Invicta

The Invicta 26 comes from the stable of E. G. Van de Stadt. He designed her in 1964. She bears the hallmarks of his earlier designs: relatively narrow hull and transom hung rudder. She also has characteristic rounded hatches. Van de Stadt was a pioneer of GRP yacht construction in the late 60s. I have owned three yachts designed by him and they have all been beautifully balanced when under sail. I could move the tiller of my Pioneer 9 with my little finger and she would immediately respond. The drawback of such fine balance was that the tiller could not be left unattended, but with the Invicta she has a keel that extends for at least half her length, and more than two-thirds of her waterline length, which gives her good directional stability.



In her time, the Invicta was a modern interpretation of a Folkboat, and she was also similar to a Contessa 26, except the latter’s keel continues to her transom. These yachts do not have a lot of internal space, but they are very sea-kindly and sail well to windward. Being narrow of beam they heel considerably when hard on the wind and they have a fair draught of around 4’.



Tyler moulded the Mk 1 Invicta hulls which were fitted out by a variety of builders. The Mk 2 had a little more headroom and she was moulded by Fi-Craft of Essex. They also fitted out their hulls, as did Salterns Yacht Agency. Production ceased in the late 1970s.




‘Luci of Burnham’ has been on the hard at Burnham Yacht Harbour for more than a year. She would appear to be well- equipped with all the equipment necessary for long-distance cruising. She has a Navik self-steering gear, a rotary wind generator, external GPS antenna and a furling headsail. My guess is that’s she’s for sale, but I cannot find her on the books of any broker. For anybody seeking a yacht of this type, she may well be worth checking out.



Specification


L.O.A 25’ 6”
L.W.L 20’ 8”
Beam 7’ 4”
Draught 3’ 11”
Displacement 5,130 lbs
Ballast 2,307 lbs
Sail Area 311 sq ft
Cabins 2
Berths 4


Links


Invicta Archive – good photos

http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/invicta-26/invicta-26.htm


Invicta 26 for Sale

http://www.boatshop24.co.uk/MTI1NTQyfkJTU1gwMQ==-Invicta_26.html


Invicta for Sale £3,700

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=191998

http://www.smallboatsurveys.com/yacht_for_sale.html


Preloved Review of Invictas

http://reviews.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-reviews.showreview/productId-483/0ad0f8ac.html


Nice Photo of an Invicta under sail

http://www.caleyboats.co.uk/204/Sail-Craft-for-Sale/Invicta-Yacht-26FT-designed-by


Invicta for Sale £12,950

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/yachts/van-de-stadt-invicta-8-metres-PAA31621


Van de Stadt Design – Invicta

http://stadtdesign.com/designs/list_of_designs/invicta/1