Leisure 27 sailing
The hull is built in solid GRP, with foam ribs and stringers providing great strength and minimum maintenance. The deck is in balsa sandwich which maximises insulation.
There is a choice of either twin keels or a fin keel, with a moulded skeg and rudder. Some owners complain of weather helm, but this can be solved by careful attention to the rig trim and early reefing of the main sail. Off the wind, under just a large genoa, the L27 can be sailed under finger tip control.
Two deck mounted halyard winches, two-speed sheet winches and cleats are standard fittings. All standing rigging is 6 mm stainless steel wire, shroud chain plates are anchored to internal steel brackets through bolted and bonded to the hull. Halyards are internal to the mast and run direct via deck mounted turning blocks to winches and cleats.
Black anodised aluminium toerails, incorporating four fairleads run from stem to stern. A combined stemhead roller and fairlead is fitted. A 25lb CQR anchor is standard, stowed in a anchor well with a two piece hinged hatch. The non-slip moulded deck is clean and uncluttered with a flat foredeck for safe anchor handling.
Double lifelines run through stanchions from a butterfly shaped pulpit to the pushpit. Teak handrails are fitted each side of the coach rook which is fitted with four ventilators for the main saloon, toilet and hanging locker.
Accommodation
High topsides give an immense amount of room below with full 6 ft 1 ½ in headroom throughout, making this a really dry boat but without creating excess windage. Tiller steering is standard.
Down below the cabins are fitted out in teak veneers and quality furnishings. Double lined throughout to eliminate condensation, the interior has long tinted windows which make the saloon light and airy by day. The basic arrangement is a dinette which will seat five people in comfort with four more on the berth opposite. A separate toilet compartment and hanging locker are fitted between the main saloon and fore cabin. A full galley is fitted with cooker, sink and icebox. Seawater and freshwater pumps are standard.
The companion way steps are easily removed to give access to the engine.
The standard engine was a 7.5 hp Volvo diesel Saildrive unit, though many boats were fitted with the larger twin cylinder 13 hp engine. The original 7.5 hp diesel was never powerful enough. A twin battery installation is standard.
| Length Overall | 8.23 m | 27 ft |
| Length Waterline | 6.70 m | 22 ft |
| Beam | 2.81 m | 9 ft 2½ in |
| Headroom | 1.87 m | 6 ft 1 ½ in |
| Draft | ||
| Fin | 1.49 m | 4 ft 11 in |
| Twin | 1.19 m | 3 ft 11 in |
| Displacement | 2.8 tonnes | 2 ¾ tons |
| Keel mass | 1527 kg | 3360 lbs |
| Total | 3068 kg | 6750 lbs |
| Ballast Ratio | 49.77% | |
| Mast | ||
| Standard | 9.9 m | 32 ft 6 in |
| Lake Rig | 10.6 m | 35 ft |
| Mainsail | 11.91 m2 | 128 ft2 |
| No.1 Jib | 12.73 m2 | 137 ft2 |
| No.1 Storm Jib | 5.39 m2 | 58 ft2 |
| No.1 Genoa | 25.1 m2 | 270 ft2 |
| No.2 Genoa | 20.8 m2 | 224 ft2 |
| Spinnaker | 57 m2 | 617 ft2 |
Brochure
Performance
For cruising boats, The RYA has updated the Portsmouth Yardstick scheme with the National Handicap for Cruisers (NHC). More up to date information may be obtainable from the RYA NHC site and the Byron web site.
The only racing handicap information we have are Portsmouth Yardstick (PY), Secondary Yardstick (SY), various Recorded Numbers (RN) and Club Numbers (CN) as shown below.
| Keel | Engine | Propeller | Number (Year/Source) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | Inboard | 2 Blade | CN1170 (1999) | CN1164 (1996) | RN1230 (1988) |
| Twin | Inboard | Folding | CN1160 (1999) | CN1127 (Byron) | |