a27 sailboat

• a27 performante

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Dream daysailers: 13 of the best boats for a great day out on the water

• Toby Hodges
• July 16, 2020

Toby Hodges looks at the best daysailer yachts on the market, from ultra-modern cruisers to classically-styled masterpieces

Modern daysailers

1. saffier se 33 ud.

Saffier Yachts now has eight designs between 21ft and 37ft. The investment and knowhow the Hennevanger brothers have put into the production facility really shows too – the vacuum-infused builds and finish quality are top class.

Saffier builds seaworthy designs , tests all new models thoroughly in the North Sea and ensures its yachts can be sailed easily single-handedly.

Launched in 2014, the Saffier Se 33 is a sporty design but with a practical self-draining cockpit and optional solid sprayhood, which help it handle most weather conditions. It has a fast underwater shape, a generous sailplan and a fixed carbon bowsprit. The extra-large cockpit features 2m benches and a folding transom and there is space enough for four to sleep below.

Saffier’s brand new Se 27 also looks like a seriously fun design and has been averaging speeds in the mid-teens with the kite up, clocking over 20 knots in its early trials this spring.

Prices for the Se 33 start at €114,500 (ex. VAT).

2. Domani S30

The S30, launched in 2018, is Belgian company Domani’s first model – a trailable sportsboat designed to be comfortable, fast and beautiful, says founder Michael Goddaert.

Inspired by Riva’s Aquarama motor boat , it has a large minimalist cockpit, spacious aft sunbed and a classy-looking compact interior. The narrow-beamed S30 weighs only 1,700kg, is offered with a long, two-part carbon rig, and has an electric drive as standard. A Lounge version is being developed which is similar to the Tofinou 9.7 in terms of deck layout.

Price ex. VAT: €88,000.

Article continues below…

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3. Black Pepper Code 0.1

Those lucky enough to have sailed at Les Voiles de St Tropez may have seen these neo-classic daysailers from chic brand Black Pepper.

As well as this range of Code-branded daysailers/weekenders, the yard has just launched a new Sam Manuard-designed, scow-bowed IMOCA 60 for Armel Tripon’s Vendée Globe campaign.

The original Code 0, by Marc Lombard, is a high-performance dayboat with a distinctive squared coachroof, which is built light in carbon and epoxy with half its displacement in the keel bulb.

A new Code 0.1 version (pictured) launched last year, and is available in Open and Spirit (performance/regatta) versions.

Price ex. VAT: £148,000.

4. A-Yachts A27 / A33

A-Yachts founder. Michael Gilhofer helped to develop the original B30 (pictured below) and was distributor for B-Yachts in Germany for 17 years. He commissioned the in-demand Lorenzo Argento, who formerly worked with Luca Brenta, to design a new range of luxury daysailers built in Slovenia and finished in Austria.

The first two A-Yachts models (the A27 is pictured above) are focused on performance daysailing, whereas B-Yachts has gone for more cruising comfort below. An exciting new model, the A39, is due for launch in 2021.

Prices ex. VAT: A27 €98,500, A33 €215,000.

5. B-Yachts B30 / B34

The Brenta B30 is the iconic Italian daysailer. A real looker to keep berthed at your Portofino residence, it has a lightweight carbon/epoxy build and a high ballast ratio, for tantalising light airs sailing. B-Yachts is the brand that took the daysailing concept to the limit with the fiendishly indulgent (and very white) B60, which we tested, open-mouthed, back in 2008.

Although stagnant for some years, the company was acquired by Luca Brenta’s cousin Alberto Castiglioni in late 2018. Brenta, along with designer Alessia Lee, has worked up the design for a new B34 model due to launch this year, and they are now working on a B40.

The B30 (above) is now a modern classic, with more than 40 built, but the refreshed company has made some upgrades including a new rudder profile, fixed bowsprit, revised deck gear, a more functional interior and the option for an electric engine. But it’s still got those killer lines.

Prices ex. VAT: B30 €118,000, B34 €190,000.

6. Esse 330

This is the sixth model from Josef Schuchter’s yard on Lake Zurich, which builds fast, stiff and sporty designs. The new 330 is the first Esse that offers the ability for weekend/overnight sailing. Schuchter told us it is designed more for pleasure sailing than racing but has the same performance as the yard’s 990, using a 1m shorter mast and with greater stability and comfort.

Umberto Felci designed the 330 with a self-tacking jib, a carbon deck-stepped mast with no backstay and a high ballast ratio to help ensure it can easily be sailed short-handed. A lifting keel reduces draught to 1.55m and an electric drive is offered.

Price ex. VAT: €134,000.

A plumb stem and square coachroof give an alluring pilot classic style to this Judel/Vrolijk design, but it is the materials from which it is crafted that are most intriguing. Built by Bremen-based Greenboats, the flax (plant) or linen (fibre) is vacuum-infused with bio epoxy and can be given a clearcoat finish to help show off the fibres.

The focus is on weight-saving for this performance daysailer, using recycled PET as the core material. The deck is made from cork, the ropes are made entirely from recycled plastic bottles and the sails are recyclable.

Price ex. VAT, ready to sail: €126,000.

Modern-classic daysailers

8. eagle 38.

The Boersma brothers founded Leonardo Yachts in the northern part of the Netherlands to build top quality gentleman’s daysailers and weekenders.

Its range of gorgeous designs are inspired by the timeless lines and overhangs of the J Class , but with modern appendages.

The new Hoek-designed Eagle 38 is the smallest of a range that now extends to 70ft. It is devised for easy handling, with jib winches in reach of the helmsman/tiller, in a deep self-draining cockpit that can seat six in comfort.

The varnished mahogany interior can sleep three and includes cooking facilities and a neatly hidden toilet.

Price ex. VAT: €177,500.

9. Wally Nano MkII

Wally stunned us with the unveiling of its incomparable Nano in 2009. The Andre Hoek-designed masterpiece certainly elevated the standard of extravagance (and price) for a daysailer. This Wally Nano MkII model released eight years later is a refined version of the achingly cool design, which marries Italian styling with Dutch workmanship and ingenuity.

A pilot cutter-influenced plumb bow, bowsprit and low, squared coachroof set off a retro style, finished by an elegantly overhanging counter. These classic lines meet contemporary construction and attention to detail at Joop Doomernik’s traditional Dragon building yard. The top class composite work includes a keel grid built from 33 layers of carbon. Believe me, the result on the water is a truly intoxicating ride, both upwind and down!

Price ex. VAT: €390,000.

10. Rustler 33

The Stephen Jones design has the elegant lines and overhangs of the Cornish yard’s earlier Rustler 24, but with a comfortable handmade interior that makes it enticing to overnight on too – there is a proper heads compartment including wet hanging area.

With the addition of stanchions, this becomes a Class B offshore yacht. It’s a stiff boat to sail with a deep, dry cockpit, in which it is comfortable to sit, perch on the chunky coaming or stand to handle the tiller.

Rustler says recent clients for the Rustler 33 are ordering them with carbon masts and electric engines.

Price ex. VAT: £165,000.

11. Morris 29

Fusing S&S lines with modern lightweight materials such as carbon and epoxy, the Morris 29 is a quintessential daysailer that’s easy to rig and maintain, a witch to sail and is as handsome as they come.

And there’s a deep, long cockpit and comfortable saloon below to keep any guests content while you hog the tiller. Now built by Hinckley and priced from US$266,500.

12. Alerion 28 / 33

Cleverly marketed as ‘the 90-minute’ getaway, the iconic Alerion daysailer fleet, from 20-33ft, is designed to get people afloat easily and with the most enjoyment possible. Above is the Alerion 33.

Often seen sporting optional Hoyt jib booms, the models are easy and a delight to sail and have inviting and well-finished interiors.

Rarely do beauty, speed and single-handed ease combine this fluidly and successfully. Prices are available on application only.

13. Friendship 36 / 40

The elegantly timeless look of the Friendship 40, its classic lines, including pronounced tumblehome and wineglass counter, are by Rhode Island’s Ted Fontaine. A Friendship’s deep cockpit and wonderfully inviting and well-appointed interior invite you to sail on through the weekend and beyond.

Fontaine says both the 36 and 40 are still available to order, but at top prices: “The Friendship 40 would be built by Yachting Developments in New Zealand where the moulds are presently stored,” (priced in the region of US $1,350,000).

“And the Friendship 36 is being offered as a cold-moulded wood epoxy built boat that would be built by Rockport Marine in Maine – the yard that built the first 36.”

First published in the June 2020 edition of Yachting World.

• News & Trends
• Monohull sailboats
• Cruising sailboat
• A-Yachts GmbH & Co KG
• Exhibitions

Cruising sailboat a27 daysailer carbon carbon mast

Characteristics

8.2 m (26'10" )

Description

Other A-Yachts GmbH & Co KG products

• Open sailboat
• Sailboat with bowsprit
• Day-sailer sailboat
• Trailerable sailboat
• 1-cabin sailboat
• Carbon mast sailboat
• Carbon sailboat
• Aluminum sailboat
• Semi-custom sailboat
• Custom sailboat
• Electric drive sailboat

FLEXPLORER 146-30

The first of three Flexplorer 146 currently in build by Cantiere delle Marche, Maverick, will be launched shortly. Based on the naval platform of the model she belongs to, her project has been fully tailored to meet her Owner requests and specifications regarding layout, number of decks and equipment. Moreover, she showcases an array of distinctive features that distinguish her from the other two ‘sister ships’.

Main features:

• Custom-built A-frame crane : this remarkable engineering feat, constructed in carbon fibre by Advanced Mechanical Solutions (AMS), fits flush with the deck after launching the tenders and is strategically positioned at the borders of the huge cockpit. This allows for ample space below deck which houses a beach club with gym, sauna, and diving center.
• Collapsible bulwarks : bulwarks extend to the farthest end of the cockpit and can be folded down. Deck fittings are positioned at a lower level on the swim platform, transforming the entire aft deck into a vast beach area spanning over 135 square meters.
• 22mm thick Ice belt at water line level to sail in iced sea.
• A 9.5 metres custom tender designed by Rivellini and built by Cantiere delle Marche, and a A27 sailing boat can be stored and launched using the powerful A-frame crane.
• Swimming pool in the transom: the transom features a pool which can be covered and used as storage for deck furniture while the yacht is underway.
• Main salon and dining area : similar to the much-acclaimed Flexplorer 130 Aurelia, Maverick incorporates an asymmetrical layout on the Main deck . This design includes a full beam configuration to the starboard side, expanding the salon area and providing additional square footage. Simultaneously, it creates a practical passageway on the port side providing easy service between the galley and the outdoors.
• Open galley : the spacious galley, positioned on the port side, seamlessly connects with the main salon. It features a central island, ideal for gathering with family and friends for breakfast, informal meals, or shared food preparation.
• Owner deck amenities : the forward section of the upper deck houses a large open area for a rescue boat and jet skis. When at anchor, this space can be furnished with loose sofas and sunbeds, creating an additional outdoor lounging area.
• Guest accommodations spread over four decks . The lower deck features four ensuite cabins , while the main deck forward houses one owner's stateroom . Additionally, the Owner deck includes another stateroom next to a single guest cabin . The radio room on this deck has been replaced by a large walk-in wardrobe.

INTERIOR DESIGN

FRANCESCO PASZKOWSKI ON THE INTERIOR OF FLEXPLORER 146 MAVERICK

Designing for an experienced owner is always exciting. Maverick owner had clear ideas about what he liked or didn’t like and how he intended to spend time onboard with his family cruising every sea in the world. As we use to do, we took the time for understanding his requirements to bring something new on the table and he liked to be involved in every step of the design process.

Maverick interior should incorporate a contemporary style and sense of uniqueness, it should be a reflection of people who live there and how they live in it, yet it has to be also focused on functionality to be suitable for the purpose the yacht was built. For our design we could rely on our studio experience in designing superyachts, on the collaboration of Margherita Casprini, on the shipyard expertise in explorers and on their commitment to meeting our proposals. Unlike the slightly smaller Aurelia we recently designed the interior for, Maverick is longer and features a further deck. It was a bigger job, the size was yet somehow helpful to meet all the owner requirements including a deck for the owner private use.

We focused on creating a family-focused ambiance, a contemporary atmosphere with the elegance of a neutral palette combined with the warmth of the selected materials and resulting in a mix of practicality and aesthetics for an overall feeling of peacefulness of a not overloaded space. The huge windows helped to the study of lighting design, one of our focus points in any interior we design.

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DARWIN 86-33

• Bateaux Archambault

Bateaux Archambault A27

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A-Yachts a27 daysailer – 340Wp SP series

The A-Yachts a27 is a modern daysailer designed by Lorenzo Argento that combines sportive sailing with elegant Italian design and highest build quality from Austria.

The propulsion system is an electric motor powered by a 48V LiFePO4 battery bank. However, since many of these boats are moored on jetties and buoys without an electrical supply, charging this battery is not always easy. The obvious solution: charging with solar energy.

In order to not interfere with the elegant lines, a solar power system was developed in cooperation with the shipyard and seamlessly integrated into the deck. 10 bypass diodes integrated into the laminate and two independent step-up MPPT controllers ensure maximum shade tolerance and provide energy even in difficult lighting conditions.

The individual cells are concealed by a black base laminate and covered conductor tracks, resulting in a homogeneous black module. Alternatively, pigmented intermediate layers can be used to create other finishes, e.g. to match the paintwork on the hull.

For an optimum fit, the modules were checked directly on board using our 1:1 paper templates before final release for production. This allows not only the cable positions and contours but also the visual appearance to be evaluated.

340Wp provide approx. 1.2-2.0kWh per day in summer, which not only ensures a complete charge of the propulsion battery within a few days – when sailing, the 12V system and an inverter are simultaneously supplied via a small buffer battery, so that in addition to the continuous supply of cold drinks and music, even 230V consumers with up to 1200W can be used.

Shipyard: A-Yachts

Technical data: Power: 340Wp Panel series: SP Weight: 5,5kg Battery voltage: 48V Battery type: LiFePO4

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Ähnliche Installationen

SV Jules Verne

Tale of a nor'sea 27, more head work.

You can see the trim for the sliding panels in this photo.

Continuing the renovation of this Nor’Sea 27’s head installation, I started work on the head locker, which consists of a 25×19″ cupboard with sliding doors.  The prior owner had begun a modification to fit a 15-gallon polyethylene holding tank on in this locker, and he removed the doors and teak trim and cut a clearance hole in the side of the locker area.  I am not sure how the weight of that tank would have worked out, but my plan is to install a Sealand M11 Marine Head with Holding Tank, so I won’t need to take up the locker with a tank.  I may install a 6 gallon water heater in there later, but it won’t be anything that big and heavy.

When I cleaned out the boat I saved all the odds and ends, and luckily, I was able to locate the both trim pieces and sliding panel guides.  One of the was slightly damaged, but I put that piece facing the away. The panel doors, however, were long gone.  I did locate the missing piece of shower pan that had been cut out, and it had a reasonable fit except for the saw kerf.  I plan to epoxy that bit back in place and fill the gap in the future.

I knew I definitely didn’t want some flat white sliding doors because I think that’s against the character of the boat, but I did want to get something going, so I thought I would do my best to make some serviceable doors with the intent that I could always replace the panels later if I think of a way to incorporate the rattan doors or something.

I bought some inexpensive paneling to make the doors – I spent just $7 buying some luan plywood 2×4′ piece at Home Depot, and I found some brass door inserts at OSH.

Next, I cut a test panel to make sure I would be able to get the door panels installed in the finished opening. It didn’t need to be full width just tall enough to fit and be sure it would slide freely.  The typical design for sliding bypass doors provides runners with a deeper guide on the top than the bottom guide so to be installed, the panel can be pushed up into the top slider with enough clearance to get past the bottom rails and seat into the lower channel. Then it drops down, leaving just enough height in the upper channel to retain the doors. I learned the ideal height was between 19-1/2 and 19-5/8″. The challenge was that my table saw has a 12″ width bed, so I made a remote fence using a stepstool to hold the fence in place.

I cut the two panels at 19-1/2 high and planned the width to have about 1″ overlap.  That made each panel 13-1/2″ wide.  I made sure to make my cuts to have the grain run vertically and use the best part of the wood.

I test fit the panels in place and it looks promising. We’re looking at what ultimately became the back of the panels.  More on that soon.

Teak floormat for the Head

Seen from above: The molded-in shower pan on the right is flat but slightly beveled for drainage

The Nor’sea 27 sailboat (most models) has a fiberglass liner in the head area that has a raised molded-in platform on its aft edge for the head installation, leaving a slightly depressed section on the right as a molded-in tray. Some owners have plumbed in a handheld shower and installed a drain in the tray, which tilts to the front left edge.  I haven’t gone that far, but I thought it would be great to have a teak floor to protect the gelcoat in this area, which is prone to water and wear.

I located the same mat later at Bed, Bath and Beyond

Next I flipped it over and cut the other side. I was able to cut fairly cleanly without much chip out.  There were some slightly rough edges to touch up with sandpaper, but I wanted to check the fit first.

The last photo shows the mat oiled and installed in the boat. It really makes a big difference in the appearance, and the teak boards will help protect the fiberglass gelcoat from scratches.

Swap Meet at Owl Harbor

I made a trip up near Lodi on Saturday for the annual swap meet at Owl Harbor in Isleton, CA.  Unfortunately, it fell on the same day as the Opening Day in Redwood City. I made a few new friends and founds a trove of nautical goodies.

• A barometer and ship’s clock from Bruce Baker, both manufactured by Weems & Plath went for $80, with a wood stand.  Looking them up online it appears they’re about $800 together. The ship’s clock is electronic, but it does have a nice chime on the hour and I have it set up in the living room.  Learning the ship’s bells!
• An armload of boat canvas with Eisenglas for $20.  This will be handy for fooling around with the sewing machine.
• Lifesling cover in good condition for $4 ($34 retail)
• 15 hp Johnson outboard motor (short shaft) for $150.
• Todd Steering Console (center console for 17′ Boston Whaler) for my buddy over in Newark (free!)
• Fiberglass repair kit and 3 small bundles of fabric for $10
• Cabin door and hatch from a 1967 Chris Cract Constellation for $10 both
• 5 long curtains and rods for $15
• An aluminum Lewmar winch handle (non locking) for $7
• Set of LED lights for $10
• Halyard for $15
• Rucksack for $
• BBQ regulator ($30 retail)
• Venturi Tube ($30 retail)
• Rail mount ($56 retail)
• This stuff comes in 39 inch widths for $12 per lineal foot and I have about $80 worth.
• 10′ of Ancor DC hookup wire for $2
• A pair of adjustable collapsible sawhorses $10/both (retail about $25 each at Harbor Freight )
• Free gas leaf blower!

Dinette Table for Catalina 27

The dinette table in the Catalina 27 serves the dual purpose of a table and as a fill-in support for the double berth.

Lilikoi’s dinette table is a fifty pound slab of particle board with a cherrywood veneer and nice edges on two sides.  It was cobbled together by the prior owner to replace the original table that had probably gotten wet and then broken.  It’s held up by a folding 2×4 leg and a couple brackets on one the outboard side. Unfortunately, it’s also prone to falling down when the boat heels or you put any weight on either of the inboard corners.

Although I am selling the boat I figured this is one annoying point that I’d like to correct before selling it. I found a table from a 30′ Coronado sailboat at a boat wrecker in Hayward.  It’s 3/4″ ply with a Formica top, folding leg and a nice drawer incorporated underneath. It has nice real teak wood edging. It had approximately the 35″ fore/aft span required, but it must have been designed for a port installation, because as I learned when I took it to the boat and aligned it with on my starboard settee, it fits the hull profile almost perfectly – when it’s upside down!

I removed all the hardware from the table and inverted.  It’s about 1/2″ too wide front to rear, so I’ll need to cut back a bit along one edge.  If I was smart about it I could have left one edge attached and just trimmed the other!  Flipping the board over it has a very good fit but I scribed along the hull edge approximately 1/4″ line that will make it fit more perfectly, and I decided in the quest for perfection to add a 2-1/2″ triangular filler piece to make the table line up with the inboard dinette edge.  I guess it would have served, but I like the things I make to fit nice.

Quickest thing would have been to buy a new sheet of 3/4″ ply and cut the top, but in the spirit of this zero cost project (I already invested $50 in the table, after all) I decided to try filling it first. A half sheet of good 3/8″ ply was $22 at home depot, and I would need two to glue together.

I found a roll of Formica laminate in a nice maple wood finish for $4 and I’ll need to pick up some contact cement (spray on $12, pint $17 or half gallon for about $25. I’ll need more for the Nor’sea anyway but I may have some adhesive kicking around home.  the Formica is only 30″ wide so I’ll need a seam somewhere; probably right up the middle.  I also could do some old boat charts or something under a layer of acrylic, or poured epoxy, but I am selling the thing and can’t get too fancy.

Yesterday I picked up an off-cut 3/4″ plywood scrap that’s 10″ by about six feet and I cut a wedge out of that to make the fill-in.  I’ll add a cleat at the wide end (which is forward)to provide some gluing surface to ensure it stays on and screw that in with some 1-1/4″ screws I picked up today at Home Depot.  I was at the boat so I cut the wedge with the Jigsaw and it came out clean enough that I believe it will be covered effectively by the teak edge.

To see what height the table would be I balanced it on its brackets and wedged up the foot until it was level abeam, (as determined with the float level that came with the TV bracket).   I figure I will need a leg that is 2-7/8″ taller than the existing one.  It’s just a tube, maybe even a piece of electrical conduit material with a cap on it.

More to come…

04/10/14 – Extending the table.

marker button (center) placed in a dowel hole can transfer the location of that hole to the mating piece.

In order to get the table shaped to the right dimensions I needed to add a 3″ extension to the forward edge, tapering down to nothing at the inboard aft edge.  I found a 1″ piece of cabinet grade wood and trimmed it to size on the boat using a jigsaw.  I flipped it around and used the straighter edge against the table.

Using a dowel jig I placed six 3/8″ dowels.  The kit was $3 at Harbor Freight and came with the dowels, drill bit and stop, and three marking tools with small points on them.  You drill three holes, pop the markers in the holes, line up the wood piece and tap the wood down, and it marks the position of the hole perfectly.

and ready for gluing

The only difficulty is making sure the holes are plumb to the surface so everything lines up properly.

I glued it up, clamped it and let it set for about 3 hours.  Only then did I notice that the wood I’d glued on was upside down!  I chiseled off the new piece and it was attached so strongly it removed a shimmed on piece of the edge of the table (1/2″) that I didn’t even know was there.  Using the chisel I cleaned up the edge redrilled the holes and glued and clamped

Wood glue says to clamp for one hour. I left this overnight.

it again.  It was 2:30 AM when I finished!

04/13/2014 – Applying the Formica Laminate

I found a piece of pine colored Formica roll at Restore for $4.  It’s 75″ long and 30″ wide. I need 35″ width for the table, so there will be a seam.  I decided to position the seam outboard to make it less conspicuous.  cut the Formica in half with the saw with counter-rotating blades and it cut through easily, just to get two pieces the approximate size.  30×36 and 12×36.

I positioned the big piece on the able leaving about 29″ on the table and an inch overlap at the inboard edge. You need some material to cut and snap off flush.  I marked the perimeter of the table on the underside of the Formica so I’d know where to apply the adhesive, and I added a line to the table to mark the limit of the area I would be gluing. Then I  and plastered it up with contact cement using a cheap 5″ foam roller.  I used the water base, non explosive kind.  I have to say that stuff doesn’t dry as rapidly or stick as hard as the oldschool stinky kind.

After about 30 minutes the cement had dried and was just tacky to the touch.  I put some dowels (actually they were bamboo skewers 36″ long from an orchid) on the table and positioned the Formica over the top. Then I removed the skewers and pressed the Formica down, rolling it with a wine bottle and rapping it with a rubber mallet.  It stuck everywhere pretty well except the topmost edge, so I put some weight on that.  Meanwhile I glued up the last piece and positioned it.  I used a heat gun to dry the glue because it was getting cooler toward dusk.  This was dried more thoroughly but it never seemed very sticky.

This piece went on more securely.

The table will need to be set about 3″ higher than before, so the pipe foot won’t be long enough.  I found a chrome steel shower curtain rod at OSH for 11.99 that can be cut down to size

04/14/2014 – Trimming the laminate

I flipped the table upside down on a 1×4 and scored the edge with a utility knife blade.  Then the excess material snapped off easily toward the scored edge, keeping the 1×4 tight against the table.  I sanded the sharp edge lightly with some paper.

Next step is to reapply the mahogany trim pieces. Then I can remount the drawer, folding support rod and brackets.

A cockpit grating for Sundance

The aft cabin Nor’sea 27s have a nearly square cockpit that is often fitted with a grate that can be raised and placed in chocks to fill in the cockpit flush with the level of the seating and thereby provide some extra sleeping space.

I have had my eye out for grates and grating materials, and when I attended a boat swap meet in Berkeley last Sunday I got lucky! The sale starts at six and I was out there at 5:45 with a flashlight scoping things out.  As the third seller was unloading I found this teak cockpit grille and I was all over it.

I held my breath while I measured it up and was amazed to discover it was just about perfect – an inch longer front to back than I’d need.  It’s a few years old, but nothing some glue and clamps can’t fix.  I think it’s mahogany and not Teak, though. I won’t know for sure until I sand off the finish.

I believe the sale price was $45 trimmed just a bit from $50.  I also bought a few other items from the same seller, including a trawler lamp that needs a new glass chimney.

I’ll update this post when I get the grating cut to size and refinished.  Be sure to add to the list of things to take to the swap: cash, want list with measurements, flashlight, tape measure .

Gotta love the boat swaps. This is the place to stretch your boating dollars to the limit, and maybe make a few in the process.

Berkeley Yacht Club holds an annual sale in April and invites people to sell on the lawn and walkways around the marina for about $25 a space. Last year we sold and this year I found some goodies for current and future projects. I put a sample below of some items I bought:

• Two tier fiberglass dock step – $40
• Nicro solar vent 4″ (not battery backed) – $20
• Well used brass Trawler lamp (no chimney or wick) – $55
• Gill Boots size 9 – $10
• Hand bearing compass $3
• Newish porta potty – $10
• Used Lifesling – $22 (two vendors were involved here. The case was $2 in fair condition and the Lifesling itself was $20 from another vendor in very good condition)
• Folding Prop – $40.  It’s a right hand 14″ dia 12 pitch bronze prop.
• 40 sailing books at $1 each.
• 2 Finespray faucets.  One broken for parts $9
• Barient two-handed winch handle (frozen open lock) $15

Take the van; get there early.  The best times to buy are right when it opens and when people are getting ready to pack up and cart stuff home.

Shore Power Wiring for Lilikoi – a Catalina 27

Getting Lilikoi ready for sale, I decided one thing that would really help the sale is adding shore power. For the last 40 years this boat has had an extension cord running through the companionway.  I figured it’s about time, and I have the parts and an electrical engineering degree, so time to do something about it.

Some adult supervision is important in any project involving electricity

This web photo helped me decide where to place the power entry

Beginning with the shore power inlet, I had a plastic Marinco outlet from the wrecker for $25 and I needed to figure out where to put the inlet.

I did some research on the web and found a boat that had the inlet located below the winch.  I checked my boat out and reached under the port berth to where the screw heads are and forward to the proposed area and found it was pretty clear. The Marinco instructions call for a 2-7/8″ hole saw.  Right!  I found a 3″ saw at Harbor Freight and went to town after looking at the gasket to make sure it would cover a 3″ hole.  I taped the proposed plate location and made sure it wouldn’t interfere with winch operation.  I wasn’t sure how thick the fiberglass is at that point (turns out to be surprisingly thin at about 1/8″ and it cut through in under 3 minutes.  I had been worried that maybe I should get an expensive bimetal hole saw set, but the $10 set did the job fine.

This is the depth of the breaker. I later cut the access out bigger to accommodate a full depth box to contain the wiring

I bought a dual pole 20A breaker set for $5 at a boat wrecker (they typically cost about $100).  A trip to home depot to find some suitable wiring boxes.  The ones I chose have ears in the front and brackets that tighten against them with a couple of Philips head screws.

The wiring needs to support the size of the breaker, so I was commited then to using more costly 12gauge wire.  I decided I absolutely needed power at the Galley and near the Dinnette table (for general use, and about as far as you’d want to run a battery charger cable) It also made sense to have power at the starboard bulkhead for

An outlet in the bulkhead just outboard of the chainplate location faces the dinette and will be a convenient place to plug in TV, table lamp, chargers

the TV and another outlet up in the V berth because that is a dark and scary place.  This suggested I run two

using the cubby wall as an outlet location convenient to the dinette table

branches.  I drew up a quick diagram and marked the proposed locations with electrical tape.  I took full advantage of the wooden cubbies to avoid cutting holes in the fiberglass wherever possible.

In the end I needed to only cut one hole for the shore power inlet.  one 1/2″ hole for the wiring to the breaker panel.  A rectangular hole for the breaker panel, which I positioned near the existing DC panel, one hole through the bottom of the port bench into the galley cabinet, one rectangular hole in the galley cabinet for the GCFI outlet. In a parallel run the wiring goes over to battery locker to an outlet set in the wooden cubby above the dinette, then through the dinette to the main bulkhead where I mounted a second outlet for the TV and from there through the cubby in the head area to the forward bulkhead, where I positioned the V-berth outlet.  The backs of the AC boxes are obscured within the cubbies with the outlets facing out.

Multitool can create square cutouts with zero clearance

I used a multitool to make the cuts, which worked great because of the limited clearances.  it would have been close to impossible to cut rectangular holes with the jigsaw

For the Galley I chose to mount the outlet in the side of the cabinetry, accessible to the kitchen without being too close to the sink.  I crimped on connectors, Trying ring connectors the first time, but getting wiser when I found the outlets’ screws don’t back out the entire way.  An auto wire stripper I found at harbor freight was very helpful.  Their crimpers aren’t great, you generally have to use the next smaller size hole (blue for yellow) for a secure connection.

liquid electrical tape is handy for wet locations, sealing securely against moisture.

Over that I used some liquid electrical tape and then installed the outlets in the boxes and screwed on the covers.

Ground Current Fault Interrupt (GCFI) outlets are required for each run. These devices monitor power through them and if more than 30mA or so takes the wrong route, (through your body and wet feet to ground, for instance) they shut off the power in a millisecond. Standard 20A outlets can be used at the other locations but they need to be wired in properly, with grounds, and tested to make sure they are GCFI protected.  I found some GCFI outlets at Orchard Supply

six bucks for a 20A GCFI outlet. You betcha. Gotta thank Leviton and Orchard supply.

that were being discontinued.  Leviton had made some custom sized outlets designed to work with special décor plates that hide their screws.  They didn’t catch on because the devices are nonstandard.  the GCFI outlets were going for just $6 and their non GCFI outlets were $3 with the cover plates discounted to a buck.  That clinched the decision to install four outlets instead of two!

Repair to a Makita right angle drill

I found one of these Makita right angle drills at the Restore in San Carlos a few months ago for $16.  It came with a charger and a couple batteries.  The batteries are the older Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) chemistry, but it so happens my wife picked up a similar straight drill at a yard sale a few months before.

Right angle drills are very useful whenever you’re doing work in close quarters, which abound on a boat.  I must have done hours of remodeling with the same model, which I used to own about 20 years ago when it came out.  As it turned out the drill didn’t turn, although the batteries charged fine.  The problem was the thermal overload relay, the little rectangular fuse with the yellow button would not reset properly and stayed pushed in all the time.

I found the part online for about six bucks, but before I placed the order I made a quick test by shorting out the two electrodes and confirming the drill ran properly.  The part came in by post sometime late last year, but I didn’t have the opportunity to get everything together to fix it. Once I did this afternoon it took about 20 minutes.  Remove the half dozen black Philips head screws from the drill, carefully separate the case halves, slide out the old thermal cutout and use a soldering iron to carefully remove the old leads and transfer them to the new part with a little finesse, a pair of pliers and a splash of new solder.

The drill is back in commission and I’m looking forward to using it for some upcoming projects, like installing the pine ceiling along the walls of the aft cabin.

Kudos to the Restore folks, by the way.  When I informed them the drill didn’t work, Jamie knocked the price of the replacement component off the bill.  I paid shipping, and we both came out ahead!

This right angle drill, circa 1982 is a handy one to have on your side in close combat!

Flexiteek / ISITEEK

I’ve often admired the look of teak decks.  A pair of our Los Gatos Yacht Club members have a Nautor Swan 44 that has sexy grey teak running the length of the deck. Great footing and beautiful to look at but it can be some effort to maintain.  Also the concerns about the expense and weight of teak, the countless holes that might be needed to produce a sprung teak deck, and the conservation issues; it makes you re-think!

Happily, a few European manufacturers have developed some synthetic teak products. Notably, the maker of FLEXITEEK offers in addition to their full service installations where they’ll come out to measure your boat and make templates, or have you send them in.  Then they heat weld together the teak material into panels, which they’ll either install or send back to you for installation.

Practical Sailor did an evaluation of the materials from a cost and installation standpoint years ago.  Most all of them are tongue and groove installation of material just a fraction of an inch thick that is glued along the tongue and shaped into patterns that conform to the deck.  Once connected together like a puzzle, they can be glued down using mastic-ky glue to secure them to the desired locations.

Since that time the cost of anything petroleum based has gone up pretty significantly.   I ordered some samples from the Florida-based ISITEEK distributor and show them here.  At first glance, even holding the material in your hands, it’s hard to tell it’s not wood.  Rather than just giving the surface impression of grain, there’s a fibrous texture that goes all the way through the material.  This stuff is available with two colors of “grout” lines, either dark grey or off white.  The color is a facsimile of lightly weathered teak material.  The material warranty is 5 years.

03-08-2013 Upholstery Fabric

I made a trip over to Ikea to check out some fabrics to see what would go well with the general tone of the interior.  They didn’t have any huge variety but I picked up some samples in brown, tan and off white.  I decided that the tan and off-white work very well. I  didn’t care for the browns at all.  Too dark and nasty looking.

I also took some photos of how the cushions were constructed before returning them so I would have some ideas about how to construct the new ones.  I decided I do like the top in two layers.

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Catalina 27

The catalina 27 is probably the most popular 27-footer ever built. though cheaply made, owners love them..

Catalina Yachts is a strange company. The builder does no advertising—it’s left up to the local dealers. The operation is owned and run by Frank Butler, who designs the boats, decides on who the dealers will be, sometimes answers his own phone, and for all we know sweeps up at the end of the day. He is probably one of the few people in the marine industry who has made money from building sailboats.

Catalina probably produces more pounds of sailboats every year than any other US builder, and has done so for a long time.

The Catalina 27 has been in production since 1971, and well over 6,000 of them have been built.

This is undoubtedly the largest production run of any 27′ sailboat in US history, and probably the biggest anywhere.

The flip side of the coin is that Catalinas are known as cheaply built boats, with lots of corners cut

in places they shouldn’t be cut. According to owners, Catalina dealers have what may be the worst track record in the business in providing warranty service. Yet the owners keep coming back for more, and they love their boats.

The Catalina factory, by contrast, has a pretty good record for solving customer complaints. It is quite common for Frank Butler himself to return owners’ calls, making that owner a Catalina customer for life.

Because the Catalina 27 has been in production for so long, there have been numerous changes in the boats over the years. Most of these are small, but as a rule they have represented a steady stream of improvements. For this reason, more recent models are usually more desirable as used boats than earlier models.

At the same time, Catalina 27 owners seem to be inveterate tinkerers, constantly changing and improving small details in the boat. It is not unusual to see an older Catalina 27 meticulously upgraded with many of the changes that are standard on newer models.

Sailing Performance

The variety of options that significantly affect the performance of the Catalina 27 means that you must carefully evaluate the individual boat when determining how she is likely to sail. Most Catalina 27s are the standard keel, standard rig model. About half of these have optional inboard engines, while the others have outboards mounted in an awkward cockpit well. The outboard-powered versions are slightly faster than the inboard boats, since they have less weight to drag through the water.

There is also a shoal keel model, and a tall rig model. The shoal keel has a less-efficient foil, and is heavier than the deep keel to give the boat comparable stability.

The tall rig is favored in light air areas. Boats with the standard rig are generally equipped with 150% genoas to give them additional power in light air.

The standard keel, standard rig boat with inboard has a typical PHRF rating of 208. This puts the

Catalina 27 at the fast end of the fleet of boats of its size and type, such as the Hunter 27, Ericson 27, and O’Day 27. Tall rig and outboard versions are slightly faster.

Because of the large number of Catalina 27s built, you are likely to find good racing for the boat in many areas all around the country, from southern California to the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay. A boat that is actively raced may have upgraded sail handling equipment—bigger winches, reinforced chainplates, better mainsheet traveler, more and better sails, etc. This could be a real plus in a used boat.

Because of the differences in rig, ballasting, keel, and engines, the various versions of the boat can’t fairly race against each other as one-designs. The fastest version of the boat is the tall-rig, deep keel boat with outboard; the slowest, the short rig, shoal keel with inboard. You pays your money and takes your choice.

You can find everything from a beat-up 15-year-old outboard to a brand new diesel pushing the Catalina 27. Originally, you could have your choice of outboard or Atomic 4 gasoline inboard power. The Atomic 4 is twice as much power as the boat needs, but it was one of the most compact inboards made.

All the inboard engines are tucked away under the cockpit, and owners uniformly condemn the installation for its lack of access for service. On a scale of 1 to 5, with one being awful and five being great, the installation is typically rated one or less. Forewarned is forearmed.

At the same time, the outboard well doesn’t win any points for accessibility either, and remote controls in the cockpit are a must for ease of operation. Getting the engine in and out of the well is a chore.

A 10 horse outboard is just about the right size for the boat, and should push her at hull speed in any conditions in which you would care to motor.

Inboard powerplants have been another story. In the late 1970s, a single-cylinder Petter diesel of about 6 hp was offered as an option. Owners report that the boat is grossly underpowered with this engine. In addition, parts are likely to be hard to find. We would definitely avoid the Petter diesel. Far more desirable is either the 11 or 14 horsepower Universal diesel offered in more recent models.

The Atomic 4 presents a dilemma. Though it has been discontinued, parts are readily available. On the other hand, access to the engine is so poor—oil changes require major contortions—that routine maintenance may have been neglected by the owner, shortening the engine’s life. If service access is bad, we suspect that access to replace the engine would be abominable. Some owners report that service access has been improved by cutting holes in the bulkhead between the quarterberths and the engine.

Construction

The Catalina is the Volkswagen of the boat market. It’s basic, but it will get you where you want to go. Originally, there were no backing plates on stanchions, rails, or deck hardware. This means that you’re likely to find gelcoat cracks around these fittings on older boats. Many owners have chosen to upgrade this aspect of their boats, so you may find an older boat that has been conscientiously brought up to higher standards.

The through hull fittings on older boats are simply gate valves screwed onto pipe nipples glassed into the hull—a poor practice. Many owners have replaced these with proper seacock installations. Another problem with through hulls is the placement of the skin fitting for the icebox drain—it allows water to run back into the box when the boat is heeled.

“Minor” complaints from owners include gelcoat voids, deck delamination, leaking chainplates, leaking ports, and leaking hull-to-deck joints. Not all

owners report these, of course, and the number of complaints may simply be a function of the huge number of Catalina 27s built.

Ironically, many of those with complaints love the boat, and say they would buy it again. While a number of Catalina buyers are first time boat owners, others buy the boat knowing the reputation for mediocre workmanship, but recognizing that they can get more boat for their dollar with Catalina than withalmost any other boat built. They are willing to either accept the limitations, or do themselves the upgrading that they feel is required.

This results in a much higher level of satisfaction with the boat than you would expect with a lowpriced product.

While some of the complaints about construction details are minor, others deserve immediate attention. In older boats, check the lower shroud U-bolt chainplates to see if they have been upgraded. A number of the original fittings have failed, causing the rig to go over the side.

Another rig weakness is the cast aluminum spreader sockets originally used on the mast. They should be replaced with the later stainless steel fabrications. Failures of the cast sockets have cost several rigs.

While the best location for a mainsheet traveler would be the forward end of the cockpit, there’s no bridgedeck there for mounting it, so you’re stuck with either the original location in the aft end of the cockpit, or the newer location over the companionway hatch. Unfortunately, there are several drawbacks to the latter spot: it wipes out the possibility of a companionway dodger, which would be a good idea due to the huge opening the hatch makes in the deck. Owners report that the forward location results in so much friction and additional sheet load that the mainsheet is hard to trim. In addition, the traveler in this position partially blocks off the main companionway opening.

Catalina hardware has never been much to write home about. Almost everything on the boat beyond the barest necessity is an option—and by “option” we mean, if you want it, you do it yourself. But of course if you like to fiddle with your boat, this can be seen as a plus.

There are few pieces of exterior trim: handrails on the cabin top, trim around the companionway. Trim takes time to put on, and teak costs money. Remember, this is a Volkswagen.

A big plus in later model boats is a seahood over the sliding companionway hatch. The old hatch design leaks badly if heavy spray or solid water comes aboard.

Later models also have a molded-in foredeck anchor well, a significant improvement.

The Catalina 27 has gradually gotten heavier over the years. The original displacement of the deep keel, outboard model was 5,650 pounds, with the shoal keel model about 500 pounds heavier. With the addition of a more sophisticated interior, inboard engine, fuel tanks, more interior trim, and many other improvements, displacement has crept up to about 6850 pounds for the deep keel versions, and 7,300 pounds for the shoal draft boat. This helps explain why a number of owners complain that the boat floats with her waterline submerged. It also means that if you want to race, you might want to consider an older, lighter model.

The Catalina 27 has more headroom than most 27- footers, and the huge companionway makes the interior seem exceptionally spacious when the hatch is open.

There have been two interiors: a traditional, aft galley layout, and a midships galley/dinette version. Although owners tend to prefer whichever layout they have, there is some consensus that the traditional layout offers better storage and a more reasonable use of space. With the dinette made up into a double berth, that version has six berths—at least two more than you really want on a boat this size. On the aft galley model, the starboard settee makes up into a double, once again giving you six berths. Unfortunately, not all the berths are very usable. Most owners report that the forward V-berths are too short and too narrow to be comfortable for two people, so try it out before deciding on the boat. The quarterberths are the only decent size berths on the boat.

Although there’s a fair amount of storage space under the main cabin settees, it’s hard to get to. A common owner modification is to add access doors to the settee faces, making it unnecessary to lift the seat cushions to get to the storage below.

A lot of owners consider the Catalina 27 a twoperson boat, despite the number of berths. Six close friends on a boat this size could become bitter enemies on a rainy cruise that lasted a week or more, but that’s a characteristic of 27-footers in general, not the Catalina 27 in particular. Nominal headroom is 6′ 1″. This is on the centerline at the aft end of the main cabin. It’s less everywhere else, but still more than you expect in a boat this size.

Originally, the boat’s electrical panel was on the face of the port quarterberth—a poor location, vulnerable to spray through the companionway or water from the bilge. That rudimentary switch panel has been replaced on newer models with a good circuit breaker panel located in the starboard quarterberth— well-protected and reasonably accessible. We’d relocate the electrical panel on an older boat.

Icebox insulation on older boats is non-existent for all practical purposes. It’s better on newer models, but it’s still a far cry from a good icebox.

You are unlikely to find the Catalina 27 equipped with anything more sophisticated than a two-burner alcohol stove. As long as you don’t do a lot of cooking this will be adequate, but longer cruises could turn into a grim test for the conscientious cook who wants to do much beyond heating up cans of stew or boiling water for coffee.

Ventilation of the interior ranges from poor to excellent, depending on either the age of the boat or the amount of upgrading done by the owners. In old boats, the forward cabin is stifling in hot weather. Newer boats have two aft-facing ventilation hatches over the head and passageway, as well as a hatch in the forward end of the cabin trunk. Unless added by owners, there is no provision for foul weather ventilation. Several cowl vents in dorade boxes would be a good addition for this boat.

All in all, the Catalina 27 has about as much interior room as it’s possible to cram into a boat with a waterline of less than 22′. There is reasonable headroom without ungainly height of topsides something a lot of small-boat designers have yet to accomplish.

Conclusions

Although there are smaller boats in the Catalina line, the 27 is a popular entry level daysailer and coastal cruiser. It’s a good-looking boat, and it sails well.

There are many trade-offs inherent in buying an inexpensive boat, and the Catalina 27 is no exception. You won’t find a lot of varnished teak or fancy systems in a Catalina 27. Unless upgraded by the owner, deck hardware and sail handling systems are likely to be rudimentary.

Because so many Catalina 27s have been built, there’s usually a number of them on the market at any one time. Careful shopping should result in finding a vintage and level of equipment that match your taste and pocketbook.

Despite the fact that the Catalina 27 was designed and built as a coastal cruiser-racer, several have actually made circumnavigations. We don’t recommendusing the boat this way, but it goes to show that good preparation and seamanship may be more important than your boat when it comes to successful offshore voyaging.

There have been so many minor changes made to the Catalina 27 over the years that we doubt if anyone has kept up to date on all of them. Some of these upgrades are structurally important, such as the modification of the shroud attachments and the change in spreader fittings. Others, such as the foredeck anchor well, make the boat more useful.

If you get seriously interested in a Catalina 27, get a normal marine survey, and in addition, look for a knowledgeable Catalina 27 owner to go over the boat with you to point out specific potential problems. This may be one case in which the amateur surveyor has some advantages over the professional.

Don’t buy a Catalina 27 thinking you’re going to get Mercedes quality at a Volkswagen price. This is basic sailing transportation, an entry level boat. But if you recognize the boat for what it is, you probably won’t be disappointed. Catalinas are always in demand, and they hold their value better than you would expect. Remember, however, that price will vary substantially with age, engine, and equipment. A new Catalina 27 costs several times the price of the original, 6,000 boats ago.

A lot of owners move up from the Catalina 27 to the Catalina 30. The boats are like peas in a pod in design, styling, and construction; anyone who is happy with the Catalina 27 is likely to be happy with the Catalina 30.

We’re sure that fact is not lost on Frank Butler. He has a good record with the Catalina 27, and we suspect he’s smiling all the way to the bank.

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Perfect for me!!!!

Les commentaires donnés sur le Catalina 27 s’avèrent concluant comme description. J’en possède un C27 1974 et acheté en 2016, dévêtu de ses accessoires électronique, avec un équipement minus de base. La cuisinière intérieur arrière bâbord retirée ainsi que la glacière et l’approvisionnement en eau potable. Il ne reste qu’un évier inutilisable, sauf pour y verser l’eau grise…

Pour le compartiment à batteries, via l’accès au moteur: 1- J’ai dû découpé un accès au moteur dans le mur de la cage bâbord, en passant de l’accès coque au moteur. 2- Pour les batteries, l’espace minable pour une banque est presqu’impensable, sauf si on est un peu bricoleur. J’ai refait des réparation sur le pont avant de repeindre et repeint l’extérieur. J’ai changé les encrages de haubans car une m’a lâché en naviguant.

J’ai ajouté de l’équipement de navigation électronique et un peu accessoires …

Si je songe le vendre je ne sais combien il vaudra. Merci pour votre résumé de commentaires.

Puis refaite avec des renforts résinés et des boulons de fixation.

Would a Catalina 27 be suitable for blue water sailing, say to cross the Pacific?

‘capable’, barely. “suitable’ not really. By the time you brought it up to standards to be considered a “Blue Water Cruising” boat you might as well have spent the money on a better boat. Search ‘traits of a blue water boat’. You will find things like deck to hull joint construction, Are the chainplates accessible and mounted to the hull not the bulkheads. Stoutness of the rigging. Comfort Ratio (how it handles big seas). Capsize screening formula (how easily will the boat right itself if knocked over) What navigation equipment does it have? Does it have a water maker? Some questions are about comfort and convenience, some about safety. Can it carry a life raft? Does it have davits? Or do you have to lift the dinghy on/off the foredeck? Solar charging? Enough battery power for off grid for 3 weeks at a time? Heck, Sam Holmes Sailing went to Hawaii on a Ranger 23 (YouTube). It can be done. Boats float. The trick is keeping afloat!

Like the article said, it can be done with good planning and more importantly good seamanship. I wouldn’t do it but I’m a novice sailor.

I just did discovered this personally…

“ Another problem with through hulls is the placement of the skin fitting for the icebox drain—it allows water to run back into the box when the boat is heeled.”

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A27 Fin keel

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 29th March 2020

A27's main features

A27's main dimensions, a27's rig and sails, a27's performances, a27's auxiliary engine, a27's accommodations and layout.

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• Sailboat Guide

Nor'sea 27

Nor'sea 27 is a 27 ′ 8 ″ / 8.5 m monohull sailboat designed by Lyle C. Hess and built by Nor'Sea Marine starting in 1976.

• 9 / 21 Beaufort, NC, US 1992 Nor'sea 27 $20,000 USD View
• 10 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
• 11 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US 2003 Nor'sea 27 $34,500 USD View
• 12 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
• 13 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
• 14 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US 2003 Nor'sea 27 $34,500 USD View
• 15 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
• 16 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
• 17 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
• 18 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
• 19 / 21 Sheffield Lake, OH, US Nor'sea 27 $28,000 USD View
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Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

From BlueWaterBoats.org :

The Nor’Sea 27 is a small but rugged pocket-cruiser with live-aboard comfort and seaworthiness at the heart of her design. Designer Lyle Hess best known for designing Lynn and Larry Pardey’s bluewater cruising yachts Seraffyn and Taleisin was approached with the challenging brief to design a heavy weather, long distance cruiser which could be legally trailerable. Unfazed, Hess came up with this tough and traditionally styled 27-foot double-ender which is transportable between oceans if not strictly trailerable.

According to Lyle Hess “any boat that points her bow out to sea should be designed so that the crew need not worry about a safe return–no matter what tricks the weather may play”. And with four circumnavigations and more than 160 Pacific and Atlantic crossings under her hull, the Nor’Sea 27 is testament to this philosophy.

Since its introduction in 1977, the little cruiser has gained a cult following. In total around 450 have been built and production continues to the present day.

One day in the 1960’s a young man named Larry Pardey bought a set of yacht plans from designer Lyle Hess. The boat design was a Renegade of Newport. Using the plans he built his own boat Seraffyn and set off cruising with his new wife Lin. Lin and Larry went on to become well known amongst the cruising fraternity through the books they wrote and in doing so introduced the wider world to Hess and of course the Renegade design.

Through the popularity of the Renegade, Hess was approached by Dean Wixom, president of Heritage Marine. At the time Wixom was making the rounds between designers looking for a cruiser that could withstand the heaviest of offshore weather while still be legally trailerable. The idea being that big-boat seaworthiness combined with ease of overland transport would open up some pretty interesting cruising grounds to sailors who had limited time on their hands. Hess was the only designer game enough to take up the challenge and the Nor’Sea 27 was the outcome.

The Nor’Sea 27 was introduced in 1977 by Heritage Marine in a makeshift plant in Southern California. It was a design Wixom loved and three years later built his own boat Chinook (hull #77) on which he lived aboard for 10 years while logging more than 30,000 miles. His company, Heritage Marine, was sold to Bob Eeg who renamed the company Nor’Sea Yachts and has continued production to this day. Over 450 boats have been built so far.

Configuration and Layout

The Nor’Sea 27 is a heavily-rigged sloop with moderate displacement, a shoal draft of 3” 10’ and the 8ft beam which allows trailering without a permit. On the early boats ballast packages of standard (2500 lbs) and heavy (3000 lbs) were offered but since 1980 all boats have 3100 lbs of encapsulated lead ballast.

Hess drew inspiration from the Norwegian Spitzgatter for the traditional double-ended profile that Dean Wixom was seeking, with a wide curvy canoe stern accentuated by the upward sweep of the lapstrakes and a sweet, springy sheerline.  Below the waterline any resemblance to the Spitzgatter ends with a full keel with forefoot cutaway that is fast and modern. Her lines are clean and pleasing, Wixom goes as far as claiming the hull is the most beautiful he has seen on a small cruiser.

The interesting thing about the Nor’Sea 27 and one that distinguishes her from other trailerable pocket cruisers is the standard center-cockpit layout which is generally exclusive to much larger sailboats. Although the traditional aft cockpit layout is offered, the center-cockpit has proven the more popular by a surprising 9 to 1. The small aft cabin offered in the center-cockpit layout effectively houses two quarter berths and is prized for the privacy which it offers. The cabin also offers extra protection to the cockpit which is sized modestly for bluewater but is big enough for two people to sit in comfortably. The helm consists of a long tiller that reaches over the top of the aft cabin to a large transom-hung rudder.

Construction

Nor’Sea Yachts maintain a “super heavy duty” philosophy in construction and the Nor’Sea 27 is a prime example.  The hull is of solid hand-laid one piece laminate with up to 22 layers of mat and woven roving, and molded in lapstrakes which although costly and time consuming to build provide extra stiffness and strength as well as traditional looks and a drier boat. The thickness of the laminate varies from 5/16″ at the sheer to 3/4″ at the keel. Interior plywood bulkheads and a partial molded fibreglass liner provide further structural reinforcement resulting in an extremely strong hull.

The plywood-cored deck is fixed to an inward flange with adhesive sealant and stainless steel bolts spaced at 6-inch intervals. Deck fittings and hardware are oversized and through-bolted to stainless steel backing plates. This build quality gives the Nor’Sea 27 the strength of a larger boat but doesn’t come cheap.

“ I am very proud of the quality we put into those boats. I did make a fatal mistake: I built a product that I had fallen in love with. We built the boats without enough regard to cost. We already had the world’s most expensive 27-footer, yet I could not bring myself to cut corners in areas seldom seen ” – Dean Wixom.

The boats were sold as fully completed boats, nearly complete except for minor finishings,  or as hull and deck kits. The interior joinerwork on the factory finished boats are good, however boats built from hull and deck kits are much more variable in quality.

In terms of performance the Nor’Sea27 is stiff, sea kindly and surprisingly fast thanks to Hess’ innovative underwater profile. Nor’Sea owners have been heard to boast of overtaking longer, lighter boats while cruising. She tracks well to weather, is slippery in light airs and is a easy to single-hand. Her helm though relatively light is not particularly well balanced and cannot be left untended for long.

Buyer’s Notes

Although ‘trailerable’ the Nor’Sea 27 is more accurately ‘transportable’ as it requires a specialised trailer and a large size tow truck to transport it. Although the deck-stepped mast has a hinged tabernacle to allow raising and lowering, rigging the boat can take an experienced owner at least 3 hours.

The biggest problem has been corrosion in the aluminium fuel tank which is buried in the keel directly under the engine.  It needs to be fully glassed over to protect it, or excavated and replaced if already corroded. Similar corrosion problems have occurred with the sleeve cylinder in the early model 9hp Farymann diesel engines which also must be rebuilt or replaced but the engine is apparently easy to remove. The later Farymann model 32W has a cast iron cylinder and is not so susceptible. No other significant weakness have come to light.

The Nor’Sea 27 has held their values well and have remained highly sought after so tend not to linger long on the used boat market.  In 2007 the market value on used boats ranged from $28k – $62k USD depending on age and condition. New boats are available from Nor’Sea Yachts at three levels of kit set or as fully completed boats and prices range from $39,400 USD for the most basic kit to $151,612 USD for the completed boat.

Information and advice on buying a Nor’Sea 27 can be obtained from the Nor’Sea Yachts website or from the active owner’s association on Yahoo groups.

Similar Boats

Links, references and further reading.

» Nor’Sea Yachts official website » Nor’Sea 27 Yahoo Owners group » Sailing Magazine, Nov 2008,  review of the Nor’Sea 27 , by John Kretschmer (Boats & Gear) » Sailing Magazine,   Nor’Sea 27 review by Brian Fagan (Boat Test) » Nor’Sea 27: A Trailerable Offshore Cruiser by Charles Doane, Apr 2010. » Good Old Boat magazine The Salty Nor’Sea 27 by Karen Larson » Old Boat magazine The Nor’Sea 27 by Ted Brewer

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