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The Contessa Corner → General Questions/Comments → The Last Contessa?
I am fortunate to have purchased #352, "Sarah" a few months ago from a gentleman in Quebec. I have been told this was the last Contessa 26 produced by JJ Taylor but I honestly don't know if this is, in fact, true. Can anyone confirm this?
I have a copy of the original invoice, dated August 1989. Whatever the case, she is in wonderful condition, basically the same as when delivered from the factory.
Sounds exciting. As the owner of Free n Easy, sail number 315, I would be very interested to see photographs of your new boat.
Pic on arrival home after towing for 1300 miles. Haven't had it in the water yet, but have done some updating work the last couple months --- new head and hoses, replaced seacocks and standing rigging, replaced all bulbs with LED, new wind, depth and log instruments. Will post some other pics in the future.
Can't see much, but she sure looks like she's been well cared for. I can't tell you how jealous I am!
Even though I love my Kittiwake 23 and her sliding companionway, I really do miss my Contessa 26 a lot.
Until being told to the contrary, I guess I’ll just assume #352 was indeed the last Canadian Contessa 26. Before doing the pre-purchase inspection I’d wondered what I’d find in terms of build quality. Since JJ Taylor’s financial situation hadn’t been that great, I thought perhaps they’d been tempted to cut corners during construction. But everything looked OK, and so far no unpleasant surprises. The previous owner had a couple wet spots in the deck repaired, but from what I read this is/was a common problem no matter the year built.
The boat came from the factory equipped with an Ultra Furl roller reefing for the headsail. The PO reported it never really worked to his satisfaction, I’m not sure exactly why. Anyway, I decided to switch over to hank-ons for simplicity’s sake.
Attaching a pic of the interior. Nothing unique about it other than it’s in pretty good condition for being original.
Looks great!
Ultra Furl is a great system, serviceable and nearly bulletproof.
Heider is still in business in Toronto, and he would be more than happy to help you out with any issues
If you decide to change furlers, let me know I will gladly purchase your old ultrafurl!
Thanks for the Pro Furl info, stefan_d, that's good to know. I'll stick with the hanks for a season and then decide if I want to switch back to a roller furler.
The Contessa Corner → General Questions/Comments → The Last Contessa?
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