The New BayCruiser 26
The new BayCruiser 26 has been designed to fill a gap in the market for a small yacht that offers real performance potential and great accommodation. Already the first boat has been sold and there is a huge amount of interest with considerable appeal for a wide range of customers. The yacht will feature an innovative ballast system comprising a lead tip to a drop keel in addition to a well proven water ballast system. This keeps her stable and secure in heavier weather but fun and fast in light winds, when the ballast can be jettisoned. It also means she has a weight, including trailer of just 1700kg, making her tow-able by many ordinary estate cars.
The whole design and ethos of the boat has been centered around great sailing performance. Her hull and deck will be a foam sandwich composite with traditional lines married to modern underwater shapes. Fully profiled foils and twin rudders will keep her tracking and under full control at all times, yet these can be lifted to reduce her draught to a beach ready 300mm (1ft). Her single spreader carbon mast and boom, with fat head mainsail provides optimum efficiency and performance under sail, while keeping the mast length short enough to step easily without external assistance.
The distinctive cabin shape gives a huge amount of space inside, with large windows and headroom of 1.72m (5’8″). The galley immediately to starboard has full standing headroom under the companionway. A comfortable bunk height with no centreboard case will make the saloon a very comfortable and open space. An enclosed head makes use of the drop keel case to disguise this otherwise obtrusive feature. The position and access to the toilet is the best compromise for daysailing and extended cruising. A full size vee berth forward with an infill can be curtained off for additional privacy.
The standard boat will be able to take up to a 10HP outboard engine in a dedicated recess in the transom. Here it can sit on the centreline, being easy to reach and able to be steered if desired. Remote throttles can be fitted.
An alternative is a 14HP diesel inboard system with a shaft drive to a folding prop under the stern. Both options allow excellent stern access via the transom which is protected by fold down doors, maintaining the feeling of security in the cockpit, but allowing boarding from a dinghy.
Many owners will only rarely trailer her – perhaps at the start and end of the season, and she offers a lot to those sailors, being much more manageable than a larger yacht and very easy to single-hand. Her water ballast system will enable a real turn of speed in light winds while still retaining positive stability beyond 90 degrees with the keel fully down. In stronger winds, or with nervous crew on board, simply fill the tanks with an additional 450kg of water to provide a stable and reassuring experience. In addition to all this you also have capability to go much further a field and visit some of the worlds most beautiful cruising grounds. With a boat like this you can tow her, launch and rig her single-handed and cruise extensively with no concerns about getting storm bound and unable to return home.
A full size mock up is being built to ensure optimum ergonomics and maximise internal storage space. The mock up will also ensure that sightlines, foredeck access and stern boarding arrangements all work as intended.
The BayCruiser 26 is currently in development with a target launch of Spring 2014. If you are interested or would like to get involved, please feel free to get in touch or come visit us in Cardigan or at Southampton Boat Show on stand A107. Most boats we have designed to date have been improved with extensive customer feedback and ideas, a process many of them enjoy considerably.
