27The one that worked. Light, cheap, quick, and there are enough of them left to make a fleet.
Designed by Doug Hemphill, built by Hotfoot Boats on Vancouver Island.
Numbers
The spec sheet
as the builder wrote itConstructionDesignPerformanceRigEquipmentCruisingWhy it goes
It is light — half a ton lighter than most boats its size from the same years. Light boats accelerate, and they keep moving in the lulls.
The keel and rudder are both deep, which was unusual then, so she holds on upwind instead of sliding sideways.
Twelve or fifteen knots on a reach and she will lift and plane. That is the part everybody remembers.
What it costs
Not much. These are forty year old boats and the market has never priced them like the race boats they are.
A tired one needs sails and a bottom job. A good one is ready to race. Either way you are in for less than a set of sails on a new thirty footer.
real price range to come
One design, plainly
Every boat has the same hull and the same rig. Keep the sails and the gear close to standard and the racing stays honest.
The fleet is working out what standard means, boat by boat, from the registry. That list becomes the class rules.
A short history
First hull launched. Sells well around Victoria, then starts heading south.
Fetish, Jaguar, Horizon, Caliente, Footloose, Slick and Hay Tor collect wins up and down the coast.
The downturn takes most of the Canadian boatbuilding trade with it. Hotfoot Boats closes.
Eight or nine sail around Vancouver and Victoria, more scattered through the San Juans.
Know something about the 27 that is not on this page? Sail numbers, a brochure, a price list, a photo — send it over.
Add to the 27 registry