Francis 26 Sloop

Description

The Frances 26 was originally designed and offered as a sloop, alongside the cutter rig variant. Designed by Chuck Paine in 1974, the Frances 26 began as a fractional sloop with a single headsail (typically a genoa or jib) on a forestay, emphasizing simplicity and performance for coastal and offshore cruising. The sloop rig was the initial configuration when Paine built his prototype, and it was produced by Morris Yachts (USA) and later by Victoria Marine/Northshore Yachts (UK, often as the Victoria 26) starting in 1975. The sloop version features a clean, efficient rig with a larger mainsail and single headsail, making it slightly simpler to handle than the cutter, which adds an inner forestay and staysail for heavy-weather flexibility. Both rigs share the same double-ended, long-keel hull with a sail area of approximately 337 sq ft (31.3 m²), though the sloop's headsail (e.g., 100–165 sq ft genoa) is larger than the cutter’s Yankee/staysail combo. Owners note the sloop is lively in light to moderate winds but may require earlier reefing in gusts compared to the cutter. Many of the ~200 Frances 26 hulls built (US and UK combined) were sloops, especially early models, and they remain popular on the used market ($20,000–$40,000) for their elegant lines and seaworthiness, as documented in owner forums and Paine’s design records.