Cal 27
Description
The Cal 27 is a versatile American cruiser-racer sailboat designed by C. William Lapworth and built by Jensen Marine (Cal Yachts) from 1971 to 1977, with approximately 500–600 units produced. Part of Cal’s popular line, it bridges the gap between the compact Cal 25 and larger models, offering a blend of coastal cruising comfort and club racing performance. Its fiberglass construction, moderate draft, and simple rig appeal to families, couples, and budget-conscious racers for lake, bay, and coastal sailing, though it’s not designed for extended blue water passages. Owners praise its “lively yet stable handling” and “surprisingly spacious interior,” with active PHRF fleets and small one-design groups in regions like California, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Great Lakes.
Construction Details
| Designer | C. William Lapworth |
|---|---|
| Length | 27.000 ft |
| LOA | 27.340 ft |
| LWL | 22.330 ft |
| Beam | 9.000 ft |
| Displacement | 5400 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.500 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 34.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 12 ft |
| p | 27.75 ft |
| e | 10.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.50 ft | 12 ft | 27.75 ft | 10.25 ft | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 27.75 ft - (8458 mm) |
| Foot | * 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Leech | * 28.98 ft - (8833 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.03 ° |
| Diagonal | * 29.25 ft - (8915 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 145.92 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 29 ft - (8839 mm) |
| Foot | 17.167 ft - (5233 mm) |
| Leech | 26.58 ft - (8102 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 129.08 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.49 ft - (4721 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.36 ° |
| Area | * 224.61 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 35.5 ft - (10820 mm) |
| Foot | 19.5 ft - (5944 mm) |
| Leech | 33.25 ft - (10135 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 149.92 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.99 ft - (5483 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.55 ° |
| Area | * 319.25 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 35 ft - (10668 mm) |
| Foot | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Leech | 33 ft - (10058 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 525 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 34.7 ft - (10577 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 21.6 ft - (6584 mm) |
| Foot | * 21.6 ft - (6584 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 637 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMJIB |
|---|---|
| Luff | 22.5 ft - (6858 mm) |
| Foot | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Leech | 19.25 ft - (5867 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 95.83 % |
| Length Perp | * 11.5 ft - (3505 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.38 ° |
| Area | * 129.42 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.