Capo 26 Buyer's Guide
The Capo 26 is a 26-foot masthead sloop designed by Carl Schumacher in the early eighties and built by Westerly Marine from 1982, with only fifteen hulls known. For a shopper in the brokerage market, that scarcity defines the search: this is not a boat you stumble across, and any example will reward a careful, individual survey rather than a fleet-comparison mindset.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Capo 26's external geometry is established: 26 feet overall, a 9.25-foot beam, and a fin keel with load-dependent draft around 4.6 to 4.9 feet. A buyer should view any specific hull as a compact coastal platform and confirm the cabin arrangement in person rather than assume a standard cruising layout.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The Capo 26's masthead rig is significantly overrigged for her size, and the source specifies all halyards at 23.7 meters by 8 mm, jib and genoa sheets at 7.9 meters by 10 mm, and a 19.8-meter mainsheet. A buyer should verify a full set of running rigging and masthead controls — cunningham, kicking strap, and clew outhaul — are present and serviceable, since the light-racer spec leaves no margin for missing gear.
What to Inspect
A viewing centers on confirming the boat matches her spec rather than chasing known faults. Check that the fiberglass hull and fin keel are intact and that the 1,900-pound lead ballast is undisturbed. Confirm the masthead rig's overrigged configuration is complete, with halyards and sheets to the specified lengths and diameters, since a missing or undersized line on a 23.9 sail-area-to-displacement hull is a real handling liability. Verify the draft sits in the expected 4.6 to 4.9 foot band and that the capsize screening value of 2.28 is understood as an inshore limitation, not a defect.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Availability is best described as occasional and worth pursuing actively when a hull appears.
- Survey the hull and keel for integrity
- Confirm full masthead rigging to spec
- Verify draft and ballast
- Treat the boat as an inshore light racer