BoatsWesterly Marine Ltd. Chieftain 26

Westerly Marine Ltd. Chieftain 26

Masthead Sloop · Twin keels · 1972–1976

A center-cockpit cruiser featuring an aft cabin, bowsprit, and wheel steering built on the proven Centaur hull

Designed by Laurent Giles & Jack Laurent Giles.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Twin Keel

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

Shoal draftDraws 0.91 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 27 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 27
CoastalBluewater

1.79 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.79
LightHeavy

308 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 308
EasygoingPowered-up

14.7 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.7
TenderStiff

42% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 42%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Draws less than ~92% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1703 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
41.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.7
Displacement / length
308.2
Comfort ratio
26.7
Capsize screening
1.79
Hull speed
6.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
642
Hull
Hull type
Twin Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1972–1976
Units built
79
Designer
Laurent Giles, Jack Laurent Giles
Builder
Westerly Marine Ltd

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Catalina Yachts 278.18 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA masthead sloop with 6,662 hulls produced over two decades, serving as a staple of coastal cruising since 1971
Cascade Yachts 278.23 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, designed by Robert A. Smith for balanced coastal cruising
Puma 268.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop derived from an IOR Half Ton prototype, designed by Holman and Pye for competitive performance
Colvic Ltd. Sailor 268.21 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA twin-keeled masthead sloop with hulls molded by Colvic and finished by various yards, including Atlanta Marine
Coronado Yachts 278.13 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA William Tripp Jr. design featuring a masthead sloop rig and fin keel, sharing a near-identical hull with the Columbia 27
Watkins Yachts 278.23 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder, offered in rare pilot house and keel-centerboard configurations

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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