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| Suggestions for Tollycraft 26s
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Bob Bartholomew, from Ellensburg, Wash., wants to buy a Tolly 26, and sent this e-mail asking for any thoughts:
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February 1, 2001
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I spoke with you briefly at the Seattle Boat Show about your original 26' Tolly. I am trying to find one for use by my wife and me. When we spoke I was going to have to sell my sailboat first, so we didn't pursue our conversation. You suggested that before I bought a 26 I should contact you for some advice on what should be on the boat in terms of equipment and power etc. Things have moved faster then I imagined, and suddenly I'm in a position to buy. I'd be extremely thankful for any must-have or should-haves you would recommend. I'm especially concerned about the size of engine. I know of one boat that is very nice, although it has a 1996 Mercruiser 260-hp engine in it. I've heard different opinions about engine size. Is the 454 a must? How about year of manufacture: any big differences between, say, a '74 and '77 for example? I know a V-drive is a must. Did you have an oversized rudder??
Thanks again for your help. I consider you the expert on Tollys after covering the ground you did with your boat. I commercial fished off the Oregon Coast for 15 years, so I appreciate what it took to make the journeys you did with a 26'.
--Bob Bartholomew
Ellensburg, Wa.
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Response
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I remember your stopping by. You already got the most important no-no, that the earlier, direct-drive models don't perform as well as the later V-drive or stern drive models.
The 260-hp 350 Chevy engine is okay, just not optimum. The new 350s may be just the thing, though. They're wringing more advertised horsepower out of that block, what with fuel injection and electronic controls and all. In my opinion, you want a 15-17-knot cruise at 3200 rpm maximum. Our Chevy big block 454 gave us 15 1/2 knots at 3000 rpm, burning 11-12 U.S. gallons per hour. The new owner cruises the boat around 17 knots at 3200 rpm. He says his analysis indicates better fuel economy at 3200 than 3000 -- although "economy" is an oxymoron when you're talking about powerboats.
You want trim tabs. You also want hot and cold pressure water. I installed an accumulator tank in the water system to get rid of the brrp-brrp-brrp of the demand pump, and recommend that every boat have an accumulator tank.
You'll want cabin heat.
The early Tolly 26s came with a small reefer under the helm seat, and later models used a larger reefer (still under the helm seat). You want the larger reefer. I saw one early model that had cable steering. I would want hydraulic. You definitely want the later model windows. I think that change occured in 1977. If you do get a boat with the old style windows, new-style windows can be ordered and installed. They're pricey but worth it. The back door of our 26 had a window in it, and I would want one again.
The early 26s had zamac (I'm not sure of that spelling) rail fittings, which rot away in a saltwater environment. I believe it was in 1978 that Tollycraft changed to stainless steel rail fittings and increased the rail size from 7/8" to 1".
At least in the earlier years, the standard forward rail terminated near the front of the house. An optional rail stretched back beside the house. Ours had the shorter rail and I wouldn't have wanted to change to the longer rail. People with the longer rail wouldn't change to the shorter rail. My conclusion: You learn to prefer what you have.
A cockpit bimini doubles the usable space on the boat. The difference is incredible. Ours was just a canvas bimini, no side curtains. We didn't feel the need for side curtains, although they do make the cockpit cozier. The couple who bought our 26 have done some work on the bimini, but they too feel no need for side curtains. Our boat had a larger rudder. It was deeper, not wider. I have not handled a 26 with the standard rudder, so I don't know the difference. I do know that I liked the way our 26 maneuvered (after I learned to maneuver it).
Unless the boat has a new engine and transmission, I would budget for replacement. Once the power train starts giving trouble, I'd want it out of there.
We carried a 22-pound Bruce anchor with a short length of chain and 300' of 1/2" nylon rope. My 50-plus-year-old variable-speed armstrong windlass managed the anchor without need for an electric windlass. The armstrong windlass has the further advantage of leaving the foredeck when I leave. In fact, it's with me wherever I go.
Generally, I'm against buying a "project boat" with the idea of fixing it up. I would pay more for a boat that has been well-owned and pampered. The really good ones aren't that much more expensive, and I'd be starting from a much higher base.
Even so, regardless of how tender the loving care of the previous owner(s), any boat is a sinkhole for money. We bought a good one and paid extra for it. Yet it was only a year later that we repowered with the 454, installed a FloScan fuel flow meter/totalizer, a Norscot dripless propeller shaft seal, an Aetna digital tachometer at each helm station, an 8D deep cycle house battery with first-rate battery isolation equipment, and a Heart Freedom 10 inverter. A year after that came the radar on a beautiful stainless steel custom radar arch, and after that, the autopilot. We also replaced all the cushions and upholstery. We bought the boat for $30,000, put another $30,000 in, and sold to knowledgeable owners for $33,500. The new owners have continued to spend money on the boat, and it shows. Great economics, huh? But that's boats.
We leave for our long research cruise in early June, so I've missed the U.S. Tolly rendezvous. I have, however, been to several Canadian Tolly rendezvous, held at the Telegraph Harbour Marina in mid-September. The Canadians get about 50 26s, many of them real showpieces. The information exchange at these rendezvous is amazing. If you get a Tolly, you'll definitely want to go to the Canadian event, and probably the U.S. one as well.
The Tolly 26 is one of the great small mom-and-pop cruisers. The galley is outstanding, the head is large, and the forward sleeping area is enormous. The upper station is spacious. The boat is seaworthy, stable and strong, and fast enough to get somewhere. Fuel tankage is fabulous. The cockpit is huge. And the styling is timeless. Tollycraft improved the 26 each year until it was discontinued in the middle 1980s. If I were looking for a 26 today, I would look for a pampered 1978 or newer model (although ours was a 1976 model), and not screwed up by its previous owners. I would view the initial purchase as a base for more expenditures. Then I'd start adding stuff -- but maybe that's just me.
--Bob Hale
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