Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig
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 C. 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 | 31 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10.50 ft |
| p | 27 ft |
| e | 12.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 ft | 10.50 ft | 27 ft | 12.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 27 ft - (8230 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 12.25 ft - (3734 mm) |
| Leech | * 29.01 ft - (8842 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 29.26 ft - (8918 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 5.25 in - (133 mm) |
| Area | * 170.51 ft² |
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Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 26 ft - (7925 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 10.42 ft - (3176 mm) |
| Leech | 20.75 ft - (6325 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 75.14 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.89 ft - (2405 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 22.08 ° |
| Area | * 102.55 ft² |
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Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 12.33 ft - (3758 mm) |
| Leech | 26.58 ft - (8102 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 103.81 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 10.9 ft - (3322 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9.13 ° |
| Area | * 163.54 ft² |
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Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - GENOA
| Luff | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 16.25 ft - (4953 mm) |
| Leech | 26.33 ft - (8025 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 135.52 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 14.23 ft - (4337 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 10.16 ° |
| Area | * 213.45 ft² |
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Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - GENOA
| Luff | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 17.5 ft - (5334 mm) |
| Leech | 27.67 ft - (8434 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 151.24 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.88 ft - (4840 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.1 ° |
| Area | * 238.27 ft² |
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Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - GENOA
| Luff | 29.75 ft - (9068 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 16.5 ft - (5029 mm) |
| Leech | 28 ft - (8534 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 145.33 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.26 ft - (4651 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.64 ° |
| Area | * 227 ft² |
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Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 32 ft - (9754 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 17 ft - (5182 mm) |
| Leech | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 408 ft² |
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Nor'Sea 27 Short Rig - STORMJIB
| Luff | 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8.83 ft - (2691 mm) |
| Leech | 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 51.81 % |
| Length Perp | * 5.44 ft - (1658 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 33.24 ° |
| Area | * 59.86 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.