Raven 26 Buyer's Guide
The Raven 26 is a 26-foot flush-decked fin-keeled cruiser built by Glass Yachts NZ from 1983, designed by Owen Woolley as a solid little yacht with a tiller-steered spade rudder and lead ballast in a five-foot fin keel. Shopping one on the used market means weighing a boat built for the New Zealand coast against the realities of an older solid-glass hull.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Raven 26 keeps her accommodations simple and biased to short-handed use. The flush deck means a low cabin and a cramped saloon, with a quarter berth tucked aft where a sailor sleeps in a fetal position rather than stretched out. There is no coach-roof volume to speak of, so any buyer expecting a roomy weekender will be disappointed; the boat suits a couple or single-hander who values deck space.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market the Raven 26 commonly carries a freezer, a dodger, an autopilot, a chartplotter, and a short-handed setup that makes single or double-handed sailing practical. For a buyer these mean the boat can already keep food cold, shelter the companionway, steer itself on a long coastal leg, show position electronically, and be worked by a small crew. A tiller is standard.
What to Inspect
The most serious used-market risks are hull integrity and osmotic damage. One Raven 26 was peeled open like a sardine can when a steel boat dragged down her side, so inspect the topsides for prior collision repair, uneven filler, or repainted scars that hide a sliced hull. Another owner reported osmosis blisters that required glassfibre repairs after haulout, so at viewing have the hull surveyed for soft spots, clustering gelcoat bumps below the waterline, and any amateur blister fix. A flush deck also deserves a close look at sealant and fastenings.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Raven 26 turns up in New Zealand. Before you commit, walk through this short list:
- Inspect hull sides for collision repair or filler scars
- Survey gelcoat for osmosis blisters below the waterline
- Confirm deck sealant integrity on the flush deck
- Test the tiller and spade rudder for free, unbinding movement
- Verify the freezer, dodger, autopilot, and chartplotter function
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Raven 26. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26 | 2 | $4,312 | — |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $11,300 | +162.1% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $8,029 | -28.9% |
Where they're listed
Raven 26 listings appear across 1 country. New Zealand has the most listings with 4.
Country view
4 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | $6,691 | 4 | 3 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sadler 26 | 25.75' | $ 12,141 | 28 | 8 |
| Raven 26You are here | — | $ 6,691 | 4 | 3 |