Back Cove 26, a 26 Ft Boat With a Maine Lobster Boat Soul

A 26 ft boat with a Downeast pedigree

Most people shopping for a 26 ft boat end up comparing outboard cuddies and bowriders. The Back Cove 26 is a different animal: a small, single-diesel Downeast cruiser with a spoon bow, a reverse transom and the tumblehome of a Maine lobster boat, finished inside in hand-varnished American cherry. Back Cove Yachts introduced it in 2004, a year after its first model, the Back Cove 29, and it remained the smallest boat the company ever built.

Back Cove is the Rockland, Maine sister of Sabre Yachts. When Sabre launched its twin-engine Sabreline 34 Express, its marketing chief Bentley Collins explained to Soundings why it would not compete with the Back Coves: they have a single engine and a bow thruster, and in his experience you never talk a single-engine buyer into twins or the reverse. That single-engine simplicity is the whole point of the 26.

Collins told Soundings at the launch that the trick was building a boat with all the same equipment as the 29 in smaller dimensions, and that sailors in particular were drawn to it for day cruising, dinner runs and cocktail cruises in something distinctive rather than another white plastic boat.

The hull and the numbers that matter

Back Cove's brochure lists the 26 at 26 feet 6 inches overall with a 9-foot 4-inch beam and 2-foot 6-inch draft, and an estimated full-load displacement of 8,500 pounds. Deadrise at the transom is 14 degrees, a moderate figure that balances a decent ride with stability at rest. Downward-turning spray rails and wide chines help keep the boat dry, add stability in a seaway and help lift it onto plane.

Tankage is 100 gallons of diesel, 30 gallons of water and 30 gallons of holding. Air draft is 8 feet 6 inches with the hardtop and 6 feet 10 inches to the top of the windshield on the open version, numbers that make the 26 easy to keep in harbors with low bridges and straightforward to ship by truck. The hull was built by North End Composites, and Back Cove built it to NMMA, CE, ABYC and USCG standards.

• LOA 26 feet 6 inches, beam 9 feet 4 inches, draft 2 feet 6 inches
• Displacement about 8,500 pounds at full load
• Fuel 100 gallons, water 30, holding 30
• Deadrise 14 degrees at the transom
• Cabin headroom 5 feet 7 inches

Single-diesel performance and economy

Back Cove offered diesel engines from 200 to 260 horsepower on a straight shaft, with a bow thruster standard. The brochure says the boat cruises at 25 knots with the standard four-cylinder diesel and, at 20 knots, can run more than 265 nautical miles, which implies a burn of roughly 7 to 7.5 gallons per hour at that speed if you use the whole tank. Back Cove's current heritage page describes a smooth ride at a 20-knot cruise.

We could not find an independent instrumented test of the 26 with a full speed and fuel table, so treat these as builder figures. For comparison, Yachting's test of the larger Back Cove 29 recorded 27.9 knots at 3,800 rpm and a comfortable 20.3-knot cruise at 3,000 rpm. Expect the 26 to feel similar in character: unhurried, efficient and happiest in the high teens and low 20s.

Open bass boat or pipe-supported hardtop

The 26 was offered in two deck styles. The open bass boat layout has only a windshield, which suits fair-weather day cruising and keeps the profile low. The other version adds a pipe-supported hardtop over the helm deck, the better choice for northern waters, sun protection and electronics mounting. Hardtop boats are more common on the used market and usually command a premium.

Captain and mate seats sit on a raised helm deck at a height chosen for good sightlines, with a large helm pod for electronics. A step leads down to the aft cockpit, which has comfortable coamings for fishing, a lazarette below and optional aft seating. The best feature is engine access: the entire helm deck rises on gas shocks to expose the engine and the mechanical and electrical systems, something many larger boats cannot match.

A cherry cabin for two

Below, the cabin is bright for its size and finished in varnished cherry with ash ceilings and a teak-and-holly sole. A V-berth with a drop-down inlaid table sleeps two. The galley to port has a 120V AC and 12V DC refrigerator, a stainless sink, a microwave and a single-burner cooktop. To starboard, a fully enclosed head with a proper privacy door, vanity and sink is unusual in a 26-footer and is one reason couples can genuinely overnight aboard.

Headroom is 5 feet 7 inches, so this is a weekend boat rather than a liveaboard. Four gelcoat hull colors were available with contrasting nonskid on deck.

Buying a used Back Cove 26 two decades on

Every Back Cove 26 is now around 20 years old, so condition and engine history matter far more than model year. Look closely at the diesel's hours, coolant and exhaust elbow, the shaft seal and cutless bearing, and the bow thruster. Varnished cherry and exterior teak are expensive to refinish if neglected, and the hardtop's pipe supports and mounting points should be checked for corrosion and cracking.

Ownership is inexpensive for a diesel boat. Expect roughly $7,000 to $15,000 a year for a slip or mooring, insurance, haul-out and bottom paint, diesel service and varnish. Back Cove remains in business in Rockland, building larger boats such as the 30, 34, 37 and 41, and its heritage-model pages and owner support are useful for parts and documentation.