vagabond 26 sailboat

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Vagabond 26 by Bateau.com

[vg26] an offshore capable cruising boat with shallow draft.

URL: http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=VG26

Description:

The program of this boat is offshore cruising with comfortable accommodations for 2 during long cruises, maximum 5 during shorter cruises.

We packed a lot in a 26' hull to keep material cost and marina fees down. The beam is within the legal towing limits with a wide tow permit (US rules). That permit cost $10.00 in most US states.

The Vagabond 26 is not a boat that you tow to a ramp for a Sunday sail. She should live in the water but can be towed home for winterization.

The hull material is our epoxy-fiberglass composite with a plywood core. This is essentially a plywood stitch and glue skin between heavy structural fiberglass in epoxy. Easy to build and stronger than single skin fiberglass.

The 7/8 sail plan is traditional with a large mainsail and small jib. This makes sail reduction easier and eliminates the need for a furling jib. It is always easier to reef a main than to change a foresail. The small jib makes tacking single handed easy and it can be fitted with a reef line too.

The small jib allows us to have a wide shroud base. For light weather sailing or long downwind runs, the plans show a retractable pole to use with a gennaker or triradial. The pole fits on deck and can be a plain aluminum spi pole or a carbon fiber pole with spi pole end fittings. A bobstay is shown but optional.

We show single swept back spreaders and a single backstay offset on the transom. Those who prefer can opt for a split backstay with tensioner. The complete wardrobe is made of 4 sails: main, jib, tri-radial and storm jib. Simple and economical.

The VG26 is fitted with an integral keel and centerboard trunk. No welding, no expensive casting, no difficult keel to hull assembly.

It is also stronger. The VG26 can sit dry and stable on its one piece keel without any additional support or bracing. That feature allows the boat to dry out without help in tidal harbors and makes bottom cleaning and painting on a tidal beach possible: no more expensive haulouts!

The wide centerboard trunk makes maintenance easy: the CB can be removed while afloat and the trunk cleaned and painted. The rudder is deeper than the keel but a very simple design feature allows it to slide up for sailing in shallow waters or beaching.

Boats about same size as Vagabond 26

Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at: [email protected]

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• BBC Forums Plans and Building Questions before purchasing the plans and announcements..

vagabond 26

Post by seaweedjoe » Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:38 pm

Re: vagabond 26

Post by gk108 » Thu Dec 09, 2010 2:25 am

Post by TomW » Thu Dec 09, 2010 2:40 am

Post by jacquesmm » Thu Dec 09, 2010 2:20 pm

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The Frances 26 Sailboat

The Frances 26, a long-keeled, canoe-sterned sloop was designed by Chuck Paine and built in the USA by Morris Yachts.  

Essentially the same sailboat as the Victoria 26, but built in the USA by Morris Yachts and renamed the Frances 26.

Published Specification for the Frances 26

Underwater Configuration:   Long keel, canoe stern

Hull Material:   GRP (fibreglass)

Length Overall:  26' 0" / 7.92m

Waterline Length:  21' 3" / 6.48m

Beam:  8' 0" / 2.44m

Draft:  3' 10" / 1.17m

Rig Type:  Fractionally rigged sloop

Displacement:  6,800lb / 3,084kg

Designer:  Chuck Paine

Builder:  Morris Yachts (US)

Year First Built:  1975

Number Built:  200+

Owners Association:   Frances 26 Owners

Published Design Ratios for the Frances 26

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 15.1

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 51.5

3. Displacement/Length Ratio: 316

4. Comfort Ratio: 29.0

5. Capsize Screening Formula:   1.7

read more about these all-revealing numbers...

Summary Analysis of Published Design Ratios for the  Frances 26

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of just 15.1 suggests that she'll need a stiff breeze to get her going. In any other conditions, unless you've got plenty of time on your hands, motor-sailing will be the way to go.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 51.5 means that she'll stand up well to her canvas in a blow, enabling her to power through the waves.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 316, tells us she's clearly a heavy displacement cruising boat. You can load her down with all your cruising gear and equipment and it will hardly affect her waterline. Not an ideal choice for coastal sailing, but will come into her own on an offshore passage in testing conditions.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 29.0 suggests that crew comfort in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a coastal cruiser, which is not encouraging news for anyone prone to seasickness. 

5. Her Capsize Screening Formula of 1.7 tells us that she would be a better choice of sailboat for ocean passage-making than one with a CS rating of more than 2.0. 

Any Questions?

What other versions of the Frances 26 were built?

There were two main versions of the Frances 26: the original flush-decked version built by Morris Yachts in the USA, and the coachroof version built by Victoria Marine in the UK. The latter offered more headroom and a slightly different interior layout. Some Frances 26s were also custom-built using cold-moulded wood or fiberglass, and some had different rigs, such as gaff or sloop.

What is the accommodation like in the Frances 26?

The Frances 26 can accommodate up to four adults and one child in a relatively open-plan layout. Belowdecks, the interior is all wood, with a V-berth forward, a linear galley to port, a quarter berth to starboard, and a heads compartment aft. The saloon has two settees that can convert to berths, and a folding table. There is also ample storage space throughout the boat.

What, if any, alternative accommodation layout versions are available for the Frances 26?

The coachroof version of the Frances 26, built by Victoria Marine, had a slightly different interior layout than the flush-decked version. The main difference was that the head compartment was moved forward, next to the V-berth, and the galley was moved aft, next to the companionway. This created more headroom and a more spacious saloon.

What sail plan and rigging options are available for the Frances 26?

The Frances 26 was originally designed as a cutter, with a mainsail, a staysail, and a yankee. However, some owners have converted their boats to sloops, with a single headsail, or gaffs, with a gaff-rigged mainsail. The sail area is about 31.3m², and the mast height is about 10.7m.

What is the Frances 26 like to sail?

The Frances 26 is a fast and simple sailboat that can handle a wide range of conditions. She is easily driven, has excellent directional stability, and is surprisingly weatherly. She can hold onto her full sail area well after many others have reefed, and she can tack through less than 90 degrees. She is also comfortable and seaworthy, with good motion and balance. Owners comment that she is fun to sail and easy to single-hand.

What is the average cost of a secondhand Frances 26?

The price of a secondhand Frances 26 depends on the condition, age, equipment, and location of the boat. However, based on some recent listings, the average cost of a secondhand Frances 26 ranges from £15,000 to £25,000 in the UK.

Are the boatbuilders Morris Yachts and Victoria Marine  still in business?

Morris Yachts, the original builder of the Frances 26 in the USA, is still in business as of 2021. However, they no longer produce the Frances 26 model. Victoria Marine, the builder of the coachroof version of the Frances 26 in the UK, ceased trading in 1998.

What other sailboats have been by this designer?

Chuck Paine, the designer of the Frances 26, has created many other sailboats over his career. Some of his most notable designs include:

• The Annie 29, a larger version of the Frances 26 with more headroom and amenities;
• The Bermuda 40, a classic cruising yacht with graceful lines and performance;
• The Apogee 50/51/58 series, offshore bluewater cruisers with modern features and comfort;
• The Able Apogee series (34/36/42/44), smaller versions of the Apogee series with similar qualities;
• The Morris series (28/36/40/42/45/46/48), high-quality custom yachts built by Morris Yachts.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge,  we believe them to be accurate.

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• Sailboat Guide

Vagabond 14

Vagabond 14 is a 13 ′ 8 ″ / 4.2 m monohull sailboat designed by Ron Holder and built by Vagabond Boats (USA) between 1976 and 1982.

• 2 / 4 Jacksonville, TX, US Vagabond 14 $1,200 USD View
• 3 / 4 Jacksonville, TX, US Vagabond 14 $1,200 USD View
• 4 / 4 Jacksonville, TX, US Vagabond 14 $1,200 USD View

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)

Rig dimensions (I,J,P,E) are for HOLDER 14 MKII. Thanks to Judy Blumhorst for providing this information.

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Vagabond 23 Boat Plans…

$ 275.00 – $ 300.00

Vagabond 23 Boat Plans (VG23)

[VG23] Offshore and coastal 23′ fast cruiser with accommodations for four. Shallow draft, trailerable, easy to build.

Description

Additional information.

• Reviews (0)

The Vagabond 23 retain the virtues of the old design: offshore capable, well balanced fast hull that is easy on her crew, seaworthiness and strength but we were able to blend those qualities with better speed, more room, easier building and more strength.

Click here to see study plans

Related kits:, cnc kit  –  marinepoxy kit  –  silvertip epoxy kit.

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