1979 Hunter 27 (to buy or not to buy)

[FS3873]

I have been looking to buy a boat large enough for my family of four to sail to the beach and spend the night without breaking the bank. I have come across a 1979 Hunter 27 with a shoal keel that although needs to be cleaned up looks ok. The shoal keel is important as the Great South Bay of Long Island is quite shallow.

My questions are about the different things I should look for before buying the boat. Is there any common problem such as balsa core damage, or anything else of the sort. I'm also curious as to what other owners typically spend per season to keep the boat maintained and stored. What does it cost to haul, and store for the season. Can this boat be kept on a trailer, or is it too big?

How well does the shoal keel sail upwind? How dependable and powerful is the yanmar diesel? What other years are basically the same boat? Would you stay away from a boat this old?

Anything that you may think will help will be appreciated. The boat is listed for $5900.00 and seems to need a good cleaning.

Thanks
John

 

[David in Sandusky]

A Cherubini h27 can work for you

Our '77 h27 has cruised a number of times with four large Foster men for up to a week. We definitely experience togetherness, but still do it when we can.

With a shoal draft, and foresail sheets through a fairlead on the toerail, the closest we can sail to he wind is 60 degrees. Otherwise, the boat is a great sailer and quite sea-kindly. The Admiral and I have cruised on her for weeks and love it!

Water penetration is the bane of all boats of this age. I recommend a survey - you'll probably get the money back from the seller, you'll have a good maintenance list, our insurance company required a survey, and you'll have a good idea if there are any big specific issues.

Good luck - this boat is a great cruiser, and with a large cabin for 27 feet!

 

[Manny]

Well...
Four people on the 27' would probably be a bit cramped. There wouldn't be much room for storage but if it's just an overnight it should be fine. The admiral and I spend weekends on ours with our two dogs and we always have to shuffle things around.
As far as the Yanmar, I can't comment since ours has a Renault but the key is to verify that it has been well maintained.
I don't think the upwind performance is too bad. I can point fairly high and make headway. I couldn't give you the exact angle but I'd guess close to 45 -50 degrees. I've had a few sailors comment that it goes upwind surprisingly well.
Water infiltration at the mast step seems to be a common problem but can be fixed.
Definitely get a survey done - also try and get a sea trial.

Manny

 

[fifedog]

FS3873 - First off ---> Welcome aboard!

Bought my '79 H27 mid-May. You're actually getting a better price than I did. It is a very "forgiving" starter sailer, which has yet to heel more than 15 degrees in a 17 knot wind, and actually performs as well on a close reach as on a beam.
I have the SB8 Yanmar version, which is about enuff to put-put away from the marina and into a channel. When we raise sail, we actually get the experience of picking up speed... Also, it sits in the water like a tank, so stern control is minimal at best in reverse.
The traveler on my HUNTER stretches across the back seats of my cockpit (some of the fleet had the traveler on the cabin top). Stern perch seats (great investment!) have overcome this design flaw. I also love how the cockpit is deep enough that you can stand and the boom passes over you.
At a beefy 7000 lbs, it may be a bit to trailer around.
At the price we got ours at, we have been able to spend the money we would have put down on a bigger boat to "dress" her up to our liking.
I would feel uncomfortable in "big" water with her though.