Design and Construction
The 27.7 has a solid, hand-laid fiberglass hull with lead ballast. She displaces 7,000 pounds, including 2,850 pounds of lead, and has a 10-foot beam. Her length-to-beam ratio of 2.72, ballast ratio of 41 percent, and displacement-to-length ratio of 274 describe a narrow, deeply ballasted hull firmly in the heavy-cruiser category for a boat of her size.
A 4-foot-4-inch fin keel and skeg-hung rudder complement that substantial displacement. Her capsize screening value is 2.09—a figure that excludes her from sanctioned ocean racing but suggests a stiff, settled posture offshore. Theoretical hull speed is 6.4 knots, while a Motion Comfort Ratio of 20.9 indicates a damped, deliberate motion in a seaway rather than a lively racer’s skitter.
Rig and Handling
The 27.7 is rigged as a masthead sloop and, by the numbers, is slightly overrigged: her sail plan carries more canvas than 66 percent of comparable sailboats. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 15.0 with the ISO reference sail, rising to 17.8 with a 135 percent genoa. That provides useful flexibility for light-air cruising without becoming unmanageable.
Wetted surface is about 247 square feet. Depending on load, draft ranges from 4.36 to 4.66 feet, shallow enough to tuck into modest marinas.
Halyard and sheet specifications are generous for a boat of this size. The mainsail and headsail halyards each use 80.5 feet of 5/16-inch line; the mainsheet is 68.2 feet of 3/8-inch line; and the genoa sheets run 27.3 feet. These dimensions point to a full-sized cruising rig rather than a stripped racer.
Machinery and Tankage
Verified specifications list 63 gallons of water and 19 gallons of diesel. A single 12-horsepower Yanmar diesel turns one shaft. Together, those proportions outline a self-sufficient weekender for two rather than a charter platform.
The Verdict
The Bristol 27.7 is a small, heavily built Herreshoff cruiser whose scarcity is matched by sober competence. She isn’t a speedster, but her numbers describe a stable, comfortable boat for coastal and modest offshore sailing, with a full cruising rig and practical tankage.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull, lead ballast, and a heavy-cruiser displacement profile
- Slightly overrigged masthead sloop with genoa-driven flexibility in sail area
- Draft shallow enough for smaller marinas
Cons
- Fewer than 100 were built, making any specific example hard to source
- A capsize screening value of 2.09 bars her from organized ocean racing
