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Bahamas for $5000? The Watkins 27 foot Sailboat
April 6, 2026 · 9 min · 17K views
Watkins 27 anchored at golden hour in the Bahamas
What this video covers
The Watkins 27, a fiberglass masthead sloop built in Florida from 1977 to 1984 with roughly 500 hulls produced, sailed to the Bahamas for a total outlay around $5,000 — purchase price plus outfitting.2:15 At 27 feet with a 10-foot beam and 7,500 pounds of displacement, the boat carries a 46% ballast ratio that makes it stable and forgiving rather than fast; hull speed is 6.5 knots, and real-world speeds run lower.3:15 The wide beam delivers a full V-berth, quarter berth, convertible dinette, enclosed head, and standing headroom — unusual for the size.5:11 Keel options included a shoal-draft fin or centerboard; all boats used a skeg-hung rudder.3:41 One owner, Brian, has sailed his from South Carolina for over 20 years, fitted with dinghy davits and ground tackle, and reports no unmet needs.5:45 Known weaknesses include cored decks prone to moisture intrusion after decades of use, vague steering described as "lawn tractor"-like, and no factory support since Watkins Yachts closed.6:59 Purchase prices run $3,500–$5,000, with an estimated $20,000 for full outfitting.7:53 The Irwin Yachts 38 Citation is mentioned as a related used-boat review.9:07
Boats in this video
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