SPIRIT OF TRADITION
PAINE 26
DAYSAILOR / RACER / CRUISER
THE PAINE 26
DIMENSIONS
LOA: 25’ 9”
LOD: 25' 7"
LWL: 20' 3"
BEAM: 8' 6"
DRAFT, on DWL: 3' 6"
DISP, 1/2 load: 5760 lbs
BALLAST: 2600 lbs
SAIL AREA: 360 sq ft
D/L RATIO: 308
SA/D RATIO: 17.93
She sails exceptionally well, even in light airs.
The Paine 26 is a sailing yacht for uncertain times. She is intended as a reliable pleasure producing device for the post petroleum age- at least if you live near the water. She can be raced, cruised, lived aboard for a summer if that is your idea of fun, and enjoyed without fear of obsolescence - all without burning a drop of irreplaceable fossil fuels. Anyone who owns one of these yachts will be proud of her beauty, rarity, high performance and durability. She is both stable and forgiving to sail, while still very fast. Importantly-- perhaps life-savingly-- she has a design feature that makes her easy to re-board from the water, unlike any competing yacht on the market new or used. A small diesel engine is an option, but need not be used much as she sails brilliantly in all winds -- many owners will fail to consume one (20 gallon) tank of fuel in an entire year. She is beautiful to look at and detailed to the very highest standards of quality. My new company ChuckPaine.com will happily sell you the plans and building rights so that a boatyard close to you may build one for you. Once the economy recovers it is my intention to select a designated builder who will, with my help, build the yachts to a high standard at a reasonable price. But for now the only option is for you to build locally from the plans.
In order to make her seaworthy beyond her length the PAINE 26 is of moderately heavy displacement. She has wineglass sections, a hollow bow, with a long keel and she’s steered with a simple outboard rudder. Her styling is a respectful tribute to the design genius of Nat Herreshoff, but with every detail modernized to make her technologically fully up to date. She even includes the sculpted wood top planking strake made famous by the Herreshoff yard. She has a lead keel, which comprises nearly half the weight of the entire boat. Her rig is very large to match her displacement, and racers will take note of the high sail area to displacement ratio which translates into great speed through the water.
Ever seen a more beautiful yacht?
The sailplan consists of a large mainsail and small jib set on a jibboom so as to be self tending. The jib is roller furled and is supplied with the innovative (I call this invention D.V.T.- Dang Vang Thangs) carbon straps which replace other more clumsy vanging devices. Once the sails are set this is probably the easiest to handle and most versatile sailplan ever devised. No boom vang is required, and the pressure of the wind in the mainsail lifts the boom as the wind increases, partially depowering the main in puffs. The mast is of aluminum, making it reasonably inexpensive, painted to look like wood from a distance. The other spars are of real varnished spruce, purely for looks.
When more complex sailplans require reefing one can “fisherman's reef” this one by merely letting out the mainsheet and letting the jib backwind the forward third of the main. The large mainsail makes light sails unnecessary off the wind in cruising mode, though a spinnaker is used when racing. A single mainsail reef is included for reliable progress in stronger winds. A prototype has been built and has proven to be a spirited performer.
The large cockpit is ergonomically designed to be extremely comfortable, with excellent back support provided by the properly angled varnished mahogany coamings. It has a “bathing beach” aft of the seats, complete with a transom door and swim ladder that make swimming from this boat truly fun. A small latch is provided on the outboard face of the transom so that in the event a person were to fall overboard he could open the transom door unassisted and climb back aboard. There is a lot of stowage volume beneath the cockpit seats. With the halyards, self tending jibsheet, roller furling line and mainsail reef brought to the aft end of the cabin there is no reason ever to leave the safety of the cockpit except to drop or retrieve the mooring or anchor.
As an option the PAINE 26 may be fitted with a small diesel engine for auxiliary power. This option is not detailed in the building plans, however.
The interior is simple but nicely arranged to make time spent aboard very pleasant. There are two forward berth flats and two cushioned mishap settees, which can also be used for sleeping. A Porta-Potti is recommended for its simplicity and assurance that waste will always find its way into a sewage treatment plant rather than the sea around you. A small propane stove for cooking, stainless steel sink with manual fresh water pump and tank, and Thermos brand cooler for the beer which doubles as a companionway step are indicated on the drawings. The styling is, of course, “Herreshoff style” with varnished mahogany trim, varnished white pine ceilings amidships and white panels, and is truly lovely. An optional companionway-opening tent is recommended for those who plan to spend many overnights aboard, providing a nice area of full headroom.
We live in times that are an inevitable reaction to the consumption orgy of the last decade. It would be financial suicide for me or anyone to invest in the bygone notion of trying to mass produce any yacht, large or small. The times will come; perhaps have already arrived, when those few who will have managed to rescue a significant proportion of their paper nest eggs will focus on one very nice object around which to orient their leisure lives. If you are one of these and desire the predictable handling, easy motion yet stimulating sailing and racing performance that has been attributed to Nat Herreshoff's designs as well as to those of my numerous near replicas you will quickly fall in love with your new PAINE 26.
The building plans are detailed for one-off construction using the WEST system of cold molded construction.
What are you waiting for? Your stocks to go up? Far wiser, build one of these!
The hull itself is based upon the proven Herreshoff model. The keel is a true NACA foil with the Paine full flow aperture and spadelike rudder—both with very narrow trailing edges. I believe Captain Nat would have done this if he were alive today.