Grampian Discovery 7.9 Buyer's Guide
Shopping a Grampian Discovery 7.9 on the used market means looking at a 26-foot Canadian-built fin-keel sloop designed by Alex McGruer and produced only from 1975 through 1977. As the modernized successor to the Grampian 26, it is a small, well-ballasted cruiser-racer whose survivors are now brokerage-market veterans rather than fresh production boats.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Discovery 7.9 carries the compact proportions of its 26-foot length and 8.33-foot beam, with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder defining the hull form below. Grampian Marine built it as a masthead sloop with 318 square feet of sail, so the interior and deck were laid out around a simple small-boat cruising plan rather than a stripped racer. Expect the modest volumes of a mid-1970s 26-footer, not the open-plan volume of a modern design.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On this model, teak decks, an autopilot, and a chartplotter are commonly fitted, and these three items together define the most consequential buyer-facing clusters: the teak deck is a structural and maintenance concern underfoot, while the autopilot and chartplotter speak to how the boat has been equipped for short-handed or coastal navigation. A buyer should weigh the condition of the teak and the age of the electronics separately, since each carries a different cost profile.
What to Inspect
The Discovery 7.9 is a solid fiberglass hull built by Grampian Marine, and the known reference points for inspection are its core numbers rather than documented structural defects. Verify the ballast ratio of 45 percent and 2,300 pounds of lead by confirming the keel attachment and absence of ballast-tank modifications, since a small boat's stability rests on that foundation anchor. Check the loaded draft, which should sit between roughly 3.74 and 4.04 feet depending on burden, as a telltale of hull integrity and unmodified keel geometry. Confirm the wetted-surface area and immersion rate of 631 pounds per inch by looking for added ballast or hull fairing that would shift the boat off its designed trim.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up in the United States. Before you commit, run through a short checklist:
- Confirm keel attachment and unmodified lead ballast.
- Measure loaded draft against the 3.74–4.04 ft range.
- Inspect teak decks for soft spots and bond failure.
- Test autopilot and chartplotter function at the helm.
- Check hull for added fairing that alters immersion rate.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Grampian Discovery 7.9. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26 | 1 | $5,000 | — |
Where they're listed
Grampian Discovery 7.9 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |