BoatsFrances 26

Frances 26

Fractional Sloop · Long Keel · First built 1975

A long-keeled fractional sloop and Chuck Paine's debut design, famously proven by his own single-handed voyage

Designed by C. W. (Chuck) Paine, built by Morris Yachts.

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draughtDraws 1.17 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 28 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 28
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.73
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 316
EasygoingPowered-up

15.1 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.1
TenderStiff

51% of her weight is ballast — very stiff, carrying full sail in a blow.

Ballast 51%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
51.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.1
Displacement / length
316.4
Comfort ratio
28.2
Capsize screening
1.73
Hull speed
6.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
620
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1975
Units built
200
Designer
C. W. (Chuck) Paine
Builder
Morris Yachts, Victoria Marine

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.

Pearson Yachts-USA Triton8.63 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fibreglass cruising and saw international production.
Solo Sailor Atlantic Circuit Part 3 - Azores to Moroccofrom Atom Voyager
Nor'Sea Marine 278.23 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA masthead sloop with a versatile rig and ballast configuration, designed for trailerable offshore cruising
Buying a 40 Foot Sailboat at 21/yo0:46from Garrett’s Adventure
Contessa 267.77 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA David Sadler-designed long-keel masthead sloop, built in both England and Canada with a 25-year production run
5 Overbuilt Hulls Proving You Don't Need a $500,000 Yacht3:13from Knot Your Average Boat
Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising
Diagnosis, Troubleshooting, and a mini shakedown in San Diego - Dana 24 - (Dec 2018)from keeldragger
Vancouver 278.23 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter with a long keel, built across two continents to provide a stiff, comfortable passage
No Sleep for These Poor Ocean Sailors | Ep. 137:46from Sailing Songbird
Cape Dory 278.25 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull
Installing Cape Horn Varuna Windvane Self-steering - Cape Dory Refit Part 60:01from Atom Voyager

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Victoria Marine 26A cutter-rigged long-keeler with a taller coach roof and shallow forward well, later marketed as the Victoria 800Frers 26A high-performance IOR 1/4 ton racer designed by German Frers, later adapted into the Ranger and Mariner 26 cruiser linesLeigh 30 (Paine)A 1979 British-built cruiser with a long keel and 48% ballast ratio, originally marketed as the Victoria 30Evelyn 26 FDA flush-deck, performance-oriented fractional sloop designed to the MORC rule with a rare production of only five hullsEvelyn 26A versatile fractional sloop offered with either a standard fin or a rare lifting keel for shoal-water performancePearson Yachts 26A long-running masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, produced for over a decade as a versatile coastal cruiser

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Frances 26

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