The design combines traditional long-keel seaworthiness with the interior volume expected of a 1970s family cruiser. Around ninety boats were completed. Five more were sold as kits and never issued Hurley numbers; sail numbers ran from 1 to 91.
Design and Construction
The Bowman 26 was itself a GRP development of Anderson’s strip-planked Sirius. For the Hurley 27, Anderson raised and extended the Bowman’s topsides by roughly six inches, increasing overall length to 27 feet. He also lifted the coachroof forward to create standing headroom in the forepeak.
Yachtsnet describes the result as a very solidly built small cruiser from the 1970s: still a folkboat derivative, but one with full standing headroom where folkboats had none. The fibreglass hull has a lead long keel. Sources variously describe it as a traditional long keel and a long full keel, both consistent with a heavy-displacement cruiser.
The Hurley 27 displaces 5,824 lbs and carries 2,912 lbs of lead, giving it a ballast ratio of 50 percent. Its displacement-length ratio of 386 places it in the ultra-heavy cruiser category, while an immersion rate of about 552 lbs per inch points to a stiff hull that reacts slowly.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Hurley 27 is a masthead sloop carrying 532 square feet of sail with main and genoa. Period sail plans specify 26.5-foot sheets for the jib and genoa, a 66.3-foot mainsheet, and 58.3 feet of spinnaker gear, all using 3/8-inch line.
Despite the heavy hull, the boat sailed very well, and the raised topsides made her very dry in a seaway. The theoretical hull speed is 6.0 knots. A capsize screening value of 1.59 placed her within accepted offshore-participation limits under that formula.
With a length-beam ratio of 3.34 and a transom-hung rudder, she is compact and beamy. Her motion comfort ratio spans 25.8 to 35.4, suggesting predictable rather than lively behavior and a boat well suited to short-handed coastal work.
Accommodation
The raised coachroof pays off below. The forecabin has a vee-berth with an infill that converts it into a double. In the saloon, a dinette to port converts into a narrow 74-by-38-inch double.
To starboard are a deep quarterberth and a galley with a chart table. A heads compartment with a pull-out washbasin serves the forepeak. The Hurley Owners Association notes the deep cockpit and spacious feel, and above-average headroom runs throughout the interior—a genuine step up from the folkboat template.
Published capacity figures differ. Yachtdatabase records two berths and 77 liters of fresh water, while Yachtsnet lists 4/5 berths. The convertible dinette and quarterberth explain the difference in berth counts.
Engines, Refits, and Later Production
New Hurley 27s received a range of engine installations, from small Sabb diesels to outboard-only arrangements, with power ranging from 7 to 15 BHP. Most boats will by now have been re-engined, a normal consequence of the four-decade gap since production.
After Hurley Marine closed in 1974, the moulds passed to Dockrell Yachts of Tavistock, Devon, which altered the keel to produce the shallower-draught Dockrell 27. That derivative remained in production until the mid-1980s and shouldn’t be confused with the original Hurley 27.
The Verdict
The Hurley 27 is a quietly capable heavy cruiser that trades sparkling performance for dryness, interior volume, and traditional long-keel behavior. Anderson’s revisions turned a modest folkboat offshoot into a proper small cruiser with standing headroom and a deep, safe cockpit.
For a buyer looking for a solid fibreglass boat with genuine accommodation at 27 feet, she remains a sensible, unpretentious choice.
Pros
- Full standing headroom from the raised coachroof and topsides
- Very dry ride from the higher topsides
- Traditional long keel and 50 percent ballast ratio for stable handling
- Genuine four-to-five-berth layout with enclosed heads
Cons
- Ultra-heavy displacement limits light-air speed
- Low-powered original engine installations have often already been replaced
- Potential confusion with the later Dockrell 27 derivative
