| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Lyle C. Hess |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1969 |
| Builder(s) | Arthur Marine Coastal Recreation |
| Role | Cruiser |
| Name | Balboa 26 |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 3,600 lb (1,633 kg) |
| Draft | 5.00 ft (1.52 m) withswing keel down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | fiberglass |
| LOA | 25.58 ft (7.80 m) |
| LWL | 20.83 ft (6.35 m) |
| Beam | 7.96 ft (2.43 m) |
| Engine type | outboard motor |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | swing keel |
| Ballast | 1,200 lb (544 kg) |
| Rudder(s) | internally-mounted spade-type |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| I foretriangle height | 30.00 ft (9.14 m) |
| J foretriangle base | 10.80 ft (3.29 m) |
| P mainsail luff | 24.80 ft (7.56 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 10.80 ft (3.29 m) |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | masthead sloop |
| Mainsail area | 133.92 sq ft (12.442 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 162.00 sq ft (15.050 m2) |
| Total sail area | 295.92 sq ft (27.492 m2) |
TheBalboa 26 is an Americantrailerablesailboat that was designed byLyle C. Hess ascruiser and first built in 1969.[1][2][3]
The design was initially built byArthur Marine starting in 1969. It was then built byCoastal Recreation in theUnited States, between about 1972 and 1976, but it is now out of production.[1][4][5]
The Balboa 26 is a recreationalkeelboat, built predominantly offiberglass, with wood trim. The boat is all solid laminate fiberglass, with the deckplywood cored. The boat has amasthead sloop rig, araked stem, a slightly angledtransom, an internally mounted spade-typerudder controlled by atiller and alifting keel or optional fixed finkeel. The keel is actuated by a 12:1mechanical advantage winch. The rudder can be removed from the transom from the cockpit. The boat displaces 3,600 lb (1,633 kg) and carries 1,200 lb (544 kg) of ballast.[1][5]
The fixed keel-equipped version of the boat has a draft of 5.0 ft (1.5 m), while the lifting keel-equipped version has a draft of 5.00 ft (1.52 m) with oh do
the keel extended and 1.83 ft (0.56 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or ground transportation on atrailer.[1]
The boat is normally fitted with a smalloutboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[1]
The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, a straight settee in the main cabin on the starboard side and drop-down dinette table that converts to a double berth on the port side. Thegalley is located on both sides of thecompanionway ladder. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove to starboard and anice box and sink to port. Thehead is located just aft of the bow cabin on the port side. The standard cabin deck wasshag carpet, withteak optional. Cabin headroom is 65 in (170 cm).[1][5]
For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a symmetricalspinnaker.[1]
In a 2008 review inCruising World Matt Djos wrote, "Under sail, the Balboa 26 is quite stiff. The boat is fast and maneuverable, but it's a handful for a novice sailor. The 26 has noticeable weather helm, and the tiller requires constant attention. As with most boats of this type, the swing keel has a tendency to rumble at hull speed, which is a little more than 6 knots."[5]
David Liscio, writing forSailing Magazine in 2017, noted, "the Balboa 26 is a trailerable, stoutly-constructed, economical cruising boat ideal for a couple or small family planning to gunkhole or sail the open sea."[6]
