Island Sharpie 26 Buyer's Guide
The Island Sharpie 26 on the used market is Bruce Kirby’s 1986-origin wood sharpie ketch, a 26-foot centerboard cruiser built for shoal drafting and trailer launching. With a 3,700-pound displacement and 1,500 pounds of lead ballast in a solid wood hull, it appeals to buyers who want a self-righting, easily rigged coastal boat rather than a deep-keel racer. Shopping one means judging wood condition, rig simplicity, and the centerboard trunk honestly.
Layouts on the Used Market
Production boats followed the sleeps-four plan with a double V-berth forward and two quarter berths, while some show the simpler two-berth interior. Both layouts include an “enclosed” head, though at 26 feet that means minimal privacy. The tall combined hull-house structure and low house sides give more cabin volume than the profile suggests, but buyers should view the berths as coastal-cruising short beds rather than offshore accommodations.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The defining factory setup is the cat-ketch rig with full-length-battened sails and a tabernacle that permits singlehanded mast raising. A vertically lifting outboard lives in its own aft house. Common owner improvements cluster around sail-handling and power: the carbon-fiber mast conversion and Ayliffe-style tabernacle are the meaningful rig upgrades, while a modest solar or battery addition supports the outboard-and-led lifestyle. Navigation stays simple given the shoal mission; canvas centers on a boom tent for the quarter berths.
What to Inspect
The flat-bottomed hull relies on brutal bottom weight and well-secured bilge ballast for stability, so confirm the inside ballast is secured and not piled against the tall centerboard trunk. Check that hatches sit near or on centerline and that the cockpit is small and self-bailing as designed. The centerboard trunk itself must be sound, since a sharpie will not go well to windward without a centerboard of substantial area. Wood hull and deck demand a close look for rot at the crowned housetop and the strongly built sheer joint.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Regional availability is not characterized by a defined source; these boats surface through general used channels where trailerable sharpies appear. For a buyer, the short checklist is: verify ballast security and trunk integrity, confirm tabernacle and rig function, inspect wood for rot at crown and sheer, and accept the head as nominal privacy only.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Island Sharpie 26. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26 | 1 | $21,500 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonsuch 26 | 26' | $ 22,900 | 14 | 7 |
| Island Sharpie 26You are here | — | $ 21,500 | 1 | 0 |