Balboa 27 8.2 Buyer's Guide
The used Balboa 27 8.2 is a compact pocket cruiser meant to be towed, drawn by Lyle C. Hess and turned out by Coastal Recreation Inc., with production from 1976 until around 1981 and perhaps 100 to 200 hulls completed. She is the stretched evolution of the Balboa 26, carrying a swing keel for shallow-water access and trailering behind a mid-size vehicle, and a Lister Petter diesel for auxiliary power. For a shopper, the appeal is a genuine pocket cruiser you can keep on a trailer and launch where the cruising takes you.
Layouts on the Used Market
Examples you encounter will be the 26.5-foot LOA hull on a 23-foot waterline with an 8-foot beam, drawing 2.42 feet keel-up and 5.5 feet down. The slightly stretched hull over the earlier Balboa 26 was done to improve accommodations, and the boat was set up for short-handed crews of two to four. Expect the standard masthead sloop rig with a mainsail near 144 square feet and a 115-percent jib around 160 square feet, a solid fiberglass deck and hull, and 21 gallons of water capacity — the bones of a weekender rather than a long-range cruiser.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A commonly fitted theme on these boats is a short-handed setup, meaning the rig and deck layout were arranged so a couple can handle her without a full crew. For a buyer, that points to manageable sail handling and a trailerable footprint rather than elaborate racing gear. Beyond that single commonly fitted theme, the brief leaves other equipment general: the boat's value lies in the swing keel, the modest diesel, and the simple sloop rig, not in factory-fitted luxuries.
What to Inspect
The sources carry no structural defects or flooding paths specific to the Balboa 27 8.2, so a survey should focus on the usual swing-keel wear points that any centerboard trunk invites — pivot hardware, trunk seals, and the keel itself. With a solid fiberglass hull and deck, the structure is uncomplicated, but the swing-keel mechanism is the one system where age and abrasion matter most on a trailerable cruiser of this kind.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for the Balboa 27 8.2 is the United States. For a buyer, the checklist is short and practical:
- Confirm swing-keel pivot and trunk condition before purchase
- Verify the Lister Petter diesel runs and is serviced
- Check trailer and swing-keel draft range for the towable premise
- Match the boat to coastal, short-handed use rather than offshore plans
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Balboa 27 8.2. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26 | 2 | $11,500 | — |
Where they're listed
Balboa 27 8.2 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 2.
Country view
2 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $11,500 | 2 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moody 27 | 27.67' | $ 14,889 | 29 | 10 |
| Com-Pac 27/2 | 29.58' | $ 24,000 | 27 | 7 |
| Mirage Yachts 27 | 27.17' | $ 5,000 | 9 | 4 |
| Balboa 27 8.2You are here | — | $ 11,500 | 2 | 0 |