After sailing my '99 260 for the first few times I decided there is just too much time invloved to use it as a trailer sailer. Several hundred dollars later and it now sits in a berth where I do much more sailing and much less fiddling with extraneous items. Now I'm wondering if I should have bought a solid keel vs. water ballast. Has anyone sailed both a H 26/260 swing and traditional keel? Is there a substantial difference? Is the WB 260 more prone to capsize? Iv'e heard the WB is more "tender" in gusty wind. Is this the only difference? So many questions. I do like the ability to singele-hand this boat. Hope I didn't make a big mistake buying a WB vs fixed keel.
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Mike Pajewski
Never sailed one with lead...but
You're right, setting up is a drag. My 26 has always spent her summers in the marina and not on the trailer. The advantage to the water ballast would be if you plan on visiting a sailing area away from home. We pulled our boat out of the water for a week long vacation to the Apostle Islands. Having a fixed keel would have made this trip a little bit trickier, (And expensive, as we would have had to use a travel lift to launch & retrieve.) Even now, after moving to Eastern Wisconsin, we toy with the idea of pulling the boat out to go cruise Door County. The 70 mile passage up the Lake Michigan coast would probably eat up more than a couple days of cruising time, whereas pulling out the boat, spending an hour to drive up and launching the same day, (although very tiring) would allow more time to explore the prime cruising areas. When we move up to a fixed keel, it will be a bigger boat. As far as capsizing, I have sailed with too much canvas up on occasion. If the wind pipes up too much, she'll heel until the rudder comes out, and then round up into the wind. To capsize, you would have to take an awfully sudden huge wind gust, and then I don't know if the fixed keel would make a difference. Just reef her around 12-15 knots and she'll sail faster to boot. Mike Pajewski H26 "Loon"
You're right, setting up is a drag. My 26 has always spent her summers in the marina and not on the trailer. The advantage to the water ballast would be if you plan on visiting a sailing area away from home. We pulled our boat out of the water for a week long vacation to the Apostle Islands. Having a fixed keel would have made this trip a little bit trickier, (And expensive, as we would have had to use a travel lift to launch & retrieve.) Even now, after moving to Eastern Wisconsin, we toy with the idea of pulling the boat out to go cruise Door County. The 70 mile passage up the Lake Michigan coast would probably eat up more than a couple days of cruising time, whereas pulling out the boat, spending an hour to drive up and launching the same day, (although very tiring) would allow more time to explore the prime cruising areas. When we move up to a fixed keel, it will be a bigger boat. As far as capsizing, I have sailed with too much canvas up on occasion. If the wind pipes up too much, she'll heel until the rudder comes out, and then round up into the wind. To capsize, you would have to take an awfully sudden huge wind gust, and then I don't know if the fixed keel would make a difference. Just reef her around 12-15 knots and she'll sail faster to boot. Mike Pajewski H26 "Loon"
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Joe Refkin
WB AOK
Greg covered the topic well. An extra advantage of the WB/swing Keel is the reduction in cost over craning the boat out of the water at end of season. 2ndly, I prefer to store the boat safely on a trailor rather than up on stilts. There has been at least one each winter for the last 2 yrs to blow off its stands in a wind storm.
Greg covered the topic well. An extra advantage of the WB/swing Keel is the reduction in cost over craning the boat out of the water at end of season. 2ndly, I prefer to store the boat safely on a trailor rather than up on stilts. There has been at least one each winter for the last 2 yrs to blow off its stands in a wind storm.
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Michael Bell
Your OK
While I wouldn’t want to put my H26 in and out of the water every weekend (hence it’s moored most of the summer) – I still like the ease of taking it other places on occasion. And from watching my companions on our last trip, launch and retrieve their boats, I was real glad to have the water ballast.
While I wouldn’t want to put my H26 in and out of the water every weekend (hence it’s moored most of the summer) – I still like the ease of taking it other places on occasion. And from watching my companions on our last trip, launch and retrieve their boats, I was real glad to have the water ballast.
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Ron Fraboni
No Need For Buyers Remorse
At the risk of overkill, I vote with everyone else on the benefits of having a trailerable boat and the benefits of a comfortable size. There are trade-offs to be sure, but being able to trailer the boat to great cruising locations is a great advantage. I think most of us with H26's keep it in the water most of the time, but those periodic trips are great if you enjoy cruising. Have fun!
At the risk of overkill, I vote with everyone else on the benefits of having a trailerable boat and the benefits of a comfortable size. There are trade-offs to be sure, but being able to trailer the boat to great cruising locations is a great advantage. I think most of us with H26's keep it in the water most of the time, but those periodic trips are great if you enjoy cruising. Have fun!
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Harvey Small
Winter Trips
OK, so the boat's a little tender with the water ballast. And day-sailing a 26 footer off the trailer is something done once and then relegated to the sales brochures. But, the water ballast makes those winter trips to Florida possible. Since the cost of trailering is a lot less than air fare and charter fees, we're a lot more likely to take our Hunter 26 back to the Keys. You've got a unique vacation & sailing machine -- enjoy it!
OK, so the boat's a little tender with the water ballast. And day-sailing a 26 footer off the trailer is something done once and then relegated to the sales brochures. But, the water ballast makes those winter trips to Florida possible. Since the cost of trailering is a lot less than air fare and charter fees, we're a lot more likely to take our Hunter 26 back to the Keys. You've got a unique vacation & sailing machine -- enjoy it!
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Joe Baker
Versatility
With our H26 WB we; daysail central Minnesota, trip to Lake Superior, anchor in shallow water, back up and put the ladder on shore, and keep it at home on the trailer. Set up and preparing to depart from a berth takes almost as much time for us as trailering does. Marina life is an interesting, usually friendly lifestyle that we do miss out on for the most part. As has been covered, there are trade offs. If you need the rock solid feel, you need more weight on the bottom of the boat.
With our H26 WB we; daysail central Minnesota, trip to Lake Superior, anchor in shallow water, back up and put the ladder on shore, and keep it at home on the trailer. Set up and preparing to depart from a berth takes almost as much time for us as trailering does. Marina life is an interesting, usually friendly lifestyle that we do miss out on for the most part. As has been covered, there are trade offs. If you need the rock solid feel, you need more weight on the bottom of the boat.
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peter iversen
dry sail
we "dry sail" our h260; ie leave it on the trailer with sails on. our marina has a locked compound where we can keep our boat for $400/season vs $1200 in a slip. time from arrival to underway is no more than 20 min. time to drop mast to prepare for long distance trailering is down to 2 hours. keep our boat in lake ontario have trailered to cape hatteras and north channel. planning numerous other locations b4 moving to fixed keel. warning when trailering, take motor off or bracket will bend. we actually had to put motor in back explorer to be stable at 60 mph. good sailing peter sun jammin
we "dry sail" our h260; ie leave it on the trailer with sails on. our marina has a locked compound where we can keep our boat for $400/season vs $1200 in a slip. time from arrival to underway is no more than 20 min. time to drop mast to prepare for long distance trailering is down to 2 hours. keep our boat in lake ontario have trailered to cape hatteras and north channel. planning numerous other locations b4 moving to fixed keel. warning when trailering, take motor off or bracket will bend. we actually had to put motor in back explorer to be stable at 60 mph. good sailing peter sun jammin
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