Review of Ericson 26

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with 4 berths, a galley, 68.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

Rig of Ericson 26 anno 1988.

The Ericson 26 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Fin keel

The Ericson 26 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.50 - 1.60 meter (4.92 - 5.22 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Ericson 26 may be equipped with an inboard Westerbeke 10 diesel engine at 10 hp (7 kW). Calculated max speed is about 4.8 knots

The fuel tank has a capacity of 57.0 liters (15 US gallons, 12 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Ericson 26 is 2.13, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Ericson 26 is about 126 kg/cm, alternatively 706 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 126 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 706 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Ericson 26 is 18.0.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Ericson 26 is 2.78.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Ericson 26 is 43%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Ericson 26 is 222 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Ericson 26 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 17.2, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 20.2.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 22m² (236 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Ericson 26 (Bruce King) it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.