Design and Construction
The Super Seal 26 measures 26 feet overall, with a 23-foot-4-inch waterline and a 9-foot-3-inch beam. She displaces 5,000 pounds and carries 2,251 pounds of lead ballast, giving a ballast-displacement ratio of 45 percent. Those figures place her firmly in the light-and-stiff camp rather than the heavy-bluewater tradition.
Her deep, high-aspect-ratio drop keel provides a draft range of 1 foot 3 inches to 5 feet 6 inches. This allows her to use a drying mooring or be beached when the going gets tough.
The hull and deck are both solid fiberglass. One owner, Graham, added a watertight bulkhead 18 inches from the transom in his own boat. It was a practical reinforcement, but not a factory standard.
Rig, Steering, and Handling
The boat carries an efficient 7/8 fractional sloop rig on a deck-stepped, single-spreader mast. The cap shroud ends at the top of the forestay, while an adjustable backstay bends the rig as needed.
A four-part block system handles the mainsheet. It is anchored to a stainless horse over the companionway and centered on the cockpit sole. Tiller steering, with an extension, gives the boat a dinghy-like feel. The centreboard is raised much as it would be in a dinghy, and the rudder lifts to clear shoal water.
The Super Seal 26 is tenderish and quick to dip over. Even so, owners report that she never felt unsafe except in a short, sharp, steep sea, where she takes off from a wave and slams.
Accommodation
Factory descriptions credit the Super Seal 26 with well-fitted, comfortable accommodation for up to five. Writing in Sailing Today, reviewers awarded the boat four stars for accommodation, describing it as better than expected in a fast boat. The same review gave her five stars for performance.
Space remains tight, however. The interior best suits a family while the children are still young, and there is no dedicated navigation station. That limits the boat as a serious passage-maker, despite the example of Malaika, a fixed-keel sister that crossed the Atlantic and went trans-Pacific to Honolulu.
Engine Arrangement
Original boats came with a 9.9hp outboard mounted on rails. The engine could be lifted clear of the water when sailing, and a fairing plug filled the aperture once the outboard was raised to smooth the flow. The arrangement keeps the hull clean underway and simplifies trailing and storage.
Verdict
The Super Seal 26 is a distinctive small fast cruiser that trades absolute interior volume for sparkling performance and unusual shoal-draft flexibility. Ron Holland’s racing pedigree shows in the rig and the boat’s quick, dinghy-like responses, while the lifting keel and beachable hull make her unusually versatile for a 26-footer.
She isn’t a roomy weekender for a family of grown children. For a couple or a young family, however, she remains a compelling used proposition.
Pros
- Excellent sailing performance from the 7/8 fractional rig and adjustable backstay
- Lifting keel and rudder provide a 1-foot-3-inch minimum draft and allow the use of drying moorings and beaches
- Light, stiff construction and a strong ballast ratio for her size
- Outboard-on-rails arrangement keeps the hull clean underway
Cons
- Tender and quick to heel; prone to slamming in short, steep seas
- Tight accommodation with no dedicated navigation space
- Confined interior best suited to young families
