BoatsControversy 26

Controversy 26

Masthead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · First built 1954

A versatile masthead sloop from 1954, available in offshore, weekend, and day-sailing configurations

Designed by C. Hamlin, Butler & Cyrus Hamlin, built by Mount Desert Yacht Yard.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.51 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,860 kg of hull, so roughly 2,450 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draftDraws 0.76 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 17 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 17
CoastalBluewater

2.06 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.06
LightHeavy

178 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 178
EasygoingPowered-up

18.3 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.3
TenderStiff

32% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 32%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
31.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.3
Displacement / length
177.9
Comfort ratio
16.6
Capsize screening
2.06
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
641
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1954
Designer
C. Hamlin, Butler, Cyrus Hamlin
Builder
Mount Desert Yacht Yard

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.

O'day 23-1 (Lift Top)7.01 mSame hull family0.9 m shorterA popular C. Raymond Hunt-designed masthead sloop featuring a unique lift-top coach roof for added cabin headroom
O'day 23-26.93 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA masthead keel-centerboard sloop produced in Brazil and the U.S. for over a decade as a popular coastal cruiser
Macgregor 26X7.87 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA water-ballasted sail-power hybrid designed for versatile coastal cruising and easy trailering
Cal Boats 247.43 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterThe inaugural Jensen Marine Cal model, this fractional keel-centerboard sloop was built for shoal-water versatility
Chrysler Marine 226.71 mSame hull family1.2 m shorterA 6.7-metre masthead sloop produced as the C-22 and T-22 Sandpiper, featuring a swing keel for shallow-water access

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

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