1986 Windy 26 SN Boat in Tatamagouche, NS CA

Dimensions Vessel: SWIZZEL Year: 1986 Builder: Windy Boats, Norway Type: Diesel Pocket Trawler Length: 26 ft Beam: 9 ft 6 in Draft: 3.4 ft Construction: Molded Fiberglass   Key Equipement Volvo Penta D260 diesel (60 HP turbo), installed 2021 92 HOURS! Raymarine A78 GPS / Radar / Chartplotter / Sonar Raymarine L265 depth sounder Icom M330G VHF with GPS plus Standard Horizon DSC VHF Bruce anchor with Sprint 500 vertical windlass Two aluminum fuel tanks Two aluminum fresh water tanks Force 10 propane heater Minivolt refrigerator Full cockpit enclosure Review A Trawler Full Of Norwegian Surprises. By Doug Dawson At first glance, the Windy 26 SN looks like any conventional hardtop express cruiser, with a cabin trunk forward and the helm positioned at the very front of the cockpit. On closer inspection, the boat proves to be a classic double-ended Norwegian trawler design. The cockpit is engineered for maximum space and comfort, and the topsides of the hand-laid fiberglass hull are simulated lap-strake with a traditional black sheer-line along the length of the top “plank.” The Windy 26 SN is one of a line of 22- to 30-footers built in Norway by Windy Boats, which was founded in 1967 and currently employs 67 people. It carries a Danish certification plate which the manufacturer states is equivalent to Lloyd’s of London’s 100 A1 specifications. Its Canadian distributor is St. Lawrence Marina Sales of Brockville, Ontario, which also acts as a dealer. At the time of our test in April, Warner Auto Marine of Grand Bend, Ontario, was the only other dealer. Since then IRS, based in Port Credit, Ontario, has joined the dealer network. I ran the Windy through its paces on Lake Huron in a moderate groundswell. Its stability surprised me; most trawlers have round chines and tend to roll whether at dock or at sea. The Windy was pleasingly stable both at dock and at all speeds from idle to full throttle. Its stability is due to a full length skeg (which most trawlers have), a flat run aft and two stabilizing bilge keels molded into the aft ends of both chines. A big rudder makes this single engine boat easy to handle while docking or performing tight maneuvers. I found it quite easy to steer in reverse both to port and to starboard, something that is not usually the case with a normal inboard design. The 65-hp Volvo diesel, of course, is louder than a gasoline engine, but hardly objectionable. The Windy performs like a true trawler. It cruises at about 10 mph; its 32.9-gallon fuel capacity allows a range of approximately 200 miles. With a full tank of fuel and no gear aboard; the test boat came very close to planning at its top speed of about 15 mph. Let’s look the boat over in detail, starting with the exterior forward and working aft. The anchor locker is deeper than those in most American boats. At the bottom of the locker is a ring to secure the end of the anchor line. Anticipating a buyer’s needs, the manufacturer has pre-wired the forward deck for an electric anchor winch. Two decades ago, boat builders gave up on opening cabin windows forward because of leaks, but the Norwegians have resurrected this method of cabin ventilation. The difference is that these windows bolt down tight like a large porthole, so the chances of leakage are far more remote than with the older design. As you work your way aft down the side deck, you encounter two sets of handrails. The first runs the full length of the cabin roof and continues under the hardtop windows; the second runs the full length of the hardtop roof. Tall or short, you’ll find plenty of handholds. The surfaces of both the foredeck and the cabin roof thoughtfully feature a nonskid finish. As you round the aft end of the hardtop, there is an opening in the teak taff-rail and a conveniently located fiberglass step that is an extension of the cockpit seat to help you from the deck to the cockpit floor. The transom, instead of being flat like that of an express cruiser or trawler, is rounded like that of a double ended sailboat. The round transom deflects the wave energy from a following sea or, in simple layman’s terms, stops the sea from hitting you square from behind. A heavy-duty, folding aluminum swim ladder and an outboard motor bracket on the extra wide wrap around platform offer almost limitless water recreation possibilities. Tucked into the narrow aft deck is an anchor locker similar to the one on the forward deck, with a lid, drain and a fastening eye. In these days of fiberglass, stainless steel and aluminum, Windy Boats has gone to the trouble of supplying a solid teak flagstaff. For those long summer evenings, either docked in the harbor or swinging on a hook in some northern bay, the cockpit has seats built along both sides and across the transom, with seat and back cushions. A drop-leaf table fastens to the cockpit floor for sunrise breakfasts or late evening cocktails. The traditional cockpit sole is covered in white Nautolex with black stripes; aluminum angle trim is found on the hatches. The standard camper canopy protects the cockpit seating area from damp evenings and mosquitoes. On the test boat the cockpit drained into the bilges. With the latest models to be imported, the cockpit is completely self-draining.

The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.