The New Horizons 26 is an American 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

Sparkman & Stephens Sparkman & Stephens is a naval architecture and yacht brokerage firm with offices in Newport, Rhode Island and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. The firm performs design and engineering of new and existing vessels for pleasure, commercial, and milita ...

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 1958. It was Sparkman & Stephens design #1235.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page XX.

International Marine S&P Global Inc. (prior to April 2016 McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013 The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of business are financ ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes referenc ...

, 2010. The New Horizons 26 was initially marketed as the New Horizons 25.

Production

The boat was introduced at the New York Boat Show in 1957 and 30 boats were sold at that show, marking it as an instant commercial success for the builder, Ray Greene & Company in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The design was built starting as a 1958 model and running until about 1966, with 175 boats were completed. The boat was the first Sparkman & Stephens production design especially for construction in

fiberglass 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 ...

, which was then a new material for boatbuilding. Green's company was an early adopter of fiberglass construction.

Design

The New Horizons 26 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a

raked 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 ...

, an angled

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 ...

, a

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 ...

-mounted

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 ...

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, stub, modified long keel, the retractable

centerboard A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...

. It displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or ground transportation on a trailer. The boat was factory-fitted with a

Universal Atomic 4 The Universal Atomic 4 is a four-cylinder, gasoline engine produced by the Universal Motor Company between 1949 and 1984 for use as auxiliary power on sailboats. Both and versions of the engine were produced. Over 40,000 of the engines were pro ...

gasoline engine for docking and maneuvering, but could optionally be fitted with a small outboard motor. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . The boat was fitted with a molded fiberglass interior, one of the first boats to have this feature. The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double

"V"-berth A berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack ...

in the bow cabin and two

quarter berth A berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack ...

s under the cockpit. 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 the starboard side just forward of the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly in ...

ladder. The galley is equipped with a stove and a sink, with an ice box opposite, on the port side. 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 amidships, on the port side. Cabin headroom is . The design has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 225 and a hull speed of .

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "She initially had reverse sheer ... but in about 1960 the sheer was flattened somewhat for aesthetic reasons. An unusual feature was a dinghy designed for the boat, to be carried on stern davits. When the larger but similar-looking Tartan 27, another S&S design, was introduced in 1961 (3 years after the New Horizons) for nearby Tartan (then known as Douglass & McLeod, in Grand River, OH), it quickly diverted customer interest from the Ray Greene boat, much to Greene's disgust. Best features: The good headroom (over six feet) is unusual for a 25-foot sailboat. We liked the idea of a dinghy in davits, too, but wonder whether it might have been ugly to look at. Worst features: We remember admiring the design of this boat when she first came out, but after owning a Tartan 27, we can see how prospective buyers would switch their allegiances to the Tartan."

References

{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1950s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Sparkman and Stephens Sailboat types built by Ray Greene & Company

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References