Theta 26
Description
The Theta 26 is a 26-foot fiberglass cruising sailboat designed by Michael Henderson and built primarily by EI Marine (with some later examples by Ron O'Reilly) in South Africa around 1972–1991. It was a relatively low-production model popular for coastal cruising, weekend sailing, and club racing in South African waters (especially around Cape Town and False Bay), with a handful of examples still actively sailed or offered for sale today. The boat features a practical GRP construction, modest displacement for easy handling, and a layout suited to 4–5 people for short trips or coastal hops, often equipped with a small inboard diesel (e.g., Vetus or BMW 15–16 hp).
Construction Details
| Designer | Michael Henderson |
|---|---|
| Builder | EI Marine (South Africa) |
| Length | 26.000 ft |
| LOA | 25.660 ft |
| LWL | 21.490 ft |
| Beam | 9.510 ft |
| Displacement | 4340 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.000 ft |
| Year Built | 1972 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 27.88 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10.17 ft |
| p | 24.77 ft |
| e | 9.84 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27.88 ft | 10.17 ft | 24.77 ft | 9.84 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Theta 26 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 24.77 ft - (7550 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.84 ft - (2999 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.19 ft - (7983 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 26.33 ft - (8025 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 126.374 ft² |
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Theta 26 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 23.74 ft - (7236 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.8 ft - (4206 mm) |
| Leech | * 20.16 ft - (6145 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.7 ft - (3566 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 138.85 ft² |
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Theta 26 - GENOA
| Luff | * 28.2 ft - (8595 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.7 ft - (5090 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.3 ft - (8016 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.26 ft - (4651 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | * 215.19 ft² |
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Theta 26 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 28.2 ft - (8595 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.78 ft - (5115 mm) |
| Leech | * 25.94 ft - (7907 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 354.9 ft² |
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Theta 26 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 28.2 ft - (8595 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 18.31 ft - (5581 mm) |
| Foot | * 18.31 ft - (5581 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 439 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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