Design and Construction
Feltham's design pairs a 26-foot-8-inch overall length with a 9-foot-6-inch beam, a length-to-beam ratio of 2.74 that the recorded comparisons place as roomier than 85 percent of similar designs. The hull is solid fibreglass, and the boat carries a bilge keel — a twin-keel arrangement that lets the vessel take to the beach upright. Draft runs roughly 3 feet depending on load, so it can tuck into shallow marinas that deeper fin-keel competitors cannot reach. At 5,250 pounds displacement with 2,240 pounds of iron ballast, the ballast ratio sits at 43 percent, higher than two-thirds of comparable sailboats, and the displacement-length ratio of 272 puts the design among the "heavy cruisers" of its size band, with only about a third of similar boats weighing more.
Rig and Performance
The Seawolf 26 is built with a fractional sloop rig and a stated sail area of 315 square feet, yielding a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.68 — modest, favoring control over outright acceleration. The wetted surface of the bottom is about 193 square feet. Recorded performance figures give a calculated maximum speed near 3.9 knots and a theoretical displacement-hull speed of about 6.1 knots, with an immersion rate of roughly 680 pounds per inch. The Motion Comfort Ratio is 18.1, said to be more comfortable than 42 percent of similar designs. Its capsize screening value of 2.19 would, by the same source's standard, exclude the boat from ocean racing — a clear signal of its coastal-cruising intent rather than bluewater ambition.
Accommodations and Systems
Fresh water capacity is 20 US gallons, and the fuel tank holds 10 US gallons. The boat may be fitted with an inboard Volvo Penta 2001 diesel rated at 7 hp. Those tankages suit weekend gunkholing and short hops rather than extended liveaboard range, and the shoal twin-keel platform extends the anchorages and drying harbors open to the cruiser.
Known Issues
The known constraints are inherent to the design's mission: the capsize screening value and heavy-cruiser displacement-length ratio define a boat that trades offshore certification and light-air sparkle for stability and beachability. The shallow draft and twin-keel geometry limit upwind bite compared with a fin-keeled equivalent, and the modest engine output suits auxiliary use rather than sustained motoring.
The Verdict
The Seawolf 26 is a deliberate small cruiser: beamy, ballasted heavily for its length, and freed from draft worries by its twin-keel hull. Feltham and Seawolf Yachts Ltd. produced a boat for sheltered-water exploration and drying moorings, not ocean circuits. Its scarcity makes any example a find for the shoal-water purist.
Pros
- Twin bilge keels allow beaching and shoal access
- Ballast ratio exceeds two-thirds of similar designs
- Beamy layout ranks roomier than 85 percent of peers
Cons
- Capsize screening value bars ocean-race acceptance
- Modest 7 hp auxiliary and 10-gallon fuel capacity
- Fewer than 100 built, limiting spares-network familiarity
