For the Media: Colgate 26 News

Steve Colgate
Chairman
Colgate 26 - Offshore Sailing School
866-842-4355 toll free
239-985-7505
steve@Colgate26.com

COLGATE 26 FACT SHEET

Overview:

The Colgate 26 is known for its good looks, performance, safety features, and a boat that is fun to sail in any conditions – whether racing, tooling about or in a training experience. The boat is 25’8” long, with a beam of 8’6”, waterline length of 20’, standard draft of 4’6” (a shoal draft is available at 3’6”). Displacement is 2600 pounds for the standard boat, 2800 pounds for the shoal draft version, and ballast is 1050 pounds for the standard boat and 1250 pounds for the shoal draft version. Sail area is 338 square feet and includes a main, roller furling jib and symmetrical spinnaker. Its sturdy fiberglass construction makes it one of the most durable boats on the market. All major hardware is Harken, with aluminum spars by Dwyer. The boat was built to follow these criteria set by Steve Colgate:

§ Stable, safe and unsinkable

§ Comfortable in every way  - good seats, plenty of room to move around, well-balanced

§ The best performance boat of its size without sacrificing comfort, stability, and safety

§ Easy to handle in all kinds of weather – including extreme conditions and very light air

§ Built to last – with strong fiberglass lay-up and sails that were well shaped but can withstand long hours in the sun

§ Maintenance free – no wood except the tiller, with the best fittings (most from Harken)

§ Fitted for night sailors with the proper lights and a way to keep the battery charged

§ Able to accommodate at least five big sailors in the cockpit without knocking into one another

§ Set up for flying a symmetrical spinnaker without any extra props, easily trimmed from the cockpit

§ Beautiful to look at with a big stable foredeck for a boat of its size

§ Friendly-feeling for beginners, yet challenging for racers

§ A hoot to sail!

The Colgate 26 provides stability and exceptional sailing performance in both light air and heavy winds. It feels and acts like a much larger boat, and is not easily tossed around by waves, throwing the crew off balance. Her 2600 lb. weight renders a sturdy boat that maintains competitive speed. Even the 3’6” shoal draft model maintains stability and performance, which are most important when designing a boat that won’t scare beginners yet challenges racers.

Not only does this competitive racer win PHRF competitions nationwide, below-deck storage and accommodations make the C26 a comfortable daysailer and weekender. The self-bailing cockpit is spacious and secure with plenty of comfortable seating for the whole family, plus friends.

Foam-filled compartments in the hull make it virtually unsinkable, even if holed. Rigid stainless steel cockpit railings, something not found on boats of this size, provide real security when moving around the boat. Quite simply, the Colgate 26 is the safest daysailer available.

Easy to maintain, a pleasure to look at and great fun to sail, The Colgate 26 combines excellent performance with safety and durability at an affordable price.

History:

Steve Colgate, who created the Colgate 26 in 1996 with noted yacht designer Jim Taylor, has spent a lifetime sailing. A sailor since age 9, Steve’s racing career includes the Olympics, America’s Cup Trials, major ocean races and numerous class championships. He headed the US SAILING training committee that developed the certification system, was a delegate to the International Sailing Federation and president of the International Sailing School Association from 1997 to 2006.

Having taught more than 100,000 people to sail – more than anyone else – he knows what makes a boat work. He chose to create the Colgate 26 after searching many years for another stock boat to replace the Olympic Class Soling he had been using for more than 20 years at his various schools. Steve created the Colgate 26 to meet the requirements of a demanding learn-to-sail curriculum and withstand the kind of abuse a sailboat takes day-after-day, nearly every week of the year. But he also wanted a boat that racers and recreational day sailors would find exciting and fun to use.

The boat debuted at the United States Sailboat Sail in Annapolis, Maryland in October 1996 and gained immediate recognition when the United States Naval Academy chose it to replace its aging fleet of Knockabouts. Entire fleets of Colgate 26s have been purchased by the U. S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Maine Maritime Academy and Eckerd College for sail training courses. Fleets exist in Doha, Qatar, United Arab Emirates; the United Kingdom Sailing Academy in Cowes, England and at various other training schools around the United States and abroad.

In February 1997, Cruising World magazine named the Colgate 26 as the winner in the “Pocket Cruiser Division” of its prestigious “Boat of the Year Awards” – honoring the best designs for the previous year.

In 2004 and again 2009, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society chose the Colgate 26 and Offshore Sailing School for its annual Fantasy Sail Weekend honoring the sailors who raised the most money to help cure blood diseases, through the popular Leukemia Cup Races. Each time 10 Colgate 26s were donated for their use at one of the Offshore Sailing School campuses – Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa in Ft. Myers, Florida. As a result, Offshore Sailing School has been designated by LLS as an honorary sponsor for the Leukemia Cup Races.

The Colgate 26 was chosen four years ago by the Knickerbocker Cup Foundation for its international match racing competition held each summer in the United States. Offshore Sailing School donated the first fleet and, now in its fourth year, is providing four of the boats needed with individual owners filling in the rest of the fleet for the 12 racing teams. Colgate expects that the 350^th hull will be sold before the end of 2009.

To Inquire About Purchases and Other Information:

Call Steve Colgate at 866-842-4355 (w239-985-7505 direct line) or email Steve@Colgate26.com.

For more information on Offshore Sailing School call 888-454-7015 or visit www.OffshoreSailing.com.
For high resolution images, please contact Doris Colgate: Doris@OffshoreSailing.com or call 239-985-7511.