Home The Boat Design Concept Specifications Photo Gallery Options Lease Management Program Boat Reviews Manual (PDF) How to Rig Single Hand Jib Sheets Specials Used Boats Company Class Assoc. Sail Training Contact Us Testimonials

Steve Colgate and Jim Taylor join forces with Precision Sailboat to create the Colgate 26

The Colgate 26 is a trailerable sailboat conceived and designed with the future of sailing in mind. Working with noted sailboat designer Jim Taylor and sailboat manufacturer Precision Sailboat Works, Steve Colgate produces small sailboats for sale that fill the demand for recreational boating and keelboat instruction. A blue water pocket cruiser with excellent sailing performance, the Colgate 26 is the family sport boat® that combines outstanding safety features, comfort and durability at exceptional value.

The Colgate 26

Conceived and Designed with the Future of Sailing in Mind By Steve Colgate

Over forty years of teaching experience and sailing school management.

A great deal of thought and over 40 years of teaching experience and sailing school management have gone into the concept of the Colgate 26. For years, I suggested to the major boat builders a need for a low cost, durable, safe instructional boat. They did not believe there was a market. My feeling was, and its been proven true, that if a boat has all the features desired for teaching beginners and racing, the same boat will appeal to the broad market of the public. Remember, our boats are being used and abused 6 to 7 days a week, 12 months a year in a number of Offshore Sailing School locations. We have been using Colgate 26s since 1996 and they have held up beautifully. No one wants a boat that will fall apart. The following should explain some of the thinking behind the concept, because without explanation, the ideas may not be clear to even the careful observer.

To Top

The size of the Colgate 26

Fewer U.S. Coast Guard requirements

Measuring 25' 8" overall, the Colgate 26 is a Class 1 vessel (Class 2 is 26' to less than 40') and, therefore, has fewer U.S. Coast Guard requirements, such as one fire extinguisher instead of two. Further, my thought was if Class 1 regulations became too onerous for any reason in the future, a 4" bow extension jumps the boat into Class 2. It's much easier to lengthen a boat than to shorten it. The other reason for the length selected is insurance. Most homeowner's policies give automatic watercraft liability coverage for boats under 26 feet.

Maximum legal width for highway towing

The beam is 8' 6", the maximum legal width for highway towing. I realize J/24s have a beam of 8' 11" and have been towed illegally on highways for years with no problem. However, I've been told that some states are starting to use lasers for load measurements and, if the authorities start cracking down, wide loads could be in big trouble.

To Top

The weight of the Colgate26

Strength and thickness of fiberglass lay-up

The weight of the Colgate 26 is 2600 pounds. Naval architect Jim Taylor, the designer of the Colgate 26, suggested an all up weight of 2200 pounds. I felt the strength of the structure and the thickness of the fiberglass lay-up would be compromised at that weight.

Feels and acts like a larger boat

I did not want a light boat that would be tossed around by waves, throwing the crew off balance. It needed to "feel" like a larger, more powerful boat. We agreed on 2600 pounds. We increased sturdiness with a negligible affect on speed.

To Top

Insurance company recommendations and requirements

Safety of prime importance

Even though we have had a perfect unblemished safety record (other than minor claims), our insurance company has become more proactive in their recommendations and requirements. They recommend for instance, that all our students wear life vests and that we have some form of emergency communication with a landside base.

Positive foam flotation and easy access from water

With the recent loss of life from a sinking of a popular 24' club boat in New York Harbor in 1998 and the death of a man who couldn't get back aboard a popular 23' boat with a high transom, it’s just a matter of time before insurance companies become very insistent in their demands about sailboats and their safety. For this reason, the Colgate 26 has positive foam flotation and a transom that's only a few inches above the water for easy access back aboard.

VHF radio standard equipment

At the time my concept was coming to fruition, the U.S. government decided licenses were no longer required for VHF radios. I immediately decided to make a VHF radio standard equipment to comply with our insurance company's wishes and to give all Colgate 26s the capability for emergency communication. Power for the VHF is stored in batteries charged by a portable solar panel.

To Top

Stability, performance and comfort

A sailboat that won't scare beginners, yet challenges racers

For stability and performance, Jim Taylor and I agreed on a draft of 4' 6" with 1050 pounds of lead in the keel. I wanted a boat that would not scare beginners, yet would have the performance desired by racing sailors. On both accounts, the Colgate 26 is "right on".

Sailing in higher wind strengths

We have effectively increased the wind range in which we can teach sailing. We've had beginners out in 25-35 knot winds, double reefed with a rolled up jib and have been able to sail on all points. And they weren't scared. We have also sailed with the jib alone (no mainsail) and beat up a long channel in 25-knot winds. As we all know, all you need is one bad experience to sour a new sailor on sailing for the rest of his or her life. Everything in this boat is devoted to avoiding such an experience.

Solo sailing

The balance of the Colgate 26 makes it very easy to sail alone. With the use of the tiller extension, a person sailing alone can steer and still reach the jib winches. However, most just leave the helm and go forward. By throwing off the leeward jib sheet, the boat tacks itself. Then they just trim the new leeward sheet and go back to the tiller.

Tested by top racers

As for racing, some of the top match racers in the world, including Russell Coutts, used the Colgate 26 at a Bitter End match racing regatta and loved it.

Shoal draft model maintains stability and performance

At the first Chicago Strictly Sail Show we entered, we received many requests for a shoal draft model. I approached Jim Taylor with the requirement that stability and performance should be maintained at the highest possible level. After much number crunching, we found we could take a foot off the keel (to a 3' 6" draft) and add 200 pounds of lead without changing the sailing and stability characteristics greatly. Any less draft would result in marked reduction in performance and stability. This required a completely redesigned keel and rudder along with added lead, which is the reason for the shoal draft surcharge.

Easy to get off if it goes aground

By the way, one of the requirements I gave Jim Taylor regarding the keel, was there would be no pronounced bulb or wings. Many sailors sail in areas with muddy bottoms. A bulb or wings can dig into the mud when you go aground and make it very difficult to get free.

Extra strength to avoid damage

Special attention has been given to the keel to hull attachment. Extra fiberglass layers are added there. The keel is attached to the hull with eight oversized stainless bolts.

To Top

We listened to our students and racing crews

Cockpit designed to build confidence and crew security

The cockpit design was based on experience with students and racing crews. We did a study involving teaching with another class of boat that had a completely open cockpit to the stern. The advantages are obvious. If the boat sits at a dock or mooring for a long period of time, it doesn't fill up with rainwater. The problem was, novice students felt very uncomfortable and insecure with the open transom. They felt like they could be washed out. After sailing both this modern sailboat and our regular teaching boat (at that time, the Soling) they were asked which one they wanted to use for the remainder of the course. They unanimously voted for the Soling for the above reasons.

A barrier separates cockpit from transom for added support, safety, security

On the Colgate 26 we have the advantage of the open cockpit, but have sealed off the end of the cockpit with a seat-height barrier which supports the traveler and the rudder post. Drain holes make it self bailing to the transom. The barrier has the added advantage of giving the rudder post much greater support, because of the greater distance between where the rudder post enters the hull and the tiller head; it blocks any water that might come up over the low stern when teaching students to sail backwards. So far the boat has been surprisingly dry when sailing backwards, but if we overtook a wave, I didn't want it to flood the whole length of the cockpit. Moreover, the barrier gives the students the secure feeling of an enclosed cockpit.

A separate, safe platform for extra passengers

The aft part of the boat has two seats behind the tiller and traveler. A passenger, an instructor or an umpire can be stationed there. They are out of the way of the action. Further, it gives the instructor a separate location from which to teach. There is a second mainsheet trim and release cam cleat on the traveler. A person stationed behind the traveler can trim in the mainsail from aft for faster leeward mark roundings while racing. On the Colgate 26, not only is the instructor in a much safer and more secure position, he or she has the emergency release of the mainsheet right on top of the traveler, in case a student is trying to go to leeward of a right of way or moored boat and the mainsheet hasn't been released from the forward cam cleat by another student.

It takes a LOT to make this boat broach

This leads into another design discussion I had with Jim Taylor. His initial suggestion was to hang the rudder off the stern, mainly for reasons of economy. With modern, beamy sailboats this results in the rudder being in the turbulent water exiting off the stern and the rudder loses its effectiveness early when the sailboat heels, causing broaching. To avoid early loss of control and broaching, I opted for a rudder mounted under the cockpit. Since it is underneath the boat, it has a more effective bite on the water and is in smoother flow. I've seen some modern boats used by sailing schools for beginners which broach when sailing upwind! What a way to start beginners sailing.

Rudder rotates 360 degrees for safety and control

Another advantage of the rudder placement is the ease of "sculling". The rudder and tiller are designed to be able to rotate 360 degrees without hitting the hull or stops. You can rotate it 180 degrees and scull backward out of a slip. Also, when we teach how to sail backwards, if the student helmsman loses grip on the tiller, the rudder spins harmlessly rather than breaking rudder stops or hitting the hull.

Advantage when powering

When using an outboard motor in close quarters, one can put the tiller in a vertical position and do all the maneuvers with the outboard. The rudder will spin harmlessly. When powering in a straight line, one sets the outboard straight and steers with the tiller.

Spacious, comfortable, ergonomically designed

As for the rest of the cockpit, I wanted a clean, large sitting/crewing area, comfortable for young and old, easily traversed during tacks by four or more adults (not knocking into each other) and designed so one doesn't slide to leeward when heeling. Jim Taylor did a superb design job on the cockpit, the seating ergonomics and the sheeting arrangement. Crew can sit with their legs over the side, draping their arms over the rigid railings. The timid can sit on a cockpit seat and brace their legs on the leeward cockpit seat.

Bow pulpit designed to avoid damage

Bow pulpits are a fragile part when they extend past the bow of the boat, as we have found from various cruising boats we've owned. Students hit pilings and bend them. We designed the bow pulpit of the Colgate 26 so that it doesn't extend past he bow.

To Top

A very versatile sailboat with lots of standard equipment

A weekender with sitting headroom

My concept was to make the Colgate 26 as versatile as possible, thereby enhancing its resale value by appealing to a broad sector of the sailing public. That's the reason for the V-berth, two large quarter berths, portable head, optional sink, insulated cooler, navigation lights and interior light. It's a weekender with sitting headroom. The following is a list of the Colgate 26 features which have evolved from the thoughts above. All these features are standard equipment except where noted as "optional".

Colgate 26 Safety Features

Durability, Reparability And Other Features

Features For Easy Transition To Larger Boats

Features For Easy Transition To Racing Boats

Features To Make Racing More Efficient

Features For Comfort And For Cruising

Naval Architect Drawings

Colgate 26 Naval Drawings

To Top

866-842-4355 Toll free U.S./Canada • 239-454-1700 International