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Yes, there's quite a difference, and I agree with Merrill, Rogers boats are a bit more robust and practical, albeit a tad more spartan.  Later JJ Taylor boats (mine) have 1" or more of headroom than the Rogers' boats, as they lowered the sole and increased the coachroof hump.  Rogers' boats have a higher companionway sill, smaller cockpit, both really good things.   Not sure about liners, likely not in oldest ones, but seem to be in newer ones.  They likely have iron keels, not lead, so that is not good.  I chose a later model (or rather, she chose me?!) as I wanted higher ballast (200lbs added in later JJ Taylor production) opening ports, more headroom, second hatch aft of mast, teak shelving and enclosures along hull and around chainplates, engine completely in engine compartment, (not into cabin at all.)  holding tank in bilge, not in forepeak! - all creature comforts really!  But as a female solo sailor, they are all nice things for me!
The hull is strong, old owner smashed her into a rock and she held up fine, just a fist sized mash on keel, no water ingress.  Hull is thick, but likely Rogers' boats have thicker glass, they do things better over there safety-wise, over here firms are too concerned about bottom line and their own liability...ok that's enough from me! ;-)

Hi Fellow Farymann owners!
Well, my 1985 engine does not have a glow plug, I don't believe any of them did....and if you push a button, (but not turn the key like a car) and the starter is cranking, that is the starter button for the actual starter.  I turn a key and crank like a car, another Farymann owner in my marina holds a button as well.  Glow plug button is separate from cranking button, from what I know of big (old) diesel truck engines.
I have to give mine alot of fuel if she's cold...then when she starts she's a clanging for a short bit, as the fuel/cylinder is still cold and loudly exploding all that excess fuel, then she warms up...and starts to purr.
If your batteries are low, or your alternator (if you have an aftermarket one of anykind...they did not come with one), make sure it's not drawing power.
Plus, could be your starter, it was mine...will crank forever, but not start.
I had seawater in cylinder cooling jacket that got past o-rings and into and against outer edges of cylinder, a poor design that has been rectified, but if you need to rebuild you need new cyliner, piston and head!!!  Goodbye $5,000 Canadian, including starter.  Remember, if she doesn't start, turn off your cooling water intake, you don't want saltwater building up in exhaust elbow and flooding into cylinder, very bad thing!  I have before and after pics of the horror of corroded cylinders, I can send if you'd like, view at your own risk! ;-)

Soooo, Kristin, what did you end up doing?! ;-)  No doubt the guys here have major equipment accessibility, however, I dream of my own lathe among other tools! (it helped being the only girl in shop in Grade 9!!)
Which hull do you have?!  Where did you find your boat?!  Alaska, wow!
I have a Manecraft dripless shaft seal: very clean and dry.  I check the seal regularly, as if it goes, you are hooped!  good bye propeller and goodbye boat  I have a big fat zinc on the shaft to hold it all on (half arsed at least) if all should fail...
My prop is a two blade 12x9 right hand....does fine for my little 7.5hp Farymann.  Remember, in general, the boat will not go faster than her hullspeed/bow wave anyways, so you should just get the best prop for the engine, not the boat, as you want to ensure the engine is working at proper capacity, not the boat being pushed as fast as she can go...does that all make sense?! ;-)

Solve alot of provisioning issues by going it alone!  Plus, then you don't have to worry about anyone else except you and her (the boat) when that fertizer is hitting you both full on!
I don't know that I would want to cut any more holes into the cockpit for drainage, as I said in another post: nothing empties a waterfilled cockpit like a scared sailor with a bucket...but I guess there will be the times that you would be down below if it was way ugly out....anyone have any pictures of these extra cockpit drains we keep hearing about?!

Peter, you can see the exhaust check valve assembly up underneath the transom coaming...you almost have to use a mirror to find it!  So, that is for sure high enough to prevent water from coming in from exhaust port.  But, as you can see, the waterlock muffler has to sit in little area near where prop shaft exits boat...and that is NOT very much lower than exhaust elbow..  Of course a higher elbow would be the answer, however, wrong answer, as we have no room in cockpit for that! ;-)
So, always make sure you high end waterlock muffler stays where it should! 
And, the exhaust hose is HELL to work with, I had a fight trying to get it back on my muffler, as it was too long and was almost horizontal so I cut some off (hello heavy duty wirecutters, there is heavy duty wire in it too) I tried heat gun but then realized there must be a tool or something to to it, and sure enough, when mechanic came to finish rebuilding, he said: oh yes, we use a tool!  And here's me and all 110 lbs of me and my little hands wrestling with this hose, good for a laugh!
AND: if you engine is having a hard time starting for whatever reason: CLOSE the raw water intake so the cooling sea water does not build up in the muffler and then flow back into the elbow!  If engine can't start, it can't expel saltwater, so you can be in trouble.  Then, the minute it starts, dive like a madman to open the raw water intake....and if you forget, your (should be) habit of looking over the stern to see if water is splooshing out of the exhaust will tell you you forgot something very important!! ;-)

Guillermo:
There is another fellow with a Contessa in Cancun!  Small world that two Contessa 26s in Mexico?!  And, another strange thing, his name is also Jose, like the fellow below!  Last name Alvarez, and his boat is named after a Mayan god, so he said she went underwater for two weeks during Wilma hurricane, and once re-floated, she was fine!!! Quite the testament to our little boats!

Christian, did you ever post any pics anywhere, I for one am very eager to see them...you may send me some directly:  shannonrae@telus.net

My head and holding tank are looped up under side decks with siphon loop, as per original boat construction.  Have had no trouble, yet!
But you are right, the bucket is inherently safer and easier most of the time! 
I always close off all through hulls when underway, if need to use, just open then close again.
For the toilet base, old owner had just replaced head, and he cut a tidy hole in face of base, and then put a nice vent on it, mine is a stainless one, and then you do always have access to the nuts and inside of hull too.

Great discussion!  I have no speed log, hole is glassed up, so I have seven actually underwater: two head, one sink, engine intake, two cockpit, depth sounder.  Just above waterline: bilge and engine exhaust.  If I was going to get rid of one...hmmm, not sure I would, I like them all! Maybe get rid of the depthsounder, change to one that does not need a hole (the transom mounted...and I thought I read in Practical Sailor about one that just sticks on inside of hull, will look for that issue1)
All mine are proper thru-hulls, with wooden plugs tied to them, I keep them greased and operated them every week at least...if you ever get a hole in your cockpit drain hose or bilgepump hose, you will want to be able to close them off to quickly make a repair and then want to be able to re-open them! ;-)

Re: the engine ones: I installed a y-valve on my raw water engine intake, and I use it to flush the saltwater out after a sail, or yes, to run it on the hard and watch the little propeller spinning in the air as I put it in gear...and a five quart (or approx. five litre for you metric people) takes about a minute and a half to empty...so one could use it to help rid water out of bilge if bilgepump is cloggged, but I agree, however, I believe that's where my raw water strainer will help, as it will prevent crap from trying to unseat the impeller, which you certainly don't want at that time!  I didn't have a strainer, but re-installed the old one (Vetus) old owner had removed, and find it works very well.  Engine runs at a perfect temperature, stays on the cooler side, if my temp guage is even accurate!  I go by feel of the engine hatch under my bare feet!