Hunter 27 offshore sailing???

Ed Schenck · Jan 20, 2011

If any 27-footer could be safe in heavy seas then a Cherubini 27 would be that boat. I doubt any 27 was built heavier. Still it was not ever meant as an offshore boat. There is the deck-stepped mast, the plastic windows, and a less than stout steering system.

My boat is 37 feet, 18000# plus, keel-stepped, with bronze portlights. I have been in the Atlantic(even Lake Erie) when I hoped that the rudder would stay on the boat (same system as the H27). And wished I was on a Swan 50. But doing coastal cruising where you can get in and out and over to the islands no problem.

Benny17441 · Jan 20, 2011

I echo Ed's comments. The boat is strong but I would not take one offshore unless some upgrades were performed. Let's face it Cherubs are 25-30 years old. At minimum I would redo and upgrade the riggin and rebuild the steering system to include a new rudder if possible. It would be nice if you could start with the deep draft version of the boat. I would replace the hatches but replacing portholes can be a costly proposition. I would rather fabricate and have ready to install porthole plugs. The boat is probably to slow and to small for crossing oceans but can be set up for short passages, coastal cruising and island hopping. Provisioning a small boat is probably a science. Some electronics may be required; for me an autopilot is a must. There is much more to passage making and offshore sailing than just the boat so there is no harm in starting gradually, doing some coastal sailing and tackling a few overnight passages. If your consideration for purchasing the boat rest solely in it ability to go offshore I would not recommend you purchase it as the retrofitting expenses will probably exceed the cost of the boat. On the other hand it makes for a great affordable coastal sailer.

David in Sandusky · Jan 20, 2011

Systems

The design of the h27 is good for blue water cruising. Tom Manalili is no longer a member here, but he took his h27 acrosss the Caribean from Florida to Mexico a number of times. His review of the boat is still in the h27 archives, and it lists a number of the improvements he made for open ocean cruising.

If you want to prepare an h27 for this use, you will need to carefully review each system, and improve it to meet offshore standards. Some key systems include:

- Watertight intergrity. Sturdy covers for portlights, high quality hatches, seals for the lazarette cover and companionway hatch...

- Rigging. You will want excellent standing and running rigging. How about redundancy?

- Sails. Reefing, storm, and trysails...

- Navigation. You'll want a wind-vane autopilot, GPS, sextant, charts, weather data, cell phone, and short wave radio with weather data capability...

- Storage for food, water, fuel,...

- Safety. Jacklines, lifeboat, PFD's that you will wear...

There are more systems, and system details I have not listed. I forget the name, but there is a manual for the blue water race to Hawaii that is a great guide for preparing for offshore work. It may be available on this site.

Some comments or previous posts: do check the rudder bearing system. I think the the post in a hole approach may be weak for the h37c, but OK for the lower loads of the h27, especially if you (as we) have a tiller vs. a wheel. I think a deck stepped mast is OK, although keel stepped is better. 27 to 30 feet was considered an ideal size for offshore during the 70's. The h27 will give you 5-6 knots reaching in the trades, while 40 footer will knock off about 20-25% of the time for a given cruise.

Hunter 27 offshore sailing???

mitchman1982

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Ed Schenck

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Benny17441

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David in Sandusky

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mitchman1982

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