Parker Dawson 26

Sailboat class

Parker Dawson 26
Development
Designer	Robert Finch
Location	United States
Year	1972
No. built	about 300
Builder(s)	Parker Dawson Yachts
Name	Parker Dawson 26
Boat
Displacement	4,000 lb (1,814 kg)
Draft	5.33 ft (1.62 m), keel down
Hull
Type	Monohull
Construction	Fiberglass
LOA	25.70 ft (7.83 m)
LWL	22.17 ft (6.76 m)
Beam	8.00 ft (2.44 m)
Engine type	Inboard Yanmar 7.5 hp (6 kW) diesel engine or outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	lifting keel
Ballast	1,100 lb (499 kg)
Rudder(s)	lifting transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	29.25 ft (8.92 m)
J foretriangle base	10.00 ft (3.05 m)
P mainsail luff	24.00 ft (7.32 m)
E mainsail foot	10.33 ft (3.15 m)
Sails
Sailplan	Masthead sloop
Mainsail area	123.96 sq ft (11.516 m²)
Jib/genoa area	146.25 sq ft (13.587 m²)
Total sail area	270.21 sq ft (25.103 m²)
← Dawson 26 [edit on Wikidata]

The Parker Dawson 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Robert Finch as a cruiser and first built in 1972.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

The design has been sold by a number of different manufacturers under several names, including the Midship 25, Dawson 25, Nauset 26 and Bombay 26.^[1]^[5]

The Parker Dawson 26 is a development of the Dawson 26.^[6]

Production

The design was built by Midship Yacht Company and Parker Dawson Yachts, as well as other builders in the United States. About 200 were built by Midship between 1972 and 1974, then Parker Dawson built it from 1973 to 1982. Approximately 300 were completed by all manufacturers by the mid-1980s, but it is now out of production.^[1]^[3]^[5]

Midship Yachts was located in California, but later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Parker Dawson Yachts was located in Massachusetts.^[1]^[5]

Design

The Parker Dawson 26 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, although some were built as ketches, a raked stem, a vertical transom, a lifting transom-hung rudder controlled by a wheel or geared tiller and a lifting or fixed fin keel. It displaces 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) and carries 1,100 lb (499 kg) of ballast.^[1]^[3]

The lifting keel version has a 50:1 worm gear to raise the keel. The rudder raises and lowers in an aluminum mounting frame.^[3]

The fixed keel-equipped version of the boat has a draft of 5.00 ft (1.52 m), while the lifting keel-equipped version has a draft of 5.18 ft (1.58 m) with the keel extended and 1.16 ft (0.35 m) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.^[1]

The boat is fitted either with a Yanmar inboard diesel engine of 7.5 hp (6 kW), other small inboard engines or a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds 15 U.S. gallons (57 L; 12 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 25 U.S. gallons (95 L; 21 imp gal).^[1]

The design has an unusual configuration for a boat of its size, with a cabin forward and one aft, with a center cockpit. The aft cabin has two bunks and a sink, with space for a portable or marine head. The forward cabin is located with the main cabin, as there are no internal bulkheads in the hull. The head is located under the starboard settee which can be used as a berth. There is a removable dinette table. The galley in the main cabin is to port. There are four fixed portlights in the forward cabin, while the aft cabin has two fixed ports and one that opens.^[3]

The boat has a hinged mast, mounted on the forward cabin roof. There are two jib sheet winches and one for the halyards and an anchor locker forward.^[3]

The design has a hull speed of 6.31 kn (11.69 km/h).^[7]

Operational history

The design has been sailed across the Atlantic Ocean single-handedly.^[3]

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "this pocket cruiser is unique in several respects: (1) she has two separate cabins plus a center cockpit, which can be enclosed in canvas to serve as a third cabin; (2) a fixed-keel version with beefed-up rigging has crossed the Atlantic and a good part of the Pacific, indicating at least a smidgen of seaworthiness; and (3) she is trailerable and ramp-launchable despite her relatively heavy displacement for her size—provided your truck or SUV can handle 8,000 pound loads. A variety of options were available from various marketers (Midship Yachts, Dawson, Parker-Dawson, Nauset Marine, others) who offered at various times inboard diesel, inboard gas, and outboard power; fixed shoal keel or swing keel; wheel or tiller steering; and sloop rig or ketch. Best features: The privacy that comes with two cabins and two heads is a great plus, especially if guests are aboard. Worst features: Speed is said to be so-so in light and medium air. Owners have complained about a lack of helm feel and drag on early models; later boats were given push-pull cable steering gear rather than the pull-pull variety, which evidently solved the problem. Rudder scabbards, originally of aluminum, were switched to fiberglass to eliminate rudder banging at moorings. And the swing keel can bang around in its trunk unless pinned in place, which owners sometimes forget to do."^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Browning, Randy (2019). "Parker Dawson 26 sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
^ Browning, Randy (2019). "Robert Finch". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 172-173. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-65239-1
^ ^a ^b Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 364. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN 978-0-07-163652-0
^ ^a ^b ^c Browning, Randy (2019). "Midship 25 sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
^ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Dawson 26 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
^ InterVisionSoft LLC (2019). "Sailboat Specifications for Parker Dawson 26". Sailing Joy. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.