Rogers Contessa that has been LOVED

wow...that is one sweet CO26...I am in awe

25,000 pounds -close to 55,000 CAD - I would pay the money - she is one nice boat.

ivesross "Morava" #266

Jeremy Rogers has told me that the current selling price in the UK for a 'new' 26 would have to be around 70,000 pounds to make it feasible to produce them again. His yard typical refits old 26's for costs ranging from 10 to 15000 pounds.

If they made a Contessa 26 for 70,000 pounds, that would make it $115,000+ USD and $140,000+CND.  A 34 foot Beneteau cost that much with all the fancy stuff on it.  So I have a hard time with this cost.  My guess is that they want the same profit that the big boats give.  That is why car companies want to sell SUV's and big truck and not compact cars, bigger profit margin.  Though with a small market and start up cost being so high . . . . , I am glad I have my CO26. jklee

I don't think a 26 foot sailboat with no headroom and less elbow-space than a Catalina 25 is going to sell for anything like $100,000 no matter how good its reputation.

I do believe that if a new Contessa 26 could be had for ~CDN$40-60,000 there would be something of a market for them.

The thing we have to remember is that the vast majority of boat purchases are made by people who will be daysailing, weekending and taking the occasional coastal cruiser. The Contessa 26 can do all this, but there are other boats out there that do a much better job of it.

I miss my Contessa. But in comparison to the room inside an Alberg 29, the Contessa is tiny.

Of course, I might be moving down to an Alberg 22. We'll have to see.

they sure don't fit the modern productio mantra of build something wide, bolt on a keel, a marginal rig, spartan equipment, charge 100 grand.  beneteau used to make a decent boat, in france, but anything i've seen at the boat shows in recent years leave me wondering if anyone actually sails these things anymore.

There's the thing though. For most people buying a Hunter, Catalina or Beneteau, they are buying a dream of going sailing, but not actually buying into the idea of going sailing. They are buying into the dream the magazines sell. They are buying into the status a sailing yacht offers.

For us, we are sailors, and our boats reflect that.

Your correct to get us back on track. The boat pictured is indeed a good representation of what the Contessa 26 can and should be in the hands of a dedicated owner. In my opinion the single most remarkable thing about these little boats is that they seem to have an almost indefinite lifespan as they are passsed down from owner to the next. They just keep on going. Every now and then they end up in the hands of somebody who wants to bring the boat up to it's true potential as witnessed above.