Chalk and cheese.

The Adams 26 is a quarter tonner so best compared to other quarter tonners of the era, M&W 26, Supersonic 27,Ranger 26,Cavalier26,Cole 26 and the Farr 727.
Nice boat but not very competitive in the quarter ton class. Prices vary from about $8000 to $17,000 depending on diesel.

The SS34 was designed to rate at one ton and is a different kettle of fish.
http://bluewaterboats.org/sparkman-and-stephens-34/

The Currawong 30 in my avatar used to rate as a half tonner.

I have never sailed an Adams 26 but only hear good things about them. They do have more headroom than a lot of other 26 footers.

...and if we are doing like for like comparisons, lets not forget the venerable UFO34 - The hot ocean racer of the early 70's (3/4 ton class..??)

But seriously, sounds like a lot of money for an "old" boat.

Poods

They are all so much cheaper now. I got mine very cheap at the time at $37k but a similar one today is low to mid 30s.
i haven't seen a good S&S34 sell for some time, they have all been refit prospects, so don't have a feel for what they might be worth well set up.

This is the history of my yacht Cicely June, the very first S&S 34 to come to Australia.

Note that it says Pat Dixon had a 3/4 tonner moulded in the UK for shipping to and fitting out and rigging in Australia.

I did read elsewhere that Mike Winfield (then a property developer in the UK) had the design commissioned for an IOR 3/4 tonner to Sparkman & Stephens and that he required/requested that all yachts built to the design have the word "Morning" in their names because he owned a race horse by the name of "Morning ????".







The new interface of Seabreeze is a tad challenging. The photos don't come up in the post, but links to them do.

Apart from being the first S&S 34 in Australia, Cicely June is quite unique amongst S&S 34s. She has interior fibreglass mouldings between the head lining and cabin sides and the step between the two levels of the coach roof.

This makes refurbishment of the interior so simple and easy by just taking the old ply panel out, using it as a template and cutting a new panel.

Also she has a bridge deck which stops a cockpit full of greenie dumping down below, provides a great place for a mainsheet traveller and provides extra space below for a fridge unit with batteries below that.

Her sister ship "Western Morning" which came to Australia as the plug in the moulds when Swarbricks bought them, does not have the bridge deck.

That is not really my concern any longer though as I have the yacht sold much to my regret. Settlement is due next Sunday and will happen, failing some huge disaster. The price is good with the loss not being to great financially but huge emotionally.

The new owners are a youngish couple who I believe will love the yacht and do right by it. They had a S&S 30 previously and regret the day they sold it.

So here is fingers crossed till next Sunday after which I can get busy on my Van De Stadt 34 named "Cisco" and get her back in the water.

I had a Windrush Wildfire some years ago named Pancho and said at the time I would one day have a yacht called Cisco. The sequence of events has taken far too long though so I am now moving into hyperdrive.

The designs are completely different for the following reasons:
1. S&S is a american design of the IOR rule and the Adams is Australian Designer and not designed to the same rule parameters.
2. 26 foot adams is not the same as a 34 foot boat (obvious to any one wanting a comparison)
3. Adams 35 is an excellent yacht better than anything on the market. Buy Australian and the world would be a better place.
4. comparing cruiser/racers is always a comprimise as I loved the strength of all of them even the S&S, UFO, Farr, Wright, Holland, Dufor, and all of Alan Payne's yachts and especially Joe Adams 35.

people need to realise that the choice of yacht or boat is a personal comprimise of cost and personal wants.

Buyers beware of the cheap solutions as they are never as you think they are.

The joy of boat ownership is the love of the sea and distant places to visit and the friends you meet on the way.