Aquarius RC-27 Buyer's Guide
The Aquarius RC-27 is a Bill Roberts-designed catamaran built by Aquarius Sail Inc. from the mid-eighties, a 27-foot 6-inch lightweight platform with a 16-foot beam and a daggerboard. On the used market she appeals to sailors wanting a shallow-draft multihull that can be kept in thin water yet still offer more interior volume than nearly any comparable catamaran of her length. The 44-foot fractional sloop spar and 528-square-foot sail plan drive a hull that weighs only 750 pounds bare, so a buyer should gauge how the specific boat has been equipped against that original lightness. A length-to-beam ratio of 1.72 places her roomier than 99 percent of similar sail catamarans, a useful benchmark when comparing listed boats.
What to Inspect
Confirm the bare hull weight of 750 pounds excluding sails and spinnaker rigging, since any added ballast or undocumented structure suggests modification away from the original ultra-light concept. Verify the daggerboard trunk and the rudders-only draft of 3 feet against the board-down draft of 4 feet 6 inches, checking that the board lifts and seats cleanly and that the trunk shows no crazing or water ingress. Inspect the fiberglass hull for the lightness expected of a boat with a displacement-length ratio of 17; overweight repairs or saturated core would move her away from the light configuration the design was built around. The beam of 16 feet yields exceptional interior volume, so check the bridgedeck and hulls for any structural additions that compromise the length-to-beam ratio of 1.72.
Buyer's Takeaway
- Confirm bare hull weight near 750 pounds without sails or spinnaker rigging
- Exercise the daggerboard through its full 3-foot to 4-foot 6-inch draft range
- Check the fiberglass hull for added weight or saturation that defeats the light design
- Inspect the 16-foot beam layout for undocumented structural changes