Sailmaster 26 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Sailmaster 26 means looking at a small Tripp-designed sloop with fewer than 200 hulls built in the early 1960s, most of which have passed through several owners and equipment cycles. She is a solid-fiberglass masthead sloop with a stub keel and centerboard, and the buyer's real work is confirming the simple systems she carries rather than chasing missing options lists.
Layouts on the Used Market
The constant across all survivors is the 26-foot length, 7.75-foot beam, and a centerboard trunk amidships that shapes whatever cabin arrangement a given boat preserves. Expect a compact coastal interior consistent with a 1960s racer-cruiser rather than a stated floor plan.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
No equipment prevalence tiers are listed for this model, so nothing about her brokerage inventory can be stated as prevalent. Buyers should evaluate each boat on its own rigging and mechanical condition using the original dimensions: halyards at 64 feet by 5/16 inch, sheets at 3/8 inch, and a masthead sloop rig that accepts a 135% genoa for a sail-area-to-displacement rise to 20.4.
What to Inspect
The centerboard trunk and pivot remain the design point where water intrusion and board wear concentrate on stub-keel-centerboard boats. Work the board up and down to feel for binding, and inspect the trunk sides for staining or softness that would signal past leakage. The solid fiberglass hull should be tapped for sounding rather than assumed sound. Confirm halyard and sheet lengths against the original 64-foot and 26-to-65-foot runs so you are not buying shortened or mismatched control lines.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are found in the United States. A short viewing checklist:
- Drop and raise the centerboard to test pivot freedom
- Inspect the centerboard trunk for stains or soft spots
- Sound the solid fiberglass hull for hidden damage
- Verify halyard and sheet lengths match original specs
- Confirm keel ballast is intact lead with no voids
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Sailmaster 26. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26 | 1 | $8,500 | — |
Where they're listed
Sailmaster 26 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $8,500 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sadler 26 | 25.75' | $ 12,140 | 28 | 8 |
| Jeremy Rogers 26 | 25.5' | $ 10,130 | 21 | 4 |
| MacWester 26 | 26' | $ 4,759 | 6 | 1 |
| Sailmaster 26You are here | — | $ 8,500 | 1 | 0 |