Design and Construction
The hull is fiberglass with Klegecell-cored topsides and a solid fiberglass bottom, while the deck, trunk cabin, and interior structure are built of cored fiberglass for greater strength and less weight than the original wood construction. Vinylester resin runs throughout the laminate for high strength and resistance to blisters, and the entire boat is finished in NPG gelcoat. Carroll Marine bonds the deck to the hull with high-strength adhesive and through-bolts it with stainless-steel bolts, and puts plywood under deck hardware for compressive strength. The full keel is an external lead casting, epoxy coated and fastened with 3/4-inch stainless-steel bolts; the design adopted this fixed-keel layout over a centerboard for simplicity, low maintenance, and good sailing. Teak is everywhere it shows: cockpit coamings, seats, gunwales and sole are solid teak with oil finish, coaming knees are cast with meticulous detail, and moldings and fiddles below are oiled teak. True Herreshoff cleats are used throughout.
Rig and Handling
The rig is a Hall Spars aluminum mast and boom, tall, light and completely self-tending, with both main and jib sheets leading to roller-bearing travelers so that turning the helm is all that is required to tack. Sailing World's tester found the boat responsive in diminishing breeze and quick to accelerate out of a tack, with a nicely balanced helm and a keel-mounted rudder, and came away with the impression she could comfortably handle moderate seas. The mainsail sets on luff-groove slides and the jib on a standard self-tacking boom, with an optional roller furling headstay available to make singlehanding even easier. Modern Harken travelers, Schaefer blocks and Lewmar winches complete the deck plan.
Accommodations
Below, the Alerion 26 is a snug daysailer that can overnight a couple in comfortable camping conditions. A double V-berth runs 6 feet 8 inches long with 4-inch foam cushions, and the head tucks under the berth out of sight until needed. On the port side a single seat faces a compact galley with cooler, sink, water pump and optional stove; Sailing World noted sitting headroom and that the high teak coamings double as perfect backrests in the cockpit. All interior surfaces are gelcoat or polyester paint, carefully finished, with teak trim and oiled fiddles that the reviewer cited as examples of the boat's nice finish detail.
Power and Equipment
A reliable 9-horsepower Yanmar diesel is offered as an option to power home on windless evenings, with a 55-amp alternator to keep batteries charged for navigation and lighting and a folding propeller for minimum drag under sail. The fuel tank sits well over the keel, with its gauge read through a prism set into the cabin sole. For owners without a marina, the boat can be lifted by crane via a keel-top lifting ring onto an optional Triad trailer for backyard storage.
The Verdict
The Alerion 26 succeeds as a modern fiberglass tribute to a 1912 Herreshoff original, pairing self-tending rig simplicity with a blister-resistant vinylester hull and genuine teak trim that reads as classic rather than dressed-up. She is a daysailer first, but the snug cabin and optional diesel make her a credible pocket cruiser for two.
Pros
- Self-tending mast and jib with all sheets to travelers for helm-only tacking
- Vinylester resin and NPG gelcoat throughout for blister resistance
- External lead keel on 3/4-inch stainless bolts, fixed for low maintenance
- Teak cockpit and oiled interior fiddles executed with careful detail
- Optional Yanmar 9-hp diesel with folding prop and 55-amp alternator
Cons
- Compact galley and hide-away head suit only minimal overnights
- Full keel and 4,800-lb displacement limit light-air acceleration versus a centerboard predecessor
