Ericson 26 - Performance in light winds?

[vasuvius]

I'm a newbie sailor and am looking for my first boat. I spent last year doing a whole bunch of ASA courses and about 40+ days on a boat. I'm looking at an Ericson 26 (1988) and wondering how about its sailing performance in light winds.
I'm in the NY/NJ area and it's likely the boat will live somewhere on the Hudson river north of the GW Bridge.
Winds in the summer tend to be quite light most days and the tidal current is pretty strong.
I'm not yet sure what kind of boat I want and finding the balance between light, performant, between 22 - 29 ft, and with some creature comforts for a 2-3 day cruise is an enjoyable exercise.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I believe the boat sails fairly well in light air. I have a 135% genoa, which gives good performance.

As for "creature comforts," for a 26' boat it has a surprisingly commodious interior. Again, you do need to keep in mind that the boat is only 26 feet. But Bruce King packed a lot of boat into a small package.

I do mostly solo trips to Catalina Island, and I have stayed aboard for two weeks at a time in good comfort. The boat has one really comfortable berth: the starboard settee, which pulls out into a nice wide double. The port settee is too narrow--though I'm working to rectify that by making the platform pull out to add another 6", which will really help. The vee berth is comfortable enough, though it does require some contortions to get into it. (This is true for vee berths generally, but the lower ceiling in the E26 adds somewhat to the challenge.)

Bear in mind that I'm only 5'7", so I can't speak for what taller folks might think.

I'd say you could cruise the boat with two adults, and for single-handed trips it has been great.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I will also add that the ice box does a very nice job for me. For a long trip I'll put in 2x20# blocks and 2x20# bags of cubes (80 lbs. total). This still leaves adequate room for all the food I need for a two week trip. I'll get a good week and a half before I have to start thinking of schlepping more ice to the boat. (As you probably already know, the blocks last WAY longer than the cubes.)

 

[vasuvius]

Thanks Alan. Very helpful.

 

[gabriel]

My e25 really does best in light to moderate light winds (7-17kt) I think it was designed with that in mind as were most Ericsons.

There are lighter race boats with deeper keels and taller mast which are even better in light winds but many aren’t good cruisers.

 

[DaveE26]

I'm on Lake Michigan and its always light in the summer, the boat does well in light air. I will say it has a lot to do with the bottom and how good your sail are. clean bottom and fresh sails you won't be disappointed.

 

[Christian Williams]

Unless you want a racing boat with minimal accommodations, they're all the same performance-wise.

If it looks good it will sail fine.

In light air and current what we really need is an engine that works. The alternative is a 150 percent genoa and a high tolerance for slatting around.

These are opinions.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Having owned my 1988 E26-2 since new I have raced her fairly actively since new, I have found it is competitive in light air and heavy air, In the last 2 years have purchased a new main and 135, 105. I found last year with the 105 roller fuller and vertical battens the performance in all conditions were the ticket for crusing. Light air performance between the 130 and 105 was minimal and the ease of tacking and trimming was so much easier. new well designed sails make a huge difference in performance