The LM 26 is a very good boat - it is after all an LM!
Seriously, though, I think it is a good looking, very nicely made, well thought out and practical boat. I very nearly bought one myself before ending up with my LM27 (an earlier boat than the LM26), just because of the particular boats and circumstances that were available to me at that time.
I don't have first hand experience of sailing one (hopefully someone will be along who has), but do know a bit about them.
You don't say where you are based. The LM26 is fairly rare in the UK, but 109 of them were built in Denmark by LM between about 1981 and 1986. (There was, it seems, also a non-wheelhouse version of it called the LM81.) It was one of a series of boats - LM26, LM28, LM30 & LM32 designed by Bent Juul Andersen. These essentially refined and updated the concept and layout of the earlier series, the LM24 and LM27, which were designed by Palle Mortensen.
Apart from styling and (some very nice) details, the key differences of the LM26, 28, etc. series from the earlier LM24 & LM27 are - - the hull is 'yacht' shaped, with a fin keel (a few with bilge keels), rather than the traditional long-keeled, fishing boat derived hull of the earlier boats - in principle this should provide better speed and handling, but I've not sailed one myself to compare; and - propulsion is via a saildrive rather than traditional shaft arrangement. Both arrangements are widely used in other boats and effective, but with a saildrive good maintenance (e.g. anodes and gaiter) is particularly important to avoid expensive problems.
In a sense the LM26 effectively replaced the LM24 as the smallest LM in the series, with similar styling and layout to its bigger sisters, but without the fore cabin that they have. (Though it does have a cunning arrangement to 'fold out' the forward locker in the saloon into an additional berth forward.
I believe they were usually fitted with Bukh DV20 engines. These are well regarded, having been in continual production since the 1970s (they are now mainly fitted to ships lifeboats), and many examples giving decades of good service.
So the LM26 is very good boat, but the condition of the one you are looking at will be a very important consideration, and you should consider getting a surveyor to assess the boat for you.
Good luck! Let us know how you get on, and if you have any particular further queries.
Hi I have an lm26, I would like to ask if anyone knows if the boat sits on the mud and I have water in the toilet and went to empty it, can I flask it out without switching the switch to pumping water in? Or will I get mud inside loo? Many thanks 🙏 One more thing I have a light in the saloon not working any ideas what could that be? Thanks 🙏 Moin
If your boat is sitting in the mud you can, in principle, pump out the contents of the toilet without pumping water in, but how you do this varies between different brands of toilets/pumps. (If you try to pump in you will, as you say, draw in mud and perhaps block the pipes.) Note also that if the boat is sitting very firmly on the mud, there may be too much back pressure from the mud for you to be able to pump out. If it is very hard to pump (outlet only) do not continue pumping - you might blow a pipe off of a fitting.
Assuming you have a manual toilet, the most common type is Jabsco (TMC and most other brands are very similar). On this type the pump is always pumping out when you are operating it, and a small lever on the pump controls whether or not it also pumps water in at the same time. Set it to not pump in, and you'll be fine on mud.
Lavac brand toilets work differently. There you pump out, and normally the water is always being sucked in by the vacuum in the toilet. If you leave the toilet seat up, though, there is no vacuum, and it just pumps out. Again that will be OK in mud.
I hope that helps answer that question.
For your light in the saloon, the most likely reason for it not working is that the bulb has blown. Try putting in a new bulb, or swapping the bulb with one in a similar lamp that is working.
Another possibility is that a fuse has blown, but normally that would affect more than one light (depending how the boat is wired). While this is less likely to be the problem (if only one light is not working), it should be quick and easy to check whether all your fuses are OK, so do this before starting on the next thing.
If the bulb is not the problem it is most likely to be a poor electrical connection, either in the wiring inside the lamp, in the switch for the lamp, or in the wiring to the lamp. You might be able to see a problem if you look carefully at the wiring (especially terminals), or try gently moving the wires and switch while the lamp is turned on and it may flicker on and therefore become become apparent where the problem is. Otherwise you will have to use a multi-meter or, better still, a continuity tester to trace where the problem lies. Don't forget to check the return/earth wire, as well as the 'live' (probably positive) 12 volt wire.
