In my continuing search for a trailerable boat, I have come across a San Juan 26 not too far away to be considered. Up till this point we had been looking at a Catalinas 25 and 27s. We were leaning towards the 25 as we like the berths better and the 27 was a bit more of a project boat, but maybe worth it.
This San Juan looks interesting. I looked at a SJ 21 maybe a decade ago so know a little about the company history and the boats. Can anyone tell me about SJ26? How would you compare it to a C25?
San Juans were generally a step up in terms of build quality and sailing ability as compared to the Catalinas of that era. They tended to be a little more performance oriented. One nice thing about the 7.7 (26) is that it was fractionally rigged making it an easier boat to short hand. I would expect the Cat 25 to be slightly more roomy but not as well built or as fast or easy to sail.
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Thanks BLT2SKI,
That link gave a good bit of missing info on the boat.
Just to update what I have found:
Big cockpit
Some have wheel steering and inboard engines
The dog of the SJ fleet at a PHRF of 245 20-30 slower than Ranger 23s and Catalina 25s.
Not fractional rigged, that came with the SJ7.7
Standing headroom, (which I like) not the case in the C25.
Stub keel and centerboard configuration with short mast, makes it easier to launch but affects performance.
Right under 6000 lbs with trailer, which puts in my current vehicles capacity.
It sounds like a possible good fit for me, it sounds at least worth a roadtrip to inspect. The big winner will be the room in the v-beth all other things being similar.
Opinions anyone, would this be a good boat for cruising the San Juans or Channel Islands for two?
That boat will work fine for cruising here in the Puget Sound up to straights of georgia area in BC. Not sure which side of the border you are on. Lots of SJ's around here. If you need a trailerable boat, it will be a well built one, and worth looking at. a PHRF of 240.........bit slow for my wants. BUT, you want trailerable, so you have to take some hits. At least it is not as slow as the pacific seacraft 20'r, but that would proabably sail the world, but at 300 or something slower, talke about slow!
Marty
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She drives me boat,
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The SJ 7.7 and the SJ26 are different boats. The 7.7 frac is a fixed keel boat while the 26 is a different hull with a swing keel. From the link above the 26 came along in '75 but was replaced in '79 by the "racier" & prettier 7.7.
The 26 is a boxier looking boat, not in the same league as her SJ sisters, and slower than the 21.
__________________ Boating in BC waters since the '60s, sailing since 1981. Currently on our 5th boat, a 1984 Fast/Nicholson 345.
The SJ 7.7 and the SJ26 are different boats. The 7.7 frac is a fixed keel boat while the 26 is a different hull with a swing keel. From the link above the 26 came along in '75 but was replaced in '79 by the "racier" & prettier 7.7.
The 26 is a boxier looking boat, not in the same league as her SJ sisters, and slower than the 21.
Yep that is what the link said is people were buying the 26 expecting SJ performance and were dissapointed. So they went back to the drawing board and came out with the 7.7 instead.
It seems I have to choose more stabile, faster or trailerable. Can't have all 3 in my price range. I know more about PHRF just from racing but doing the math; the PHRF's I am looking at are about a 25 point difference. Would this mean a 50 mile day would get me about 1/2 hour later in the slower boat? Would this be a good trade off for a heavier, more stabile boat? Its not like I will be setting any speed records in the other boats i am looking at.
BTW I am south of the border and about 900 miles east of the coast, thats why a trailerable is important. If i get a heavier or deeper draft boat I doubt it will make it out of its home water. I had worked in and around Puget Sound but had no time for sailing then, I hope to make up for lost time next summer.
I'm sorry about the mix up on the SJ 26 vs SJ 7.7. There appears to be no comparason between the two.
In real world sailing conditions, 24-30 seconds a mile makes a very big difference in the distance that one can comfortably sail when cruising. While rating differences with crews aboard tend to be reasonably accurate measures of a boat's speed, in my experience the differences between a fast boat for its length and a slow boat for its length are greatly exagerated when boats are cruising. It can easily be the difference between a 50 mile day and a 40 or so mile day. And nothing suggests that the SJ 26 is necessarily more stabile.
More to the point, when you have a cruising ground like San Juans or Channel Islands I would think you want a better sailing design than the SJ 26.
While I agree with Jeff to a point, sailing in the SJ's is many times more motoring than sailing. Not so say that some of the bays etc are not big enough to sail in and thru..........but if the wind is light, you will be motoring, as the currents can hit upwards 6-8 knots in bad spots, so missing a tide change is not fun.
On the other hand, a heavy sailing boat is NOT your friend around here. This can be off set buy buying if one is not on the boat already, a drifter/reacher style genoa. IE a jib made of 2-3 oz nylon made for light wind days, less than say 6-8 knots. WHile out of favor in other parts of the world, they are still popular around Puget Sound up to BC. Most boats in my local race fleet have one, including myself. I gained .5-1 knot vs a 155 carbon last weekend in a go to, spend the night, race back on saturday, where the wind never got above 8 knots. Sunday with 13-28 knot down wind run, different story.
Like all things, you have to decide the comprimises you are willing to take.
Marty
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