The new WOY26 is a modern daysailer built using high-tech timber for easy sail handling.
One of the stand-out new yachts of recent years is the Thomas Tison-designed 48ft Elida, which combines high-tech timber construction with innovative laminates and local carbon reinforcement to create a very fast yet timeless racer/cruiser.
This smaller vessel is designed for Elida’s builder, Jan Brügge Bootsbau on Germany’s Baltic coast, to continue in a similar ethos. It’s an exquisite open daysailer designed by Martin Menzner of Berckemeyer Yacht Design.

Photo: Eva Biederbeck
The result is a radically modern design, including a flat hull with wide, open transom, a negative stem, twin rudders and a lifting keel with a T-bulb. For ease of handling, the carbon rig has swept spreaders but no backstay and a self-tacking jib.
“With the WOY 26, our idea of a modern wooden sailing yacht has come to life,” says the yard’s founder Jan Brügge, with…“sustainable design, modern lines for maximum performance and easy sail handling.”
As with Elida, the idea was that the boat would push technical boundaries, as well as showcasing the abilities of its builders. The precise choice of materials, using quality domestic hardwoods rather than tropical species, plus the vacuum glueing techniques employed, were developed as a research project in collaboration with the University for Sustainable Development. The hope is these will set new standards for the serial production of modern wooden yachts.

Photo: Eva Biederbeck
The first example of the WOY26 was launched in October 2024 and boat number two is already in build. Price is expected to be ‘between a new Dragon and a ClubSwan 28 – or slightly under €200,000.’
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WOY26 Specifications:
LOA: 8.0m 26ft 3in
LWL: 7.13m 23ft 5in
Beam: 2.42m 7ft 11in
Draught: 1.1-1.9m 3ft 7in-6ft 3in
Displacement: 1,112kg 2,450lb
Price: Circa €200,000
Contact details: woy-yachts.com
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