Design and Construction
Both hull and deck are molded in fiberglass, carrying an iron ballast of 2,866 pounds inside a 6,614-pound displacement for a 43 percent ballast ratio — a figure higher than two-thirds of comparable sailboat designs, which gives the LM 26 a planted, reassuring stance for her size anchor. Her length-to-beam ratio of 2.79 places her beam at just under 9.5 feet, and on that measure she is roomier below than 79 percent of similar boats. The wetted surface runs about 226 square feet with a fin keel drawing roughly 4.1 feet loaded, and her immersion rate of 881 pounds per inch tells you she sits heavily for a 26-footer. A capsize screening value of 2.03 means she would not be accepted in ocean races, framing her plainly as a sheltered-water motorsailer.
Rig and Handling
The LM 26 carries a masthead sloop rig with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 11.9 on the ISO reference sail and 13.8 with a 135 percent genoa. Those numbers put her ahead of only about 8 percent of similar designs in light-air speed, and with more rig than just 34 percent of her peers she is, by the database's own read, slightly underrigged anchor. The standing and running gear is modest: halyards for main, genoa, and spinnaker each run 74.5 feet at 5/16 inch, while sheets for jib and genoa are 26.6 feet at 3/8 inch and the mainsheet is 66.4 feet at 3/8 inch. A Bukh DV20 diesel of 20 horsepower turns a saildrive, and her relative speed performance of 12 means she is quicker than only 12 percent of similar designs — adequate for a motorsailer whose charm is steadiness, not dash.
Accommodations
Below, the LM 26 is laid out with two cabins and six berths, a generous sleeping plan for a boat of her length that leans on the wide beam the proportions predict. The motorsailer brief trades some performance for sheltered comfort, and the six-berth count confirms a boat intended for family coastal cruising rather than solo sprinting.
The Verdict
The LM 26 is a purposeful little Danish motorsailer: heavily ballasted for her size, beamy enough to feel roomy down below, and built in straightforward solid glass by a yard with a long LM pedigree. She is no light-air flyer and was never meant to be — the underrigged sail plan and low speed rankings place her firmly in the steady-cruiser camp, while the capsize screen keeps her in coastal waters. For a buyer wanting a simple, stable pocket cruiser with six berths and a diesel backbone, she makes a coherent case.
Pros
- High 43 percent ballast ratio, exceeding most similar designs for stability
- Beam-driven interior with two cabins and six berths
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck from a known Danish builder
Cons
- Slightly underrigged and slow in light wind versus peers
- Capsize screening value excludes her from ocean racing
- Only about 4.1-foot draft with limited offwind sparkle
