The Bay Cruiser 26 from Swallow Yachts presents a remarkable blend of impressive performance and innovative accommodation. True to the Swallow Yachts reputation, she boasts a classic aesthetic and is easy to launch, recover, and trailer. This vessel has had 1 owner since new and is available for viewing afloat in excellent condition. Additional materials, including a test report, are available upon request.
Construction
The Bay Cruiser 26 features a vacuum bagged, closed-cell PVC foam cored GRP hull and deck. It has a solid laminate in high load areas such as the keel and chainplates, as well as in non-stiffness critical areas of the deck. The standard deck color is RAL9001 off white, with a choice of hull colors. Gunwales and all exterior timber are made of solid teak. The hull-deck joint is of the lap over return hull flange type, bonded with structural adhesive and through bolted at stanchions and cleats. All fabrications are constructed from 316 stainless steel and fastened with A4 stainless fastenings wherever possible. The hull is protected along the bottom by UHMWPE strips screwed to the keel line and raised bilge runners.
Foils
Rudder blades are made of GRP with a foam-filled center, incorporating a lanyard on top for retrieval. The keel is constructed similarly, with an internal lead casting at the bottom. The keel section changes to a rectangular top to prevent dropping through the bottom of the boat. The keel is lifted with a 12v electric winch mounted in a recess on the deck. The tail end of the lifting line returns to a clutch for hand winching from the cockpit. An electric lift switch is located on the port side of the companionway entrance. The keel case has a sacrificial crush pad in the aft bottom corner to spread impact loads.
Rig
A custom-made carbon fiber mast with carbon spreaders and carbon boom is included. It features 6mm IX19 wire lower and cap shrouds. Lower chainplates are through bolted to the deck, while caps are through bolted to the hull. The forestay chainplate is bolted through to the hull stem. Custom-designed mast-raising plates at the base of the mast allow for safe raising and lowering. The boom has a custom gooseneck arrangement for quick removal, and a quick-release kicker plate for the kicking strap and reef lines. The mainsheet is located near the boom end, shackled down to a stainless pillar in the cockpit. Jib sheets are 1:1 through Selden cleating deck blocks.
It includes a fully battened mainsail with a sail number and type, and a roller reefing jib, both made from cream Dacron. Dyneema halyards are used for the jib and mainsail. Two reefing lines are set up for single line slab reefing, with lines led back to the cockpit clutches.
Deck
A folding GRP bowsprit with an anchor roller and spinnaker tack attachment is included, with a roller sized for a 6kg Lewmar delta anchor. Primary bow roller is bolted to the stem head. Mooring cleats are bolted to the hull-deck joint, with two at the bow, two midships, and two at the stern, all made of solid stainless castings.
A large anchor locker features an attachment for the bitter end and a catch to hold it closed in the bow. There are two stanchions on each side of the deck with 4mm guardwires and intermediates, and two U-type stanchions aft at either end of the cockpit to support a canvas backrest for sitting out (choice of colors).
Fold-down doors on the transom include one side with a telescopic boarding ladder. A central stainless steel A-frame at the aft end of the boat incorporates a roller to support the lowered mast. Large cockpit lockers are located on both port and starboard sides, with the starboard side featuring a large shelf for the fuel tank and additional storage underneath. A large capacity Whale hand pump is fitted in the port side backrest with a divert valve (to switch between pumping ballast water and pumping bilge) in front of the cockpit port side locker.
All lines, except the main outhaul, are led back to cockpit clutches and winches. Deck gear is sourced from Spinlock (deck organizers), Selden (deck organizers, roller reefing, jib tracks, blocks, and cam cleats), Harken (winches), and Lewmar (deck hatches and clutches). These items have been selected for their performance, durability, and ease of use. Teak handrails are present on both sides of both coachroof sections.
Dimensions
Length overall: 7.84m
Length waterline: 7.27m
Length, including bowsprit and rudders: 8.7m
Marina length (bowsprit lifted, rudders over): 7.99m
Beam: 2.54m
Sail Area: 29.7m²
Standard empty boat weight: 1450kg
Water Ballast Weight: 750kg
Keel Ballast weight: 100kg
Draught board up/down: 0.35m / 1.6m
Air Draught under full rig: 10.4m
Ballast ratio (tank full): 37%
Electrics
The standard boat is equipped with an IX 90AH lead acid battery bolted into place within a battery locker that can accommodate 3 batteries of this size. It features a main isolator switch and a 50A fuse, along with a 16-way breaker panel. LED saloon lights, LED vee berth lights, and a heads light are included. A 12V accessory outlet is available via a cigarette-type outlet at the main panel.
Accommodations
Interior - Saloon
The port side features a 1/4 berth measuring 2.5m long, while the starboard side has a 1/4 berth measuring 1.92m long. Both berths come with 75mm foam cushions in a choice of colors with removable covers. Storage lockers with catches are located under the seats, along with pull-out storage under the companionway. A slide-out galley includes twin sinks, a single fold-down tap, a gimballed oven with grill and twin hobs. Sliding lockers are present on the port side under the side decks, with a storage shelf on the starboard side. A swing-out folding oak-leaved table with a storage locker underneath is included, along with a clock and barometer on the main bulkhead. The interior features solid oak trim, a tough flexiteek floor, and a sliding hatch overhead with a perspex top. Marine ply washboards are finished in epoxy primer and two-pack polyurethane paint.
Interior - V-berth
The asymmetric v-berth measures 1.98m long on the centerline. A storage unit on the starboard side separates the saloon and v-berth areas. A storage locker with a catch is located under the starboard side. The central section is free for a waste tank, while the port section is reserved for a mechanical area housing the fresh water pump and waste exit pumps (if a waste tank is fitted). The v-berth area features 75mm foam cushions in a choice of colors with removable covers, along with an infill on the centerline for sleeping. V-berth shelves are mounted above for light storage.
Interior - Heads
The enclosed head compartment includes a manual toilet with accessible seacocks for seawater flushing and exit. Waste is pumped to a holding tank, with an electric pump out overboard from the holding tank or via a shore pump-out fitting on deck. A storage compartment for toiletries is included, along with a fresh water supply to the basin with a single tap, draining through the keel case. An opening hatch overhead provides ventilation.
Ventilation
Ventilation is provided by three opening Lewmar deck hatches, an opening portlight in the starboard side window above the galley, and a ventilation gap around the top of the companionway.
Additional Information
Gas System
The gas system is supplied from an external bottle locker sized to accommodate camping gaz 907 bottles. A regulator and cut-off valve are fitted, along with an armored hose to the galley oven.
Water Ballast System
A 750-liter water ballast compartment is operated from a seacock under the companionway step. A sight glass is located in the side of the tank adjacent to the seacock to check the level. A vent is fitted at the front end of the v-berth, venting into the anchor locker.
Fresh Water System
A pressurized freshwater system is supplied from an 80-liter tank under the front end of the v-berth, via a Whale watermaster pump feeding the galley and heads taps. 15mm quick connect plumbing is used throughout.
Trailer
A European type approved twin axle galvanized steel trailer with a 2800kg gross limit (including trailer weight of approximately 650kg) is included. It features multi-roller functionality to spread the load on the hull bottom, a limited swing cradle at the rear for easy recovery, and twin adjustable keel rollers. The trailer is equipped with 165R13 radial tires, a spare wheel clamped to the trailer, and a full-width light board with a modern 13-pin connector. A 1134kg twin speed winch with a webbing strap and twin jockey wheels for easier maneuvering (the bow can be lifted very high) are also included.
Antifouling
Copper coat antifouling is applied, including the bottom end of the drop keel and well up inside the keel case.
Rubbing Strip
A teak strip is mounted along the bottom of the top plank for both aesthetic and practical purposes.
Asymmetric Spinnaker - bag launched
A conventional asymmetric spinnaker is available in a choice of up to three colors, complete with a storage bag to hang in the companionway. It includes 8mm sheets through ratchet blocks, halyard, and tack lines.
Asymmetric Spinnaker - on Top Down Furler
This option features a slightly shorter luff length and is supplied mounted on a Selden GX7-5 top down furler.
Sprayhood
The sprayhood is made from acrylic canvas with a choice of colors. It features twin aluminum frames that fold down, a clear window, and is held to the deck via a plastic track for easy removal.
Stack Back Boom Bag
A conventional style stack pack boom bag is included, with webbing straps onto the boom and held up by adjustable lazy jacks, snap hooked on. The acrylic canvas material matches that of the spray hood.
Pontos Winches Upgrade
The standard Harken 15 self-tailing winches have a power ratio of 17:1. An upgrade to Pontos compact 2-speed winches provides a power ratio of 6:1 in first speed (for fast line retrieval) and 45:1 in second speed. Care should be taken when using Pontos winches, as they can easily break something.
Blinds and LED Lighting
Oceanair pleated blinds are installed on the main saloon side windows, along with roller blinds with flyscreen on the main hatch above the v-berth. LED ambient strip lights are present in the saloon area adjacent to the blinds and under the shelving in the v-berth area, switched independently.
Twin Gas Hob and Draw
A gimballed twin hob is fitted instead of an oven/hob, with a drawer fitted into the space freed up, opening fore and aft.
Cabin Heating with Thermostat
The Propex HS2000 system features twin outlets powered by the same gas supply as cooking. An outlet on the starboard side saloon can be shut off, while another on the starboard side forward shoots warm air into the heads compartment if the door is left open. The system is thermostat controlled.
Engines
ENGINE
YAMAHA FT 9.9 - Approx 60-80 hours run
Extended Warranty until 27/09/2020
