Design #27 - 26'8" (8.1m) Cruising Sloop

looking at lacked. The rig was 7/8 with, for that time, relatively small headsails and no running backstays, which gave a simple, low cost rig. It was decided to take the extra trouble during construction to build a boat with a round bilge hull form, rather than a chine hull form, as it was felt that the extra cost and time involved was not great, but performance and resale value would be greatly enhanced. At the time that the design was being conceived the IOR Rule (MK1) had just been released and as the boat looked around the size that would produce a 1/2 Ton racing, small adjustments were made to the shape of the yacht so that it could be made into a 1/2 Tonner should the occasion arise. These changes included slight extra beam in the topsides and a slight hardening of the midships section around the mid-depth measurement. When the boat was launched its performance exceeded all expectations. Rob rated the boat as a 1/2 Tonner and went on to win the New Zealand Half Ton Championships in 1972 and the boat again won in 1974.