BoatsRhodes 27

Rhodes 27

Masthead Sloop · Long Keel · First built 1939

Winner of the 1938 Fishers Island Yacht Club design competition, this long-keeled masthead sloop offers a heavy-displacement

Designed by Philip L. Rhodes, built by Henry B. Nevins.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Long Keel

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 46 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 46
CoastalBluewater

At 1.46 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.46
LightHeavy

428 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 428
EasygoingPowered-up

14.4 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.4

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Draws more than ~86% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~82% of boats her size on file

Compared with 404 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.4
Displacement / length
428.4
Comfort ratio
46.4
Capsize screening
1.46
Hull speed
7.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
933
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1939
Designer
Philip L. Rhodes
Builder
Henry B. Nevins, Abeking, Rasmussen

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Alberg 3711.33 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA long-keeled masthead sloop produced for two decades with a transition from wood-heavy interiors to moulded fiberglass
Which Sailboat Keel is the WORST? Ep 233 - Lady K Sailing4:52from Lady K Sailing
Bristol Yachts 3911.89 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1966 masthead sloop with a long keel, built for five years as a precursor to the long-running Bristol 40
Bristol 40 for $40,000 - Can You Make it Work?from Practical Sailor
Downeaster 3811.58 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 1974-era cutter with a 35.4 comfort ratio, built for stable, long-distance voyaging on a heavy-displacement hull
Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East 38from Practical Sailor
Mariah 3111.28 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt with a long keel and a signature extended bowsprit
Young Sailing Couple Explore the WILD And RUGGED British Columbian Coast. Ep 46 S313:42from Breaking Waves
Cabo Rico 3811.58 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterAn aft-cockpit evolution of the Tiburon 36, offering a heavy-displacement cutter platform for stable blue-water sailing
S/V Coralia - Sailing to New Englandfrom Hold Fast!
Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
A Sailboat With No Keel? Shannon Shoalsailer 351:37from Lady K Sailing

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Rhodes Ranger 29A 1960 fin-keeled masthead sloop, known as the Santander 28 in the UK and imported to the US as Design #437Rhodes 42A masthead yawl with a keel-centerboard configuration, built in the mid-1950s for heavy-displacement offshore cruising

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Rhodes 27

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue