Originally Posted by
Salsipuedes
There is a disadvantage to having a flush deck on the 26. The flush deck results in a higher center of gravity, the result being the terrible down swell ride of the Blackman 26. I personally would opt for the engine box for this reason.
I've ridden on a Radon 26 and on a Blackman 26. The Radon 26 I rode is a flush deck boat. The Radon hull is not as good in a head sea as it tends to crush the waves as opposed to slice through them. Down swell, there's no comparison as the Radon has got it all over the Blackman. Frankly, the Blackman ride down swell is downright scary and represents a huge design flaw. Why people are willing to pay so much for such a flawed boat escapes me. They should have redesigned this boat long ago to address this deficiency.
I won't question the construction quality of the Blackman as they do hold up well. My Blackman 20 is a 1983 model with diesel I/O and is holding up well.