Compare to others
Eric, I purchased my '76 27 last year for around $10K. This was when the stock market was extremely healthy, and sailboats in this area were generally selling quite quickly. This year, I could probably get the same boat for less. I looked at as many boats as I could (25-30) before making a decision. This helped me establish my comfort level for the prices of similar boats. The Catalina 27 is the closest comparison I found. Mine is well equipped, with a good sail inventory (jib, 150 genoa, 170 genoa - all set up for roller furling, main and cruising spinnaker). The hull is very sound and the gel-coat is in excellent condition, although I do have a few small blisters just above the water line on the starboard side. My inboard is a gas powered Atomic 4 that is supposed to put out 30hp. This is way more power than I need, and I barely get above an idle before I hit hull speed. I see you are from Michigan, so I assume that you are sailing the Great Lakes. This means two things; first, you won't have to fight a tide while motoring (especially to/from dockage). Secondly, it is likely that boats in your area have been fresh-water sailed. You should verify this, if so, I believe that it is worth a small premium. Way less abuse from the elements. One last note, if it's an '83, it is probably not an O'Day 27. It's probably a 272, which weighs at least 1500 lbs less than Jim and my 27's. Boattraderonline only lists 2 272's currently. Both are 1987 models, one is listed for $16500, the other for $13200. Good luck!
