to be had . Attention US Buyers; Looking for a particular boat? Call and we will find it! Take advantage of the great exchange rates while you can. Let us assist you with the hurdles of importing a boat from Canada into the US. West Coast Canada Buyers: Let us arrange shipping. Used boats in Eastern Canada are plentlyful and the price of shipping can  offset by the high price of west coast boats. For those wishing to sell contact us right away and don't wait any longer to list your boat! Let us help to ensure your boat sells at the first available opportunity. Please check our charity donation boat page to donate your boat to assist Briganitne Inc.s not-for-profit traditional sail training program for Kingston and Eastern Ontario youth.      

©Copyright 2011 Privateer Yacht Sales All Rights Reserved. International copyright secured.

Web Development by CrookedBush.com

Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.

• Sailboat Guide

1979 JJ Taylor Contessa 26

• Description

Seller's Description

Contessa 26

Equipment: well-equipped

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. 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.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

From BlueWaterBoats.org :

Designed by David Sadler and Jeremy Rodgers in the 1960s, the classic little Contessa 26, like her popular sibling the Contessa 32 , is one of the better known and loved British productions yachts, with around 650 cruising the world today. She’s a pretty boat, built from fibreglass, and owes her looks to the Swedish Folkboat whose elegant and seaworthy design influenced so many cruisers of the era. Although not speedy by today’s standards the Contessa was a fast boat for her time and established a reputation as a one-design racer with an active class association.

She’s proven very capable, and despite her size and cramped 5′ 8″ of headroom, her blue water pedigree includes several circumnavigations and a score of Atlantic and Pacific crossings. The Contessa 26 association tells us that those who buy her are traditionalists and keen sailors who appreciate her easy-to-handle and dependable performance.

The Contessa 26 was conceived in 1965 in Lymington, England from a collaboration between Jeremy Rogers and David Sadler over many late night sessions around the Rogers family dinner table. Jeremy Rogers was traditionally a builder of wooden boats and of the classic Swedish Folkboat in particular. David Sadler, one of his Folkboat customers, had the idea of tweaking the Folkboat design to give it a horizontal base to the keel so that it could ‘dry out’ upright, as well as fitting a masthead rig and a large genoa to improve racing performance. Although the design was Sadlers, Rogers has stressed that the Contessa 26 would never have been produced without the financial backing of Vernon Sainsbury of the Sainsbury grocery family who was an avid yachtsman and took a leap of faith in providing the funding for the tooling.

Rogers decided to build his modified Folkboat out of GRP and the Contessa 26 saw his boatyard change over from wood to fibreglass production. Before this Rogers had only used fibreglass for dinghies. The first boat Contessa of Lymington was manufactured and released in 1966 and, along with the next few boats off the line, was an instant hit on the racing circuit. The Contessa’s boat show debut was a tremendous success and her winning formula of good looks, easy handling, seaworthiness and affordability brought the orders rolling in. It didn’t hurt her popularity that the first few boats clocked up a number of early racing successes in both short and long distance events including a Round Britain win by Binkie , the smallest entrant there, and a twenty-fifth placing in the 1972 OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race) by  Shamal . As a nice touch, thanks to the hand they had played in her production, David Sadler and Vernon Sainsbury sailed away in hulls number five and six respectively.

In total the UK production was around 400 boats. Jeremy Rogers’ boatyard built 350 from 1966 until 1977 when the yard decided that these small boats were too labour intensive to be profitable and sold the moulds to Chris Carrington. A few more boats were built  by Carrington before the moulds went to Maclan Marine who produced only a few more in 1977 and 1978. The Roger’s boatyard had also sold a set of moulds in 1969 to J. J. Taylor in Toronto, Canada who produced the Contessa 26 under licence, also making the transition from wooden boats to fibreglass production. The Canadian Contessa 26 had an identical hull but a modified deck moulding with a larger cockpit area, short aft deck and no lazarette. There were also minor differences to the interior layout. Due to problems with the license these boats were renamed the Taylor 26 from 1984 onwards and around 400 boats were produced in total before J.J. Taylor ceased business in 1990.

The two recorded circumnavigations, by Tania Aebi in Varuna (described in her book “Maiden Voyage”) and Brian Caldwell in Mai Miti Vava’u , were both in the Canadian version of the boat and there has been some debate amongst owners over which is the better version, with both camps claiming the superior design but with no hands down winner.

Configuration and Layout

The Contessa is a masthead sloop with a deep keel cut away at the forward end and the horizontal base which allows her to be dried out easily. Like the Folkboat, she has graceful lines, low freeboard and an acutely raked transom with a distinctive rudder shaft mounted to the hull. Her other distinctive feature is the exaggerated ‘hump’ at the aft end of the coach roof and keyhole companionway which replaces the standard sliding companionway hatch. This is a feature more commonly seen on modern offshore racing boats as it makes for a stronger and more waterproof companionway, as well as reducing production costs. However, it means some stooping to get below and with no overhead hatch to let in light, the interior can be dark and a little oppressive. And with only 1.73 metres of headroom below, the stooping doesn’t end at the companionway. Her short waterline and narrow beam results in only four and a half square metres of living space inside, however the cabin feels secure and ‘cocooned’ from the elements which for some is no bad thing.

The good news is that the berths are generous at between 6’3″ to 6’6″ depending on the interior layout so there is plenty of room for lying down. The Contessa 26 was originally offered with a choice of three layouts A, B or C. Layout A featured a twin v-berth with the head inbetween, the cooker and chart table opposite each other amidships and two large quarter berths aft. Layout B featured the galley to port by the companionway, two settee berths in the saloon, the head in its own compartment and a double berth forecabin. Layout C featured a two berth forecabin, the head in a separate compartment to starboard, a hanging locker opposite to port and a gimballed cooker amidships with the chart table opposite and two quarter berths aft.

On deck the 7′ 6″ beam creates some limitations with a small foredeck and narrow side decks, but a raised bulwark offers security when going forward in nasty conditions. There are also plenty of sturdy grabrails and lifelines. The cockpit is small and deep and protected by coamings but can get wet. It has been acknowledged that the cockpit in both versions is too large to be truly bluewater suitable, and in fact the Canadian boat has a larger cockpit than the British, but this fact does not not seem to have held back her owners.

The Canadian version of the 26 used the same British-made hull moulds but with a modified deck mould. In 1983 J.J. Taylor’s Gary Bannister redesigned the deck mould and interior further. Headroom was increased by extending the ‘hump’ above the companionway further into the cabin and a hatch was added amidships for improved light and ventilation. Canadian Boats prior to 1983 had no anchor locker at the bow, cast iron ballast instead of lead, no teak and holly sole, and different positioning of the water and waste tanks.

Construction

The Contessa was hand built from fibreglass and the British version has a solid fibreglass deck with no coring, an advantage for older boats as it avoids the risk of core rot commonly found in balsa cored decks of this age. The early J.J. Taylor boats appear to have been built with either a 3/8″ plywood or balsa core. Some flex is apparently noticeable in the foredeck but overall construction is robust. Her mast is stepped on deck and supported from below by a deck beam as well as a main structural bulkhead to prevent compression sagging, another issue common to older boats with deck stepped masts. The first three Contessa 26 built, and many others from the early years, are still going strong, testament to the quality of the fibreglass construction.

As reflected by her racing successes the Contessa’s windward performance is excellent and she is surprisingly fast for her size as well as being responsive and well balanced. Thanks to her small size and rig, the Contessa 26 is easy to handle in just about any conditions, making her popular with single-handers. Her large, transom mounted rudder is also particularly good for self-steering systems. Her narrow beam means that she is tender initially but with half her weight in her keel overall stability is good. ‘Reef early and reef often’ is advice that is given by some Contessa 26 owners although others maintain that this is only the case if using an original oversized (130%) headsail and that she performs admirably under a more modest 100-120% headsail with full main.

Buyer’s Notes

No major flaws have been identified. There are generally several Contessa 26s for sale on the used boat market somewhere in the world at any one time but popularity remains high and is reported to be increasing in the UK thanks to the extremely active class association and the Contessa’s ongoing success on the racing scene. Prices range from 5k-16k UK pounds or up to $18k USD for a used boat. Prospective owners are recommended to contact the Contessa 26 class association in either the US/Canada or the UK (see links below).

Links, References and Further Reading

» Sailing Today ‘What makes the Contessa so special? April 2007 by Peter Poland » Contessa 26: A tradition in fibreglass by Paul Howard » The Contessa 26 – A Brief History (Contessa 26 Class Association) by Peter de Jersey » The Contessa Corner: A site for owner’s, sailors and dreamers (USA and Canada Group Site) » Jeremy Roger’s Boatyard, UK Contessa 26: Introduction

This listing is presented by SailboatListings.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

View on SailboatListings.com

Embed this page on your own website by copying and pasting this code.

Similar Sailboats For Sale

1978 Contessa 26

• About Sailboat Guide

©2024 Sea Time Tech, LLC

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.