The Mirage 26 is a Canadian

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

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Robert Perry and first built in 1976. The design is out of production.

Production

The boat was built by Mirage Yachts in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

from 1976 to 1981. The Mirage 26 design was replaced in production in 1982 by the Perry-designed Mirage 27, which has a

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transv ...

and inboard-mounted rudder.

Design

The Mirage 26 is a small recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, built predominantly of

fibreglass 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 clo ...

. It has a

masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, ...

rig, a 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 air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

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 ...

. It displaces and carries of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 210 with a high of 198 and low of 225. It has a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-t ...

of .

Operational history

In a review Michael McGoldrick wrote, "these are good looking boats with a sensible and comfortable interior. The Mirage 26 was the first of these two models to be built. It had a quasi transom mounted rudder (there is small cutout in the transom to accommodate the rudder). The Mirage 26 was replaced by the 27 foot model, which has a reverse transom and an inboard rudder. Except for the addition of the reverse transom on the Mirage 27, the line drawings for these two boats are almost identical in every other respect. The 26 foot model tends to be powered by the gasoline OMC saildrive, while some of the 27s come with a small diesel. Because of its longer waterline, the Mirage 27 is the faster of the two boats."

References

External links

* {{Mirage Yachts Keelboats 1970s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Robert Perry Sailboat types built by Mirage Yachts

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links