FOR SALE: Junk rigged Samphire 26
Built: 1977 by Northsea Craft. Thick fibreglass hull, epoxy treated. Deck is balsa cored.
LOA: 7.8m
Beam: 2.6m
Draught: 1.03m
Displacement: 3 tons
Long keel
Engine: New Beta 25 Hp installed 2011
3-blade fixed prop
Autosteer trim tab windvane self steering (in need of a simple repair)
Junk rig conversion by Sunbirds 2009, flat sail by Chris Scanes
Stanchions extended to 1m in height for safety, with easy release clips on top and bottom rails on both sides of the cockpit for ease of boarding.
New sprayhood 2011.
New bunk cushions and covers 2013.
New prop shaft, coupling and stern gland fitted 2016.
Two CQR type plough anchor on chain and rope rode. Galerider storm drogue / sea anchor. Also small sea anchor.
We are a disabled sailing couple (both leg amputees in late middle age) who have sailed Quintet safely and happily around much of the British Isles and the Irish Sea on our own. We find her a comfortable boat for two people, and have spent eight weeks living aboard each summer for the past 10 years.
Inside she has two long berths in the saloon, and the central table drops down with an additional cushion to make a big double bed. The forward cabin no longer has bunks since the junk conversion, instead making more room for storage, a portapotti, hanging locker for waterproofs, and easy access to the anchor chain locker. There is ample storage space in both cabins and in a full-length deep cockpit locker and lockers in the engine compartment. A manual Whale Gusher bilge pump is fitted in the cockpit.
The galley has hand pumped fresh water, a sink, and a gimballed two burner gas stove with a grill. The gaz bottles are kept in a vented locker in the cockpit. She is fully equipped with pans and crockery which are stored in a secure rack.
We are old fashioned sailors, preferring paper charts and compass, so there is no electronic chartplotter installed (we use an iPad as a back-up chartplotter if necessary). There is also no VHF radio or GPS (we use handhelds), though there is a working depth sounder and log. She has 12V “cigar lighter” sockets throughout both cabins and in the cockpit where an Autohelm could be fitted. All cabin and navigation lights are LED. Two batteries charged from alternator and solar panel which fits on the coachroof (socket provided on coachroof).
She has always been over-wintered ashore, then scrubbed and anti-fouled every season with all woodwork maintained and oiled regularly, both inside and out. She has an unusual paint job on her topsides, which has been looked over recently by a marine surveyor and found to be sound. However, she could quite easily be sanded down and repainted to smarten her up. Although she’s an old boat, there is a lot of life left in her.
Some accessories/spares included - sail cover, tiller, pair of legs for drying out, ropes, chain, plenty of fenders, jerrycans for carrying spare fuel, jerrycans for extra water, etc.
At the moment she is ashore in Troon Marina. She wasn’t put in the water last season, and now longer term health problems has meant it is time for us to let her go. There are no outstanding marina (or other) fees.
She isn’t the fastest boat on the water, but she is incredibly sound and sturdy, taking us safely though any conditions. With her windvane steering and good sailing manners, she is easily sailed single-handed or by a couple over long distances. We will be very sorry to see her go, but life moves on and we’d love to see someone else have some adventures on her.
I’ve put some photos of her up on the website’s gallery, but unfortunately don’t have any of her interior other than the galley. We will be going up to take our stuff off her in late March, so would be happy to meet up with anyone interested in her then. Otherwise the keys are kept in the marina office and I can arrange for them to be given out to anyone interested in looking at her in the meantime.
She’s basically ready to go with just a little work. Any reasonable offer accepted.
Any queries, please get in touch with Tracey on tracey@brixtonhealth.com