Irwin 27

Description

The Irwin 27 (1967–1973) was Ted Irwin’s breakthrough design and the boat that put Irwin Yachts on the map, with over 500 built in just six years. At 27 ft LOA (23 ft LWL), 8 ft 8 in beam, and a swing-keel draft of 2 ft 8 in board-up / 6 ft 0 in board-down (fixed-keel version 4 ft 4 in), she combined genuine big-boat interior volume and standing headroom with true trailerability and shoal-water ability. Light displacement (around 6,200 lb, 2,600 lb ballast) and a tall masthead rig carrying 380–400 sq ft gave her sparkling performance for the era—PHRF typically 220–240—and she dominated local MORC and club racing on the East Coast and Great Lakes while still serving as a comfortable weekender for a family of four or five. Layout featured a private head, decent galley, dinette that converts to a double, and a quarter berth that actually works. Powered originally by an Atomic 4 or outboard, the Irwin 27 is ruggedly overbuilt by today’s standards, and dozens remain actively sailed and raced more than half a century later. Many owners regard her as one of the best all-round 27-footers ever produced in the U.S.—fast, roomy, tough, and still surprisingly affordable on the used market.