Weight a minute
Doug,Both boats should have the same approximate weight when empty. I believe the weight on the 26D is listed with the water in the balast, and the 26S is listed with no water in the balast. Probably done by two separate submitters and no-one questioned it - until just now.On the 26D, the dagger board is not in the way inside the cabin. It is inside a trunk that looks like a partition in the cabin. It is raised and lowered from the deck by means of a line. If you're sailing with the dagger board lowered and hit something, like a big rock laying on the bottom, the dagger board and trunk can become damaged. Also, the boat stops rather suddenly. The 26D is a bit older and may not cost you as much. On the 26S, the swing board sits in a trunk that you can not see from inside of the cabin. The swing board is raised and lowered from inside the cabin (unless you make a modification). The swing board will swing up if you hit something like a big rock, and will probably not do any damage to the boat or the board. The 26S model is newer and may cost a bit more. Both boats are quite comparable. Theoretically, the 26D is faster. But that depends on how well the skipper can sail the boat. Let us know what you end up buying, and why you chose the boat you bought.Cheers,Bruce CowinBrigadoon 26S