Design and Construction
The 26 Mk I was designed by Walter Scott and built by Island Packet Yachts as a fiberglass cruiser with a keel-centerboard hull configuration. Her solid FG construction and 8,000-pound displacement, paired with 2,750 pounds of ballast at a 34.38 ballast-displacement ratio, give her a steady, weight-forward character unusual in a boat this size. The displacement-length ratio of 255.78 and comfort ratio of 20.87 describe a heavy, damped motion profile, while the capsize screening value of 2.10 sits within the range associated with offshore-capable cruisers. With a beam of 10.5 feet and a waterline of 24.08 feet, the hull is compact but carries its volume low.
Rig and Handling
The cutter rig carries a reported 402 square feet of sail area, split between a 195-square-foot main and a 206-square-foot foretriangle, on a mast standing 9.14 meters above the waterline. The sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.13 marks her as undercanvased by modern light-air standards but consistent with a shoal-draft cruiser meant to be handled safely in a breeze. The centerboard delivers a max draft of 5.5 feet and a min draft of 2.33 feet, letting her skim into anchorages a fixed-keel boat her length could not reach. Her spade rudder and 6.58-knot hull speed round out a package built for sheltered-water gunkholing as much as passage-making.
Accommodations
Below, the boat offers six feet of headroom, a figure that matters in a 26-foot hull where many contemporaries choke to five feet or less. The 30-gallon water and 18-gallon diesel capacities support short coastal cruises without constant reprovisioning. The cutter layout and 10.5-foot beam provide the footprint for a forward berth and quarter accommodations typical of the class, though the sources stop at dimensions rather than joinery detail.
The Verdict
She is a purpose-built little cruiser from the brand's first years, pairing shoal-draft flexibility with a heavy, reassuring motion and a genuine six feet of stand-up headroom. Only 29 were built across three years, which limits the used fleet but also means each survivor is a discrete example of the marque's origin.
Pros
- Keel-centerboard configuration with 2.33-foot minimum draft for gunkholing
- Solid fiberglass construction with 34.38 ballast-displacement ratio
- Full six-foot headroom in a sub-30-foot hull
- Cutter rig with documented sail-area breakdown
Cons
- Low sail-area-to-displacement ratio (16.13) limits light-air performance
- Only 29 built, so finding one requires patience
- Short production run (1980–1982) predates later refinements
