Pearson 26
Description
The Pearson 26 is a versatile fiberglass coastal cruiser-racer designed by William H. "Bill" Shaw for Pearson Yachts, produced from 1970 to 1983 as a family-friendly masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, balancing club racing speed with weekend cruising comfort in a 26-foot package. Featuring a wide beam for stability and a high cabin top for interior volume, it sleeps four adults in a practical layout with 5 ft 8 in headroom, powered by an outboard motor via a transom well, and was priced affordably at around $5,200 new—making it one of Pearson's best-sellers for beginners seeking performance without complexity. A variant, the Pearson 26 One Design (OD, 1976–1980), prioritizes racing with a longer cockpit and lighter weight but reduced accommodations. Bill Shaw, fresh from Sparkman & Stephens, designed the 26 in 1970 to revitalize Pearson's lineup amid the 1960s fiberglass boom, drawing on his experience with models like the Pearson 30 for a boat that excelled in MORC fleets while offering cruiser amenities. Built at Pearson's Portsmouth, Rhode Island facility (with some in League City, TX) under Grumman ownership, the standard model saw 1,777 units produced through 1983, outselling rivals like the Columbia 26; the OD variant added 262 racier hulls until 1980, featuring an 8 ft 11 in cockpit (2 ft longer than standard) and 200 lb less displacement. Hand-laid solid fiberglass hulls with balsa-cored decks ensured durability; production ceased as Pearson shifted to larger boats, but the 26's success (over 2,000 total) cemented its status, with active fleets like Austin Yacht Club's 19-boat group.
Construction Details
| Designer | William H. "Bill" Shaw |
|---|---|
| Builder | Pearson Yachts |
| Length | 26.100 ft |
| LOA | 26.120 ft |
| LWL | 21.670 ft |
| Beam | 8.690 ft |
| Displacement | 5400 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 31.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10 ft |
| p | 26 ft |
| e | 10 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.50 ft | 10 ft | 26 ft | 10 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Pearson 26 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 27.5 ft - (8382 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | * 28.72 ft - (8754 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 28.93 ft - (8818 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 141.9 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 14.75 ft - (4496 mm) |
| Leech | 23.5 ft - (7163 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 110.52 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12.82 ft - (3908 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9.46 ° |
| Area | * 173.01 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 28 ft - (8534 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 13.25 ft - (4039 mm) |
| Leech | 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 97.76 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.34 ft - (3456 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 10.91 ° |
| Area | * 158.79 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - GENOA
| Luff | 31.83 ft - (9702 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 18.92 ft - (5767 mm) |
| Leech | 29.92 ft - (9120 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 149.83 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.38 ft - (5297 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.06 ° |
| Area | * 276.61 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - GENOA
| Luff | 31 ft - (9449 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 16.5 ft - (5029 mm) |
| Leech | 28.75 ft - (8763 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 130.52 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.14 ft - (4615 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.21 ° |
| Area | * 234.67 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - GENOA
| Luff | 31.75 ft - (9677 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 17.25 ft - (5258 mm) |
| Leech | 29.25 ft - (8915 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 135.6 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.73 ft - (4795 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.04 ° |
| Area | * 249.66 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - DRIFTER
| Luff | 31.83 ft - (9702 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 19.42 ft - (5919 mm) |
| Leech | 29 ft - (8839 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 17.4 ft - (5304 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.16 ° |
| Area | * 276.89 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 32 ft - (9754 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Leech | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 480 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 31.89 ft - (9720 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 20.88 ft - (6364 mm) |
| Foot | * 20.88 ft - (6364 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 566 ft² |
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Pearson 26 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 18.46 ft - (5627 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 8.98 ft - (2737 mm) |
| Leech | * 14.56 ft - (4438 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 6.96 ft - (2121 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 18.96 ° |
| Area | * 64.26 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.