Review of Sirius 26

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior of Sirius 26 anno 1977.

The boat is equipped with one cabin, 4 berths, a galley, 50 liters (13 US gallons, 10 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.

The Sirius 26 is built with a masthead rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 28.1 m² (302.5 ft²). The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Keel of Sirius 26 anno 1977.

Rudder of Sirius 26 anno 1977.

The Sirius 26 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the additional surface area created by the cast iron keel in comparison to a lead keel of the same weight would be negligible for cruising yachts.

Sirius 26 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.25 - 1.35 meter (4.10 - 4.40 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Stub/CentreBoard

Another option is a stub/centreboard keel. A stub/centerboard keel is a fixed stub keel with a retractable centerboard, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.75 - 0.85 meter (2.46 - 2.76 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 30 liters (7 US gallons, 6 imperial gallons).

The Sirius 26 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta diesel engine at 10 hp (7 kW). Calculated max speed is about 4.9 knots

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

Alternative 2:

Sirius 26 may be equipped with an inboard Beta Marine diesel engine at 16 hp (11 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.2 knots

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Sirius 26 is 2.17, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Sirius 26 is about 112 kg/cm, alternatively 629 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 112 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 629 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Sirius 26 is 17.4.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Sirius 26 is 2.87.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Sirius 26 is 44%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Sirius 26 is 258 which categorizes this boat among 'moderate racers'.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Sirius 26 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.1, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 19.4.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 18m² (193 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

Keels with moving parts need to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis according to advice given in owner's manual. Manufacturers usually advise which maintenance work can be done by the owner and which work should be carried out by a suitably experienced boatyard.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Sirius 26 anno 1977. The old Parat 18 winches is replaced with Andersen 28St, which turned out to be a very good fit.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Sirius 26 (Streuer) it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.