Balboa 26
Description
The Balboa 26 is an American trailerable sailboat designed by legendary small-craft naval architect Lyle C. Hess (known for seaworthy pocket cruisers like the Balboa 20 and collaborations with Larry Pardey) and first built by Arthur Marine in Costa Mesa, California, starting in 1969. Production continued under Coastal Recreation Inc. from around 1972 until 1981, with approximately 300–400 hulls produced in total. Marketed as the "largest trailerable sailing cruiser" of its era, it was created to meet demand for an affordable, economical coastal cruiser that could handle family outings, daysailing, or short passages while being easily towed by a standard vehicle (total rigged weight under 4,000 lb.). The masthead sloop rig, swing keel (with a fixed keel option), and spade rudder make it forgiving yet responsive for beginners or short-handed crews (2–4 people), emphasizing stability and seaworthiness per Hess's design philosophy.
Construction Details
| Designer | Lyle C. Hess |
|---|---|
| Builder | Coastal Recreation |
| Length | 26.000 ft |
| LOA | 25.580 ft |
| LWL | 20.830 ft |
| Beam | 7.958 ft |
| Displacement | 3600 lb |
| Ballast | 1200 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.830 ft |
| Year Built | 1969 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 30 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10.75 ft |
| p | 24.83 ft |
| e | 10.75 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 ft | 10.75 ft | 24.83 ft | 10.75 ft | - | - | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
Balboa 26 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 24.83 ft - (7568 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 10.75 ft - (3277 mm) |
| Leech | 26.82 ft - (8175 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 89.67 ° |
| Diagonal | 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 137.89 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Balboa 26 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 25.75 ft - (7849 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 13.75 ft - (4191 mm) |
| Leech | 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 109.3 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.75 ft - (3581 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.61 ° |
| Area | * 151.23 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Balboa 26 - GENOA
| Luff | 30.75 ft - (9373 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 17.5 ft - (5334 mm) |
| Leech | 28.5 ft - (8687 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 148.56 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.97 ft - (4868 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.39 ° |
| Area | * 245.6 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Balboa 26 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 31 ft - (9449 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Leech | 29 ft - (8839 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 418 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Balboa 26 - STORMJIB
| Luff | 15.42 ft - (4700 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 7.92 ft - (2414 mm) |
| Leech | 11.75 ft - (3581 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 54.98 % |
| Length Perp | * 5.91 ft - (1801 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 21.97 ° |
| Area | * 45.6 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.