I owned one befor my C36 MKII it was a 1980
Pretty sturdy little boat -- kind of like a poor mans Island Packet 27 . (very similar hull and layout (also built very near Island Packet plant in Fl) Not luxurious, (No teak and Holly floors) but they put the money in a sturdy boat not glitzy. Spars and rigging were very oversized and it had LOTS of room for a 27 foot boat, but does not point as high as a fin keel (like a Cat 27), but only a 3'11" shoal keel draft which I always liked. It had a modified full keel/(More like a scheel keel). I only had 2 cosmetic blisters on my boat (at the aft starboard on the keel) that were nothing to worry about and the rudder had (from what I could tell) cosmetic cracks in the gelcoat -- it seemed ok no rust dripping out. The decks were pretty solid -- I cut through a few spots to put in Solar Vent and it was pretty damn thick ! There were a few "creaks" on the deck, but when the buyers surveyor looked at the boat he found no problems nor water in hull. Obviously get a decent surveyor. I think the area that I could have fixed better was the jib track , I had fresh water leaks there where the through bolts held down the track----should have oversized the holes -- epoxied them over and re-drilled. Look for the bigger engine whether repowered or the 15 HP Yanmar (I had the venerable 2QM15). I could punch through almost **any** sea and make headway with that engine. I think some were powered with a 8hp which I would call undersized. All in all, a tough little boat that you could probably buy for a good price (~$10k) that has an inboard deisel, wheel steering & a lot of room for 27 feet. It will not win races but you will feel comfortable in a blow. Want to read more on these boats and ask people that own them -- go here. (you'll find a lot here) http://www.angelfire.com/fl/watkinssailboats/index.html and here is the e-chat list for watkins http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/watkins/
