Miami, FL
Yacht Name: | Carol Ann |
Builder: | Lyle Hess |
Model: | Custom 26 |
Year: | 1984 |
Location: | Miami, FL |
Designer: | Lyle Hess |
Hull Material: | Fiberglass |
This is the one you’ve been waiting for! Truly, if you are reading this, we know you are yearning for a special Lyle Hess design. This is the deal of the century…lovingly built over many years. The hull was laid in 1984 in North Carolina and the first owner spent more that ten years building her. She was finally completed in 1995. Then she rested in a barn in Connecticut until a couple years ago. Now now new and upgraded as if money was no object, new engine, new hoses, new electronics, new wiring, so much new….. This is a special boat! New can even have all the original boat plans and the molds for the bronze castings! As you well know, the Lyle Hess Bristol Channel Cutter is certainly among our favorite blue water boats for many reasons. Over the years we have also known and sold quite a few Lyle Hess designs like the Lyle Hess 32 with and without engines! No we don’t have one of those for you today…
We have a special Lyle Hess 26’ much like Lin and Larry’s Serraffyn but a tad bigger. Carol Ann is 12,000 lbs! The Lyle Hess 26 is little known. It was built in North Carolina. I believe they built maybe nine hulls. The beautiful smaller cutter is pretty much a slightly smaller BCC! At 26’ on deck and 12,000 lbs she is only slightly smaller than the BCC at 28’ and 14,000 lbs. We’ve had a chance to know the boat and sail in company with a 26. Not this very boat, but a sister ship named Polaris Jack. Polaris Jack was sailed by a lifelong sailor as at home in the rigging as in any bed or on land. The Lyle Hess 26 is an amazing vessel and extremely capable and just a tad smaller than the BCC. She is twice the size of the Falmouth Cutter and she is a wonderful capable boat.
The Lyle Hess 26 that we are so proud to offer is a special boat. She is reported to be one of nine of the Lyle Hess 26 hulls built of fiberglass! The hull was laid up by hand by Russell Yachts of North Carolina. The hull was commissioned for Johnson Millwork Inc. of Connecticut as was the custom of the day. The first owner lovingly, for ten years, and painstakingly, driven by his love for boats, he completed the boat. This is just one of many incredible Lyle Hess cutters built by loving artisans and shipwrights who labored for many years to create their dream boat. If you are lucky enough to acquire one of these boats, you are rich! If you appreciate reading this, you will be in love with the completed vessel, Carol Ann.
The owner spent ten years and all his spare cash to build the boat. He built the interior the way all the BCCs were built all by hand bit by bit. He built the deck of marine plywood sandwiched in fiberglass. The owner built the boat himself. He even made the mast of Sitka Spruce.The bronze fittings were created by hand by an extraordinary craftsman. The wire rigging is even braided by hand. It was indeed a work of love over many years.
The woodwork and joinery are extraordinary and it is evident on first inspection that highly skilled craftsman produced this work as a labor of love for the craft and an obsession to the highest degree of perfection. Not only the workmanship, but the quality of the wood, the millwork, the bronze fittings, everything if of incredible quality, not found today at any cost. Undoubtedly this boat is the real thing. When you spend ten years and maintain a level of craftsmanship equal to any shipwright and when you start with a proven Lyle Hess design you totally end up with a beautiful and capable blue water cruiser.
If you love beautiful traditional cutters, if you know the BCC 28 or a Falmouth Cutter 22, you will immediately know that this Lyle Hess 26 is perfectly amazing. Not only is she just right in size for any human, man or woman, to sail easily, everything is complete right down to the in suite of sails, the Freehand wind steering system designed by Larry Pardey that works amazing with the Lyle Hess designs. Finally, the current and recent owner replaced the engine so there is s brand new Beta Marine 25 with about 100 hours on it.
The current owner found the boat in a shed in North Carolina and he just had to buy her. He shipped her to Florida and opened up his wallet as he was totally smitten. He just went and spent money to get her totally updated and ready to sail with new electronics and all. So before he started sailing her, he was smitten in another way and his crew became a bit larger. He bought another boat so he could share his dream and so you see that Carol Ann is waiting for you.
This Lyle Hess 26 is just a tad smaller than the BCC 28 and she is twice as big as a Falmouth Cutter. This is a perfect boat for any solo sailor. She is incredibly easy to sail single handed for anyone. With her Lyle Hess underbody, she will take care of you. She is heavy enough for a soft ride and she has to momentum to move through the chop. You will feel secure in all conditions. The Lyle Hess 26 will take care of you.
Accommodations
The Lyle Hess Channel Cutter is a work of art. The interior is simply the most pleasing and functional layout you will ever find on small traditional cutter. Remember, she is 26’ on deck with a plumb bow and squared of transom that allows all the space down below to be used! The head room is equal to or a tad more than a BCC if you are tall. This is a beautiful boat. The interior has lightness like Herreshoff with white bulkheads and to set off the varnished mahogany trim. The oil lamp really sets the ambiance just like you always dreams about. Everything was built to purpose by her loving first owner. She has a beautiful traditional dining table with settees port and starboard. There are storage lockers, bins, shelves and drawers in nautical fashion. The cabin sole is teak and holly of course. She is beautiful and everything is built to purpose.
The interior layout is comfortable and much like Lin and Larry’s Serifyn with the beautiful owner's cabin forward with a double berth to starboard and storage lockers to port. In traditional fashion, just aft the forward stateroom is the enclosed head featuring a Natures Head Composting toilet and good stowage. The main salon features two settees port and starboard separated by a custom-made mahogany dining table with a fold down leaf. In the aft area of the main salon there is a long quarter berth to port and a large chart table to starboard. There are assorted stowage areas built into the bulkhead and forward bilge and access to the engine which sits below the cockpit. The layout on this Lyle Hess 26 is brilliant making the ultimate use of all the space there is. It is all you need.
Beautiful traditional Herreshoff interior
Excellent joinery work throughout
Teak and holly sole
Bronze port lights
Beautiful main salon deck hatch
Excellent accommodations for one or two
Large V berth - New cushion foam (2017)
Three storage lockers in V berth
Storage under Entire V berth
Quarter berth - New cushion foam (2017)
Storage under quarter berth
Port and Starboard Seating
Large storage cabinet behind starboard seating
Small Storage Under Starboard Seating
Large Chart Table (Removable)
Large storage underneath chart table
Large storage area aft of chart table
Two storage cabinets in galley
Enclosed Head
Storage locker in enclosed head
Lots of small storage compartments throughout boat
Galley & Plumbing
The Lyle Hess design is brilliant. The boat just works. However, no one did a lot of cooking on Carol Ann. I doubt the stove has never been used!
Electronics & Navigation
All New!
Garmin GPSMap 12” Chartplotter - (New – 2017)
Garmin VHS with AIS Receiver – linked to chartplotter - (New – 2017)
Garmin In Hull Transducer – not Installed (New – 2017)
Systems: Mechanical & Electrical Systems
Start with the new Beta Marine diesel and the entire drive train replaced including all the hoses, filters, shaft…all new. Just because.
Mechanical
New! Beta Marine 25 new in 2017 with 75 hours
120 Amp alternator 2017
Waterproof engine control panel in cockpit 2017
Bronze engine controls
Hoses all replaced in 2017
Racor fuel filter 2017
30 Gallon fuel tank (Cleaned 2017)
Bronze Groco water strainer
Cutlass bearing 2017
New stainless steel shaft 2017
Line cutter 2017
Bronze 3-blade prop
Tiller steering
Freehand windvane steering
Electrical Details
The electrical system was all inspected and mostly replaced! It’s pretty awesome with new batteries, new electrical panel and new wiring new LED lighting and new fans. She’s ready to go! Mostly all new!
New Blue Seas Marine Custom 360 Panel
New Blue Seas Marine VSM422 Digital Display
Tank Sounders – Not Installed (two Blue Seas Marine)
Wiring throughout the boat – all new in 2017
New Group 31 (100 Ah) – 12v start battery - Oddessy Extreme 2017
Three Group 31 (300 Ah) House bank- Oddessy Extreme 2017
Chart table light – LED red/white 2017
Galley Light – LED white 2017
Led cabin light in the V berth– red 2017
New nav lights, port and starboard deck level navigation lights 2017
Weems and Plath bulkhead mounted compass (serviced 2018)
Depth Sounder
Two Sirocco 2 cabin fans 2018
Four Blue Sea USB ports 2018
Additional wiring and snakes run through boat for any new electronic components
Windvane self steering
Custom Teak and Bronze Tiller Lock
Rig and Sails Inventory
This custom Lyle Hess 26 is traditional and beautiful like a rare boat you might find in the Pacific Northwest or Maine. She is real in every way. The spar is Sitka Spruce with bronze fittings. The Sitka Spruce bow sprit is also newly varnished and beautiful. The boom is Douglas fir as is the boomkin.
Sitka spruce spar with bronze fittings, solid below deck, hollow above deck with an all foil interior for radar reflection
Sitka spruce bowsprit
Sitka spruce whisker pole
Douglas Fir boom and boomkin
Bronze gooseneck
Bronze belaying pins
Large bronze cleats - six
Bronze chocks - six
Bronze grab rails along entire cabin top
Bronze folding pad eyes, strong points with bronze backing plates for safety in the cockpit
Bronze folding pad eyes with bronze backing plates on cabin top
Bronze folding pad eyes with bronze backing plates on foredeck
Bronze external chain plates
Bronze turnbuckles
Hand-spliced stainless steel standing rigging. Most new in 2017
Schaefer roller furling (Brand New 2017)
Spare internal parts for winches
Real beautiful teak blocks…½” teak blocks for all running rigging
Braided Dacron running rigging - as new
Spare running rigging
Sail Inventory
Furling Jib Clark headsail sail – Like New
Hanked on Clark staysail – with one reef point – Like New
Clark storm jib – never used
Clark Main Sail #1 – heavy Dacron – three reef points - Like New
Clark Main Sail #2 – heavy Dacron - three reef points - Like New
Port Townsend Sails - Lazy Jacks 2017
Sail Covers
Winches
Four bronze self-tailing Murray winches for jib and staysail sheets
Three bronze Murray winches on mast for main halyard / jib and staysail halyards
Hull, Deck & Ground Tackle
A BCC hull is notoriously overbuilt in every way and this little sister is even more robust. The hull was built by Russell Yachts of Morehead City North Carolina. The hull is hand laminated fiberglass consisting of two layers of 1 1/2 oz. mat followed by alternating layers of 24 oz. roving and 1.5 oz. mat to give the hull a thickness of over ½ inch. Additional layers of matt and roving are used on transom, the bow, the deck flange, and chain plate area as well as the turn of the bilges. In these critical areas the thickness of the hull can be almost an inch. The hull was then fully insulated with 1/2" blue insulation board to prevent condensation inside the boat. Everything is top notch and this boat is likely stronger than even a BCC 28!
The well-designed deck layout with ocean crossings in mind is equal to the BCC. The side decks are wide so it is easy to move fore and aft. The deck is constructed with 1/2" marine plywood sandwiched between hand laminated fiberglass. The incredible thick teak deck is overlaid. It is 1/2" teak decking that is both glued and screwed down. The deck hardware is stunning with ten cast bronze stanchions (like our Indigo). There are six bronze chocks through the flange. The large bronze cleats are substantial. The bronze grab rails along the entire cabin top are super salty and traditional and functional. The folding bronze pad provides strong point attachments and safety lines on deck and in the cockpit. Her eight-inch high mahogany bulwarks and traditional taffrail are more than beautiful. The feeling you have on deck is of being solid and secure; on a Lyle Hess cutter you always feel safe moving about on deck. There are six opening bronze ports in the sides of the cabin house as well as two fixed bronze portlights. The beautiful opening deck hatch is teak with bronze like the BCC.
In the small seaworthy cockpit the two 3” drains for drain any water quickly.
Bronze ABI manual windlass
250 Feet - 3/8” high test chain
Primary anchor is a 55lb Spade (Brand New – 2017)
Spare 35lb Danforth anchor
Additional and Safety Specifications & Items
EPIRB: ACR Global Fix iPro (Brand New – 2017)
Life Sling 2 with custom Sunbrella cover: (Brand New – 2017)
One Adult and one PFD: (Brand New – 2017)
Two fire extinguishers (Brand New – 2017)
Flare Gun and Flares (Brand New – 2017)
Custom Jack lines on cabin top
Whistle
Three throwable cushions
Fenders
Spare standing rigging hardware and wire
Spare shackles and blocks
Engine filters, belts and components
Sun shade with water collection
Two triangle sun shades
Special:
Original custom molds for ALL bronze fittings on boat
Length: | 26' |
Beam: | 9' 4 |
Draft: | 4' 7 |