Martin 16 Buyer's Guide
The Martin 16 on the brokerage market is a 16-foot Canadian-designed lifting-keel keelboat built from 1995 onward for adaptive sailing, with 110 constructed. It lets a sailor with significant mobility impairment control steering and sails from a single forward-facing seat, and it trails behind a car with the keel raised to a 1-foot-4 draft. A used example is less a recreational dayboat than a purpose-built tool for clubs, families, or individuals who need the access features, and the structure reflects that intent.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every Martin 16 carries two forward-facing seats on the centerline: a fully adjustable, removable fiberglass helm chair with a safety belt, and a rear seat for an instructor or companion. The lifting keel weighs 330 pounds and raises on a 24:1 purchase system, dropping the draft from 1 foot 4 inches to 3 feet 4 inches. There are no berths or galley; the cockpit is the boat. All lines lead to the front seat and lock in cam cleats, with a joystick or vertical control for steering and a tiller handle aft for the companion. The boat limits its load to two people and 400 pounds total.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Adaptive control gear is the heart of the boat's value. A battery-powered Power Assist Unit lets a front-seat sailor work main, jib, and helm through one joystick needing only a light push, and a sip-and-puff interface with two straws serves those with no hand use. The standard rig carries a self-tacking boomed jib, tapered anodized aluminum spars, and Harken carbo blocks. A simple owner upgrade extends the vertical steering control with a piece of PVC pipe to cut steering effort. The equipment story is purely about sail control and access.
What to Inspect
The Power Assist Units are known to be difficult without electronics expertise, so on any boat fitted with one, confirm it functions and ask whether a repair shop is reachable if it fails PAU repair difficulty. Craig Dennis notes the most common damage is fiberglass from boat-to-boat or object strikes and running rigging wear; inspect the hull and deck for impact cracks and check the vinyl-coated rigging for sun degradation, expecting roughly five-year life in strong sun frequent fiberglass and rigging repairs. Because newer KAPE Boatworks versions use some different parts, verify that spares for an older hull are obtainable before purchase older-boat parts scarcity. The open transom admits water in chop, so confirm the manual bilge pump is present and the internal foam flotation is intact.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are found in the United States.
- Confirm the Power Assist Unit works or budget for shop repair
- Check hull and deck for collision fiberglass damage
- Inspect running rigging for sun cracking and plan replacement
- Verify older-version parts availability with the seller
- Test the manual bilge pump and foam flotation
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Martin 16. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.