Design and Construction
Both hull and deck are molded in fiberglass. Her 6,614-pound displacement includes 2,866 pounds of iron ballast, giving a 43 percent ballast ratio—higher than two-thirds of comparable sailboat designs. That gives the LM 26 a planted, reassuring stance for her size.
Her length-to-beam ratio is 2.79, putting the beam at just under 9.5 feet. By that measure, she is roomier below than 79 percent of similar boats. Wetted surface is about 226 square feet, and the fin keel draws roughly 4.1 feet when loaded. An immersion rate of 881 pounds per inch indicates that she sits heavily for a 26-footer.
The capsize screening value is 2.03, which means she wouldn’t be accepted in ocean races and frames her plainly as a sheltered-water motorsailer.
Rig, Engine, and Handling
The LM 26 carries a masthead sloop rig. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 11.9 using the ISO reference sail and 13.8 with a 135 percent genoa. Those figures put her ahead of only about 8 percent of similar designs for light-air speed. With more rig than just 34 percent of her peers, she is slightly underrigged by the database’s assessment.
The standing and running gear is modest. The main, genoa, and spinnaker halyards are each 74.5 feet long and 5/16 inch in diameter. The jib and genoa sheets are 26.6 feet by 3/8 inch, while the mainsheet is 66.4 feet by 3/8 inch.
A 20-horsepower Bukh DV20 diesel drives a saildrive. Her relative speed performance rating of 12 means she is quicker than only 12 percent of similar designs. That is adequate for a motorsailer whose appeal lies in steadiness rather than speed.
Accommodations
Below, the LM 26 has two cabins and six berths—a generous sleeping plan for a boat of this length, helped by the wide beam. The motorsailer design trades some performance for sheltered comfort, and the six-berth layout points to family coastal cruising rather than solo sprinting.
Verdict
The LM 26 is a purposeful little Danish motorsailer: heavily ballasted for her size, beamy enough to feel roomy below, and built in straightforward fiberglass by a yard with a long LM pedigree. She’s no light-air flyer, nor was she meant to be. The slightly underrigged sail plan and low speed rankings place her firmly among steady cruisers, while the capsize screening value keeps her in coastal waters.
For a buyer looking for a simple, stable pocket cruiser with six berths and diesel power, the LM 26 makes a coherent case.
Pros
- High 43 percent ballast ratio, exceeding most similar designs for stability
- Beamy interior with two cabins and six berths
- Fiberglass hull and deck from a known Danish builder
Cons
- Slightly underrigged and slow in light winds compared with her peers
- Capsize screening value excludes her from ocean racing
- Draft of only about 4.1 feet, with limited offwind sparkle
