WAHINE – HOLMAN 26 MASTHEAD SLOOP BUILT 1962 BY WHISSTOCKS OF WOODBRIDGE
HISTORY & CONSTRUCTION:
WAHINE was designed by Kim Holman and built by Whisstocks of Woodbridge in 1962 for Mr H A Day of Suffolk and launched as TESSA. She was kept on a mooring at Aldeburgh during his ownership. TESSA was sold in 1964 to George Bolingbroke of Maldon, Essex. In 1967 D Guinchard became the next owner, keeping the yacht at West Mersea, he re-named her VAHINE. During the 1970s Dr P G Swann of Frinton-on-Sea owned VAHINE mooring her at Burnham on Crouch and racing under the number 218Y. He revised her name to WAHINE, meaning a woman of the sea.
The Holman 26 design dates from 1961, shortly after Kim designed the well-known Stella Class. With a similar hull form but with a masthead rig the Holman 26 or Nymphet Class was more powerful and a more capable sea boat. She lies in terms of performance and behaviour between the Stella and the Twister. Whisstocks of Woodbridge built the prototype, Nymphet, for Kim Holman to race in 1962, before building a run of the class. The current owner bought WAHINNE in 2014 at Woodbridge; previously she had sailed the Suffolk and Essex local rivers under former owners and had been little used.
Following a survey by a wooden yacht surveyor (survey available) an extensive refit of the yacht was carried out. Accordingly, Larkman’s Yard at Woodbridge were instructed to sister all cracked timbers, lift the yacht off her ballast keel and renew all centre-line fastenings to garboard strakes and floors as well as fitting a new set of keel bolts. The yacht was then set on a new road trailer and delivered to the owners home where she was placed in a large workshop for further work.
The project was to carry out further refitting during the Winter whilst sailing her in the Summer. During this period of four years, the owner supported by an experienced wooden shipwright carried out the following work.
Three seams per side below the waterline had their caulking tightened and were then re-puttied.
Interior was stripped, modified from five to four berth layout with new chart table with locker under and full length, hanging locker.
Installation of new lockers and bunks in the fore cabin and new shelving behind the galley.
Installation of new instrumentation panel behind chart table including GPS 72, Garmin Chartplotter 500, HF and VHF radio, switch panels, charging sockets and battery monitoring equipment.
Installation of new heads together with relevant piping.
Seacocks renewed or refurbished as necessary.
Cockpit lockers re-lidded with the appropriate drainage system.
Complete strip down and repaint and re-varnish.
Modification and replacement of standing and running rigging.
New navigation lights and radio antennae.
New internally fitted echo sounder.
New engine control panel on-deck and waterproof with button start/stop.
Dimensions.
Length on deck: 26’ 2”
Length on waterline: 20’
Beam: 7’ 6”
Draft: 4’ 2”
Displacement: 2.84 tons
CONSTRUCTION:
Mahogany on oak: ¾” plank on 1” square steamed timbers at 4 ½ “spacing.
Sawn oak floors and keel, floors fastened with new phosphor bronze bolts.
Iron external ballast keel at 4 ½ tons with new bolts giving a 50% ballast ratio.
Marine plywood deck, epoxy sheathed and finished in light grey non-slip deck paint. New anchor chocks and hawse pipe forward.
Stainless steel pushpit and pulpit with double wire guard rails on quick release catches.
Varnished cockpit and cabin coamings with chromed bronze glazed ports.
Coach roof in marine ply, epoxy sheathed and with vanished handrails.
Deck stepped mast.
Self-draining cockpit with new removable sole and varnished mahogany locker-tops (lockable) and bridge deck with main-sheet system.
New tiller on a transom hung rudder.
Fore and main hatch in varnished mahogany with barge boards including lock.
RIG:
The rig has been modified with the addition of dual backstays and new main sheet system on the bridge deck. Details are as follows:
Masthead rig with an aluminium Proctor mast stepped on deck in housing.
All rigging has always been removed at the end of the season and stored inside.
Cap shroud and forestay renewed 2018, backstay renewed 2016. Lower shrouds 2008.
Harken foresail roller reefing system installed 2018.
New foresail (Hyde Sails) 2016, new main with two slab reefing system (Jeckells) 2017, spare fore and main in good condition, 2 X spinnakers. Main sail-mate, lazy guys and snood 2017.
Main boom by Z Spars 2016. Mast mounted whisker pole Z Spars 2017.
Cockpit and mast winches by Lewmar.
Mainsheet system by Barton on sliding track on the bridge deck with car position controls on the car. New stainless steel chain plates fitted by the Elephant Boatyard 2017.
MACHINERY:
Beta Marine 14hp 2 cylinder diesel engine installed new 1998. Serviced professionally each year.
External Beta Marine key-less control panel on after cabin bulkhead 2016 together with new alternator.
Single lever gearbox control to a three bladed fixed propeller. Fuel consumption approx. 1.25 litres per hour at 1250 rpm and 4.5kn. New cutlass bearing 2017
34-litre stainless steel fuel tank located in port aft cockpit locker.
One automatic (2016) and two manual bilge pumps.
Electrical. All cabling was stripped on purchase and has been renewed with marine quality cable and fittings. All electrically serviced equipment was purchased new in 2016.
Twin batteries 2016: Optima start battery and Hankook 100 ah domestic battery linked to a CTEK battery management system controlling the input from the solar panel and alternator.
Vitronix battery monitoring system 2016.
Masthead and deck level navigation lights.
Cabin lighting.
Automatic bilge pump.
Instrument panel.
Depth sounder.
Compass.
Autopilot.
ACCOMMODATION:
Four berths: two in fore-cabin and two in the saloon with trotter boxes.
Entrance through companionway with galley to port with Origo two-burner gimballed methylated stove, sink, with a tap to one side and lockers behind. To starboard: chart table with instrument panel behind and lockers under and to one side.
Settee/berths either side in saloon with two new water custom made tanks under with capacity of 80 litres. Lockers outboard of berths with sliding doors.
Bulkhead with 2 x LED reading lights and brass clock and barometer 2016.
To port new Jabsco heads with shelf and toolbox behind, to starboard full- length hanging locker and access to depth sounder under.
Forward: two berths overlockers with anchor locker in between berths.
Seacocks for self-draining cockpit and engine coolant to starboard of the engine. One sink outlet to port under trotter box. Two heads seacocks in fore cabin port locker under the berth.
OPTIONS:
VIRTUALLY NEW ROAD TRAILER – cost new £4,000
AVON REDCREST DINGHY
9ft. LAPSTRAKE DINGHY
OWNERS COMMENTS. This yacht has been refitted with great attention to detail so that she can be sailed short-handed with confidence. The controls for engine and sails are conveniently placed except for reefing which is done at the mast. Her hull makes no water at all except when sailed hard, when a little will be found in the bilge. This is normal for a wooden craft. She is in commission at Gins Farm on the River Beaulieu and will continue to be sailed into the Autumn. She handles easily as you would expect of a yacht from a designer like Kim Holman and is able to stand up to her full canvas to the top end of force 4. Her engine, which uses a glow plug, is easy to start and stop and will give 5.5 knots max and 4.5 knots cruising. For a small yacht, her accommodation is remarkably roomy. Having had a Folkboat, and a SHE 31 in the past, I have to say that this yacht has been my favourite.
BROKERS NOTE:
A particularly good and upgraded example of the popular Holman 26 cruising yacht. Well balanced masthead rig and proven performance. A fine 1960s classic retaining her original style yet eminently practical and affordable. Late October 2019 to dry boatshed for the winter. Viewing recommended.
Photographs dated 10th July 2019.
GUIDE: SOLD – December 2019
LYING: Wiltshire (Dry boatshed)
VIEWING: Through CLASSIC YACHT BROKERAGE – 01905 356482
