The ETAP 26s is a Belgian trailerable

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by Marc-Oliver von Ahlen as a

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

and first built in 2005. The design was ''Sail'' magazine's ''Yacht of the Year'' in 2017.

Production

The design has been built by

ETAP Yachting ETAP Yachting is a Belgium, Belgian boat builder based in Lokeren. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of fibreglass sailboats. History The company was founded by Norbert Joris in 1970 and was originally a manufacturer of lig ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

since 2005. It remained advertised as still in production in 2023.

Design

The ETAP 26s is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of

glassfibre Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, with wood trim. The construction is of a

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

glassfibre and closed-cell polyurethane foam sandwich, which provides buoyancy and makes the boat unsinkable. It has a fractional

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

rig with a bowsprit; a

plumb stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

; a vertical, walk-through

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

; dual, canted, transom-hung

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

s controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

or optional shoal draft dual keels. The fin keel version displaces and carries of lead ballast, while the dual keel version displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard fin keel and with the optional shoal draft tandem keels. The boat is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

or a small outboard motor for docking and manoeuvring. The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settees in the main cabin. The

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

is located on both sides, just aft of the bow cabin. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

is located in the bow cabin on the port side. The fresh water tank has a capacity of .

Operational history

The boat was at one time supported by a class club, the ''ETAP Owners Association''. A iNautia review reported, "right from its launch, the ETAP 26s was a trendsetter, with its safe, deep cockpit, the flowing lines of its cabin sofas, the recessed foredeck hatch and much more." A profile in 2Yachts states, "Etap 26s was ... landmark yacht and a kind of a trendsetter in the field of small cruisers. The yacht immediately after his birth became popular among the sailors due to a combination of several technical solutions. Among them: a deep, safe and well-planned cockpit, comfortable, spacious and well equipped below deck space, the ability to move the yacht on a trailer, the possibility of picking different keel options including a lifting keel and double that facilitate the possibility of walking on shallow waters and giving you the opportunity to pull the boat into the water right off the trailer on the slip, without any crane."

References

External links

* {{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Marc-Oliver von Ahlen Sailboat types built by ETAP Yachting

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links