[sailingfool]

Anyone here tried a Colgate 26?

I've been a racing as crew on J24s for several seasons and was considering getting one myself, but the prospect of maintenance for the old boat (balsa core, etc) and uncomfortable layout for social daysailing has directed me elsewhere. Most lately I've come up with the Colgate 26. It's substantially more expensive, but it looks like a lower-maintenance boat over long term and plenty of cockpit room for social daysailing on non-race days. There's no one-design racing for C26 that I know of other than collegiate fleets, but it can race against J24s and the like in PHRF at the local yacht club.

Of course once I've saved up enough for a C26, there will surely be yet another, more expensive boat for me to set my sights on...

I taught ASA 101 classes in Colgate and found them a delightful boat to sail. Lots of good seating space even without the extra space after the traveller.

I owned a J24. I think it would be a great boat to start with.

 

[SHNOOL]

Colgate 26, is a great starter boat, and is used by many ASA schools to teach.

I'm thinking someone would need to work hard to broach a J24 in under 20 knots wind without a spinnaker. Perhaps we define broach differently. To me a broach includes water in the cockpit, water in the sails (well past 45 degrees, more like 70). I've never broached without a spinnaker involved. I suppose I did a lot in my Centerboard boat. My own boat won't heel past 35 degrees without a hard roundup, so a broach isn't a white sails event without massive waves. The J/24 can't be much different. There is an exception of course, which is if the lazarette hatches flop open and fill with water (yep my Capri 25 was designed the same way, so I set about to fix that).

By the way the Colgate 26, is also a pretty racer centric boat as well.