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Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works
March 16, 2026 · 9 min · 35K views
What this video covers
The Pacific Seacraft Orion 27 — also called the Pacific Seacraft Orion 27 — stretches to just under 31 feet overall with a functional bowsprit, carries a 22-foot waterline, 9-foot-3 beam, 4-foot draft, and displaces 10,000 pounds, of which 3,500 pounds is encapsulated lead ballast in a full long keel.▶ 1:46 That keel, paired with an attached rudder, delivers straight tracking and a capsized screening number of 1.7, a displacement-to-length ratio above 400, and a comfort ratio in the low 30s — figures that reflect offshore capability rather than weekend sailing.▶ 6:50 The rig is a genuine cutter: owners and reviewers consistently report that reefed main plus staysail produces a balanced, settled boat in deteriorating conditions, with no helm fight.▶ 3:12 The boat needs low-teens wind to wake up and does not point high, but its motion in chop is described as kindly rather than snappy.▶ 4:56 Construction is solid fiberglass below the waterline, balsa-cored deck, with external chainplates that are visible, inspectable, and field-replaceable.▶ 3:26 The specific listing discussed asks around $50,000 and needs mast step work and bowsprit attention — known, solvable issues.▶ 6:22 The Pacific Seacraft 34 and 37, designed by Bill Krelok, are noted as larger sisterships with moderate displacement and a split underbody.▶ 8:34
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