Design and Construction
Westerly Marine built the Capo 26 in fiberglass, with a solid hull and a fin keel. Her 9.25-foot beam is carried on a 22-foot waterline, while the bottom has about 226 square feet of wetted surface.
The boat displaces 4,300 pounds and carries 1,900 pounds of lead ballast. That gives her a 44 percent ballast ratio. Combined with a displacement-to-length ratio of 180, it places the design firmly among what reviewers classify as light racers.
A length-to-beam ratio of 2.81 and a capsize screening value of 2.28 describe a hull tuned for inshore agility rather than bluewater self-sufficiency. Her theoretical displacement-hull speed is 6.3 knots.
Rig and Handling
The Capo 26 has a masthead rig and is, by one review’s measure, significantly overrigged, carrying more rig than 92 percent of comparable sailboats. The sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 20.0 under the ISO reference sail and rises to 23.9 with a 135 percent genoa—a powerful rig for a 4,300-pound hull.
The standing and running gear follows a consistent specification:
- All halyards are 23.7 meters long and 8 mm in diameter.
- Jib and genoa sheets are 7.9 meters long and 10 mm in diameter.
- The mainsheet is 19.8 meters long and 10 mm in diameter.
- The spinnaker sheet is 17.4 meters long.
- The cunningham, kicking strap, and clew outhaul are each 6.1 meters or less and 8 mm in diameter.
An immersion rate of about 709 pounds per inch points to a hull that sits lightly and responds quickly to crew weight and sail trim. The overrigged sail plan calls for competent handling and sound standing rigging.
Accommodations and Intended Use
At 26 feet overall with a 9.25-foot beam, the Capo 26 is a compact platform with a cabin arranged around performance. Her 1,900 pounds of lead ballast and general light-racer disposition suit her to use as a day racer or coastal weekender rather than a voyager.
Ownership and Refit Considerations
With only fifteen hulls recorded, ownership of a Capo 26 is necessarily individual. That scarcity should be treated as a supply constraint rather than a sign of defects, although it limits spares-network and fleet support.
The consistent halyard and sheet specifications should make replacement running rigging straightforward to source, while the fiberglass hull and lead ballast are conventional for the era. Owners should budget for the masthead rig’s full set of halyards and controls rather than minimal cruising gear.
The capsize screening value of 2.28 would not be accepted for participation in ocean races. Together with the powerful rig and compact, performance-oriented layout, that reinforces the Capo 26’s role as an inshore racer and coastal weekender.
The Verdict
The Capo 26 is a rare, sharply drawn small racer from a respected designer and a known British builder. Her numbers describe a light, overrigged, inshore-oriented hull rather than a voyager. With only fifteen built, she is a find for the right sailor rather than a commodity.
Pros
- Carl Schumacher design with a purposeful light-racer displacement-to-length ratio of 180
- 44 percent ballast ratio, with 1,900 pounds of lead in a 4,300-pound hull
- Significantly overrigged masthead sloop, with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of up to 23.9 under genoa
- Shallow-enough draft to reach modest marinas
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.28 excludes her from ocean racing
- Only fifteen built, limiting spares-network and fleet support
- Compact platform with a performance-oriented cabin
