2023 26′ Gannon and Benjamin Ketanji Daysailer

$335,000

“In my few years of messing about on boats, I have tried to include the basic ingredients for safety, speed and comfort with a strong emphasis on good looks…I feel it’s important to keep a weather eye on current trends but not be influenced by the glitter only the grace.” Nat Benjamin

Nat Benjamin’s latest 26’ daysailer design Marta, certainly lives up to the credo of safety, speed, comfort, and good looks. She’s Nat Benjamin’s 100th design and the 85th hull built by the renowned Martha’s Vineyard traditional boatbuilding yard Gannon and Benjamin.

The short ended, counter stern, spoon bow hull shape; beautiful sheer line; and well-proportioned cabin house are very typical of G&B boats as are the easily handled, self-tacking gaff rig; the large, comfortable cockpit; and the mostly painted, low-maintenance exterior finish scheme.   She’s built for day sails, cocktail cruises and overnights rather than for bashing around the cans or fussing over on the dock, all grace and not much glitter (save the gorgeous varnished Silver Bali house sides, cockpit coamings and toe-rail).

Down below there’s a simple camp cruising interior with a quarter berth aft to port, a small nav station and settee berth to starboard and some storage up in the port bow. The lack of ceiling planking and mostly varnished interior finish scheme let the craftsmanship and the first rate materials of her construction shine: purpleheart corner posts, cedar and wanna planking, white oak frames, Alaskan Yellow Cedar hanging knees, Varnished sinker cypress bulkheads…

What sets Marta apart from G&B’s previous traditional daysailer design/builds is the choice of inboard electric propulsion. It’s ideal for a daysailer like Marta: Clean, silent, and unobtrusive, it can be topped up indefinitely by solar panel or shore power without trips to the fuel dock.

Joel White once said of a Nat Benjamin designed, G&B built boat “The greatest fun in boating usually comes in the simplest boats” and Marta couldn’t be a better example. She was built on spec last winter and offered for sale in perfect condition. She’s currently in storage on Martha’s Vineyard, MA ready for showings.

Particulars:
LOD: 26’
LWL: 20’ 2”
BEAM: 7’ 10”
DRAFT: 3’ 11”
Sail Area: 439 sq. ft

Construction:
-Purpleheart keel, deadwood, sternpost, live oak stem
-Cedar planking with wana garboards and sheer strakes
-White oak frames
-Silver Bali deck furniture
-Dynel over plywood deck, plywood cockpit
-Silicon bronze fasteners
-Lead ballast – 2900 lbs

Rigging:
Gaff rig with a self-tacking jib
Bronze deck hardware and turnbuckles
Stainless standing rigging
Sperry sails Dacron main and jib
Laminted Doughlas Fir spars

Propulsion:
-Electric Yacht Quiet torque 10 inboard electric motor
-Stainless shaft, 4-blade Featherstream prop, conventional stuffing box

Electrical
-Victron charger with 30A shorepower connection
– 12v bluesea panel