The design combines a secure, practical deck layout with lively performance and enough simplicity for structured instruction or family sailing. Its counter stern also creates a handy instructor’s perch behind the tiller—a small detail that helps explain the boat’s enduring role as a trainer.
Design and Construction
At 25 feet 8 inches overall and 8 feet 6 inches abeam, the Colgate 26 sits just below the federal threshold that would trigger Class II Coast Guard treatment. It remains a Class I vessel, subject to fewer requirements, while its 20-foot waterline is carried well aft beneath the counter stern length overall and class status.
The hull is solid fiberglass, while the deck is cored with Core-cell foam for rigidity. The hull and deck meet at a flange that is chemically bonded and through-bolted, with a rubber bumper concealing the seam hull and deck flange join. Reinforcement is concentrated where loads demand it: at the bow, beneath the stanchion bases, around the mast support, and across the bottom where the stainless keel bolts attach.
Positive foam flotation makes the boat virtually unsinkable, a practical priority Colgate insisted on to meet Offshore Sailing School’s insurance requirements. The hull has a flattish forefoot and firm bilges. On deck, secure nonskid, oversized and well-supported stanchions, and a sensible pulpit contribute to sure footing and security. The pulpit does not project forward of the bow. A stout wooden tiller is about the only wood aboard.
Keel, Ballast, and Performance
The standard keel carries 1,050 pounds of lead ballast and draws 4 feet 6 inches. The shoal-draft version increases ballast to 1,250 pounds of lead while reducing draft to 3 feet 6 inches.
A 40-percent ballast-to-displacement ratio accounts for the stiffness that test sailors noted upwind. A displacement-to-length ratio of 145 helps explain the boat’s lively performance off the wind.
During testing, the Colgate 26 pointed very high and sliced through a choppy gulf without pounding. The helm remained light enough for fingertip tiller control, even as the sea breeze reached 12 to 15 knots. The rubrail deflected spray and kept the cockpit surprisingly dry. Owners report a usable wind range of 5 to 35 knots.
Rig and Sail Handling
The Colgate 26 carries a fractional sloop rig. Its large, well-designed mainsail balances the boat without the jib, while the small, nonoverlapping roller-furling jib can be trimmed by a child even in a blow.
Main and jib controls lead back to the cockpit. The double-ended mainsheet runs across the inboard transom, providing efficient end-boom sheeting while leaving the crew area clear. Harken No. 16 self-tailing winches on the cabintop handle the headsail.
Unlike many boats of this size, the Colgate 26 has a reefable mainsail to control excessive heeling. Double reefs provide calmer heavy-weather sailing. Neither sail needs to be removed after a day on the water: the jib roller-furls, protected by a leech UV cover, while the main slides down for slab folding over the boom.
A full spinnaker kit ships with the standard boat. The guy and sheet run through Harken blocks for efficient downwind trimming.
Cockpit and Deck Layout
The cockpit seats four adults comfortably and provides good leg support. Stainless railings add security when the boat heels.
A seat-level inboard transom supports the rudder post and tiller, while the open stern beyond it allows easy access from the water. The extended counter also provides a useful perch behind the tiller for an instructor. An outboard-motor bracket is mounted astern, and a dedicated cockpit locker provides engine storage. The cockpit and lockers are self-draining.
Interior and Equipment
Below, the V-berths measure 7 feet 3 inches, long enough for real sleep when weather drives the crew below. Once the cushions are removed, the interior can be hosed down.
Standard creature comforts include a portable head, an insulated ice chest, a VHF radio, and a soft solar panel that is left in the cockpit to maintain the battery. A sink is optional; the equipment also includes an alcohol stove.
The Verdict
The Colgate 26 succeeds as a purpose-built trainer that also became a family sport boat. It combines uncommon stiffness and trailable dimensions with a deck plan that keeps sail handling in the cockpit. Positive foam flotation and a self-draining cockpit are rare assurances in this size range, while the reefable main, roller-furling jib, and slab-folding arrangement make routine sail handling and owner upkeep unusually simple.
Pros
- Virtually unsinkable because of positive foam flotation
- Self-draining cockpit and lockers
- Reefable main and furling jib that can be managed from the cockpit
- 40-percent ballast ratio for stiffness upwind
- Trailable, with an 8-foot-6-inch beam that remains within highway limits
Cons
- The open transom beyond the counter stern provides less enclosed security aft
- Only the shoal-draft version addresses shallow-water use; the standard keel draws 4 feet 6 inches
