Nor'sea 27
Description
The Nor'Sea 27 is a legendary fiberglass sailboat designed by master naval architect Lyle Hess and built by Nor'Sea Marine (later Heritage Yachts) in Dana Point, California, starting in 1976. Over 450 units have been produced, many still in service today, earning a cult following for its seaworthiness, trailerability, and go-anywhere capabilities—ideal for solo or couple's offshore cruising in remote areas like Baja or the Pacific. The short rig version features a compact masthead sloop configuration (30.5 ft mast height) with 335 sq ft of sail area, prioritizing ease of trailering under bridges and stability in heavy weather over outright speed. It has a double-ended hull with long keel and transom-hung rudder for exceptional tracking and forgiveness, shoal draft for gunkholing, and robust construction (solid hand-laid fiberglass with encapsulated lead ballast). The center-cockpit layout offers privacy and safety: V-berth forward, U-shaped galley to starboard, enclosed head and nav station to port, saloon with convertible settees for 4, and a tiny aft cuddy with quarter berths. Standard power is a Faryman 9 hp or optional Yanmar 12 hp diesel.
Construction Details
| Designer | Lyle Hess |
|---|---|
| Builder | Nor'Sea Marine (later Heritage Yachts) |
| Length | 27.000 ft |
| LOA | 27.000 ft |
| LWL | 25.000 ft |
| Beam | 8.000 ft |
| Displacement | 8100 lb |
| Ballast | 3100 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.833 ft |
| Year Built | 1976 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 35.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10.50 ft |
| p | 31.50 ft |
| e | 12.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.50 ft | 10.50 ft | 31.50 ft | 12.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Nor'sea 27 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 31.5 ft - (9601 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 12.25 ft - (3734 mm) |
| Leech | * 33.16 ft - (10107 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 33.4 ft - (10180 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 5.25 in - (133 mm) |
| Area | * 198.91 ft² |
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Nor'sea 27 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 29.62 ft - (9028 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.74 ft - (4188 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.04 ft - (7937 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115.05 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12.08 ft - (3682 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 178.88 ft² |
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Nor'sea 27 - GENOA
| Luff | 34.25 ft - (10439 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Leech | 32.5 ft - (9906 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 134.76 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 14.15 ft - (4313 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 2.95 ° |
| Area | * 242.24 ft² |
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Nor'sea 27 - DRIFTER
| Luff | 31.5 ft - (9601 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 12.25 ft - (3734 mm) |
| Leech | 32 ft - (9754 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 115.33 % |
| Length Perp | * 12.11 ft - (3691 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * -7.66 ° |
| Area | * 190.66 ft² |
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Nor'sea 27 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 36 ft - (10973 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Leech | 33 ft - (10058 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 486 ft² |
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Nor'sea 27 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 20.36 ft - (6206 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 7.74 ft - (2359 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.07 ft - (5203 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 6.3 ft - (1920 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.03 ° |
| Area | * 64.14 ft² |
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Nor'sea 27 - STORMTRYSAIL
| Luff | * 12.71 ft - (3874 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 11.68 ft - (3560 mm) |
| Leech | * 10.59 ft - (3228 mm) |
| Length Perp | * 10.59 ft - (3228 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * -25 ° |
| Area | * 58 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
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.