We did our conversion back in 2021 and battery choices were limited in those days, Lithium was far too expensive and our only real choices were AGM or Lead Acid golf cart batteries. Our Nonsuch 26U was always down at the bow rainwater would pool at the front of the cockpit and not flow down to the cockpit drains. Taking out the Westerbeke was going to make that worse so we went with eight Lifeline 220 ah 6volt AGM batteries, which at the time was the least expensive way to go, we pushed them as far back as practical and at 560 pounds (254kg) that still wasn’t enough to bring the bow up as far as it should be. What have you guys with the lithium batteries done to correct the bow high attitude?
Few thoughts come to mind. Basically what weight can you remove from the area forward of amidships ? Do you have a bow thruster w battery up there? How much chain do you carry ? Anything in the galley you don’t use or weighs a lot?
Consider the amount of water you carry forward as well. We generally run the forward water tank low or empty when we leave the boat for a period of time. At aprox 8# a gallon - our 50 gallon table weighs 400#! Helps to keep the bow up and anti fouling paint working.
Every year I review the tool locker and items in every locker to see how much weight I can reduce the load by. if I haven’t used or touched something in 3 years , it’s gone . Hope this helps , Gary
Tim,
My bow down problem was not nearly as severe as yours (probably in part because my N26 was retrofitted with a carbon fiber mast about 20-25 years ago).
As I recall, you have a fairly early model N26C, so yours wouldn’t have gutters molded-in at the forward end of the cockpit seats the way later models did. (I don’t know when that came in. My first N26, #143, didn’t have them. My current one, #233, does. I think that those having been added to the design indicates the factory knew that bow-down was a common problem.)
N26 Classics have their water tanks pretty far forward:
The tanks are 30 gallons each, so they may be a big (if not the biggest) contributor to your bow-down problem. Filled, those tanks put 480 lbs of water really far forward. I don’t know the weight of the aluminum mast, but I’d think it’s over 100 lbs.
Thus, tanks and mast might just barely cancel out vs. the 560 lbs battery weight aft, but that might still not be enough to overcome the base bow-down imbalance of the hull itself.
Aside from Gary’s suggestions, the only things I can think of are to suggest are drastic things like relocating the water tanks aft. There’s potentially room under the quarter berths or in the lazarette, and it might be nice to have under the settees freed for other storage, but it would require a lot of hose changes and require buying different tanks.
Sorry if this isn’t much help.
– Bob
When I pulled the mast on my 26 the crane operator said the scales read 300 pounds.
One thing to look at is the size of anchor and weight of rode you have in the bow. Do you need as much as you have.
Don’t forget, when you are sailing you are carrying the weight of crew in the steer to help offset the bow down position. Also remember that as the boat builds speed it will squat in the stern. If she trims level at rest the stern will be down, creating additional drag as you sail.
Finding room to move the water tanks back or keeping them empty unless you need the water will help. You could save some weight in the bow and your wallet by switching to the carbon mast. However if you make those changes we won’t let you race in the 26 class next time you bring the boat out to the Pacific Northwest for a summer cruise. 
Tim,
Fore/aft trim is the measurement you are looking to adjust.
I’m far from an expert, and have been pondering trim questions on Soave ( NS33) for the past season. Not an simple topic because trim at rest is different than trim under sail. In Soave’s case, I’ve settled on “good for now” even though at rest I get some pooling aft of the midship deck drains.
As others have suggested, if you know what your goal is, the “at rest” trim can be adjusted by adding or removing weight. Elimination of water pooling on the deck is a good starting goal.
Besides the ideas offered so far, if you are confident in your goal, you could modify your keel. I don’t have any first hand experience, but I’ve seen boats with modified keels that use bolt on lead winglets … usually to implement shoal draft modifications or to add righting moment.
Soave’s PO installed a large hot water tank in the engine compartment that contributes to her aft-down trim. Having your house batteries aft is probably more effective counter weight.
Please let us know what you decide to do.
Rob…
I wouldn’t doubt the mast on the 26 weighs 300 pounds. I was fiddling with my boom a few days ago and went to lift the aft end, sail installed. Yikes, that’s a heavy lift! I found somewhere that said the boom weighs 120 pounds. Also, after removing the sail and taking up the stairs to the sail loft… that has to be close to 80 pounds.
Allegro has been on a steady diet since I got it in the early fall. It’s now floating an inch higher but still level. A habit I got into when I had the Newick trimaran was to never leave the boat empty handed. There is always something unneeded aboard!
80 pounds sounds about the same as the sails I have for La Reina. I can’t remember how much the boom weighs. I know it was no problem for two to carry.
La Reina rides much higher in the winter than she does in the summer. I feel bad for her when we are ready to go out for a three week cruise.
Mark
I just replaced my 2golf cart house battery with a Li. I removed the start battery and replaced it with the golf cart batteries. So the new Li didn’t change much.
We keep spare anchor and rode in the aft lazarette. And carry only 90 feet of chain on the bow.
Hinterholler once stated that the 26 could benefit from 200lbs aft
Anyone willing to give up their propane locker would have a good place for a lot of batteries.
I’m considering it because my locale and boat usage doesn’t make propane very essential, but I doubt that would work for most folks.
I guess if all else fails, maybe what’s needed are better-fed skippers? I already add 200+ lbs aft myself, but there are some cookies still left in the kitchen…
– Bob
Merry Christmas to all. Thanks for the suggestions. Our 26U does not have forward water tanks we have one under the port settee and one in the starboard lazzaret. When we are sitting in the cockpit everything seems to work just fine, but while we are away and the cockpit is empty that is when the rainwater pools forward, keeping the seats wet and stuff growing forward in the cockpit drain channels. Ps. our mast was weighed at 330 lbs.
Sorry, Tim, not sure how I got it in my head that you had a Classic rather than an Ultra.
My 26U has the same tank configuration, and still sits bow-down without people in the cockpit, even with a carbon fiber mast.
So, I’m also interested in solutions.
As I review the suggestions, one more point comes to my mind that hasn’t been mentioned yet. The boats do have a tendency to squat their sterns under power. Between that and the points people have been making about crew weight in the cockpit, I wonder if the boat being bow-down at rest might be what’s needed in order to be balanced when in use.
Maybe, instead, I should focus on the rainwater pooling as a separate problem.
If so, adding a small drain somewhere in the cockpit corner or gutter might be all I need to do.
– Bob
That was my thought, but where would you drain it to?
I’d probably use a little thing like this: Mini Thru Hull | Boat Outfitters
and either run some hose to drain into the cockpit floor, or T it into the pre-existing hose for the cockpit seat locker’s drain.
Here’s a picture that gave me this idea:
– Bob
Thanks Bob,
I will have to give this a try. Now I need to get to the boat ans measure the gutter and to see what size might work best for the cockpit seats.
Tim