BOATOWNER’S BOAT REVIEW The enclosed head with holding tank and sink with pressure water.
The 26X has a large cockpit for her size. The captain’s seat at the aft of the cockpit is hinged and easily raises up to open the walk-through transom.
The cockpit is the social gathering place on a sailboat, and the 26X has a large cockpit for her size. The captain’s seat at the aft of the cockpit is hinged and easily raises up to open the walk-through transom. This makes it easy to board the boat from a dinghy, and there is a boarding ladder you can lower into the water that makes climbing aboard after a swim or diving effortless. Another great thing about having an open transom I discovered while entering the harbor of North Bimini in adverse conditions. I had two waves swamp the cockpit
REVIEW YOUR BOAT SOUTHWINDS is looking for sailors who like to write to review their sailboat — whether it is new or old, large or small. It can include the following: Year, model, make, designer, boat name Specifications: LOA, LWL, beam, draft, sail plan (square footage), displacement Sailing performance Comfort above and below deck Cruiser and/or Racer Is it a good liveaboard? Modifications you have made or would like General boat impression Quality of construction Photos Essential (contact us for photo specs) We have found that our readers love reviews by those who own the boats — comments are more personal and real All articles must be sent via email or on disc For more information and if interested, contact editor@southwindsmagazine.com or call (941) 795-8704
(If you hate your boat, we aren’t interested — you must at least like it) 38
March 2013
SOUTHWINDS
while crossing the narrow entrance to the harbor. This is the only time in all the years that I have owned the boat that water has entered the cockpit. The open stern allowed the water to exit as quickly as it entered. The cockpit on Magic has a full enclosure, which can be put up, that doubles the amount of living space in inclement weather. It is built in sections so you could choose how much canvas you want up. I even have a propane heater I can use in the cockpit on cold, rainy days. It is not needed here in the South, but on cold rainy days in the Northwest, it is wonderful. There is a folding table in the cockpit for dining and plenty of room to stretch out. There are cushions, which make the hard surfaces in the cockpit much more tolerable, but I wish that the combing was a little taller, though, for better back support. There are two lockers in the cockpit, which hold two nine-gallon fuel tanks and assorted gear. This tankage gives me several hundred miles’ range under power. The addition of the Magma gas barbecue on the stern rail became one of my favorite ways to cook on the boat. You don’t heat the cabin up, and you can’t beat the taste of meat off the grill. The pedestal houses the wheel, autopilot, compass and GPS. As you descend the three steps through the large cabin hatch, you will notice a small settee, which is great for changing clothes, but it becomes an obstacle to getting into the aft berth. The aft berth is listed as big as a king-size bed, which it is, but it works much better as two areas. I placed a twin-size memory-foam mattress topper on the port half of the berth, and it works great! This allows me to use regular bedding, which is nice, and the opening port provides plenty of ventilation on warm nights. I use the other half of this area for storage. Once inside the cabin you find the enclosed head with holding tank and sink with pressure water. Opposite this is the galley on the port side with the alcohol stove, sink with pressure water, and microwave, which runs off the 1000-watt inverter with power supplied by three deepcycle batteries. The large sliding hatch directly over this area allows stand-up headroom for cooking, but this four-foot-square area is the only place in the boat with standing headroom. Forward of the galley is a bench seat with ample storage, and www.southwindsmagazine.com