Westerly Chieftain 26 Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

Drawing Diagram

Builder drawing

Hull type

Monohull · twin

Rig

Masthead Sloop

LOA

26' · 7.92 m

Displ.

6,700 lbs · 3,039 kg

First year

1972

The Westerly Chieftain 26 is a specialized variant of the legendary Westerly Centaur, arguably the most successful British production yacht ever built. While the Centaur was designed as an aftcockpit cruiser, the Chieftain was introduced in 1972 as a centercockpit, aftcabin alternative. Built by the United Kingdom’s Westerly Marine Construction Ltd. and designed by the prolific naval architect Jack Laurent Giles, the Chieftain used the same 26foot bilgekeel hull that had already proven itself as a rugged and stable platform. Only 79 hulls were produced between 1972 and 1976, making it a rare find compared to its sibling, the Centaur, which saw nearly 2,500 units completed. The Chieftain represents an ambitious attempt to scale "big boat" features—such as wheel steering and a private aft stateroom—into a compact, trailerablewidth coastal cruiser.