Precision Colgate 26 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Used examples follow the two documented hull configurations. The standard keel model draws 4 feet 6 inches with 1,050 pounds of lead and displaces 2,600 pounds, while the shoal-draft model draws 3 feet 6 inches, adds 200 pounds of ballast for 1,250 total, and weighs 2,800 pounds. Both share an 8-foot-6-inch beam, a 20-foot waterline, and a counter stern carried far aft to form an instructor's perch behind the tiller. Below, V-berths run 7 feet 3 inches, with a portable head, insulated ice chest, optional sink, and alcohol stove; the interior can be hosed down once cushions are out. The cockpit seats four adults and is self-draining, with a bracket for an outboard and a dedicated cockpit locker for engine storage.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

On the used market, solar, spinnaker, and short-handed setup are commonly fitted to the Colgate 26. The standard boat originally came with full spinnaker gear — pole, guys, sheets, down haul, topping lift, and halyards — and North Sails main, jib, and spinnaker with exclusively Harken hardware including the headsail furling system. A soft solar panel left in the cockpit to keep the battery topped off is a common sight, as are spinnaker configurations and short-handed controls suited to single or double-handed sailing. An optional UV cover for mainsail and tiller could be ordered in the buyer's preferred color, and an asymmetrical performance model with Evolution upgrade sails was available.

What to Inspect

Documented known issues are limited, but inspection should confirm the structure the builder reinforced. The hull is beefed up in the bow, under the stanchion bases, around the mast support area, and in the bottom where the stainless steel keel bolts attach, so check those zones for stress or corrosion at the keel fastenings. Verify that the cockpit and lockers still self-drain, and that the furled jib retains its leech UV cover to avoid sunlight deterioration. Confirm the hull-and-deck flange joint — chemically bonded and through-bolted under a rubber bumper — is intact, and that positive foam flotation is undisturbed.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Colgate 26 is typically found in the United States. For a buyer, the checklist is short and reassuring: confirm keel-bolt and reinforced-zone condition, test self-draining cockpit and lockers, verify Harken furling and winches, and check for commonly fitted solar, spinnaker, and short-handed gear. A clean example offers academy-proven handling, virtual unsinkability, and a trailerable footprint with the documented structure intact.