Design and Construction
The Capri 26 is built predominantly of fiberglass with wooden trim, a recreational keelboat whose near-ten-foot beam and walk-through reverse transom pack volume usually reserved for larger yachts. Her sharply raked transom shortens the working deck to about 23 feet 8 inches, but testers noted the boat still reads as full of big-boat features because the beam carries so far aft. Buyers could choose a standard fin keel or a shoal-draft wing variant, with an internally mounted spade rudder on a tiller and a raked stem forward. Catalina Yachts, founded by Frank Butler, built the boat in its production era under the design partnership of Butler and Gerry Douglas.
Rig and Handling
A masthead sloop rig drives a 295-square-foot sail plan, and the 6.4-knot maximum speed traces to her long 22.9-foot waterline rather than to any claimed lightweight planing behavior. The PHRF racing average handicap of 210 places her fairly among club-racer cruisers of the era. With a displacement of 5,250 pounds and 1,900 pounds of lead ballast, her ballast-displacement ratio near 36 percent gives a settled, predictable motion; the spade rudder and tiller keep steering direct and communicative in the confined quarters a trailerable design often meets.
Accommodations
Below, the Capri 26 sleeps four. Two straight settees in the main cabin join over a lowerable drop-leaf table to make a wide berth, while the beam of almost ten feet additionally allows a humungus double berth in that forward saloon. An aft cabin carries a large double berth under the cockpit, though testers cautioned the space can feel somewhat constricted to those with claustrophobia. Headroom exceeds six feet throughout. The galley sits to starboard just forward of the companionway ladder with a two-burner recessed stove, ice box, and pressurized-water sink; the spacious head is opposite, just aft of the companionway on port. Ventilation comes from four opening main-cabin ports plus a cockpit port feeding the aft berth. Deep, comfortable cockpit seats extend the living space topside.
Known Issues
Two habitability limits surfaced in period testing. Beyond the aft-berth enclosure already noted, reviewers found no significant stowage area amidships other than on the cabin sole under the table, a constraint for extended cruising loads. Neither item implies a structural defect; both speak to the compromises of squeezing family accommodation into a trailerable hull.
The Verdict
The Capri 26 succeeds at what her designers set out to do: translate the Capri speed ethos into a family-capable cruiser-racer that still trails behind a car. She is not a dedicated racer nor a bluewater voyager, but the blend of berths, headroom, and big-boat galley within a 320-boat production run makes her a coherent used-market choice for coastal sailing.
Pros
- Trailerable yet sleeps four with over-six-foot headroom
- Big-beam interior with double berth forward and aft double under cockpit
- Lead-ballast fin or wing keel with tiller-steered spade rudder
- Masthead sloop with PHRF 210 and 6.4-knot waterline-derived top speed
Cons
- Aft berth feels constricted for claustrophobic sailors
- No real amidships stowage except cabin sole under table
