Design and Construction
The Rhodes 27 measures just over 39 feet overall on a 27-foot waterline, with a narrow 9 feet 8 inch beam and a draft close to 6 feet. The hull is a slim wooden form carrying a full keel, and the construction is traditional wood throughout. Philip Rhodes drew the boat as a masthead sloop, and the type has remained a sloop from the first example. The proportions — a long, narrow hull with moderate draft — place her in the lineage of the era's offshore racer-cruisers rather than the beamier postwar fiberglass cruisers that would follow.
Rig and Handling
Sail area was just over 600 square feet on the original plan, which included a fractional foretriangle. The rig evolved in step with the class's racing life: a bigger jib was added in the 1944 R27 model, and early in the 1960s the foretriangle was raised to the masthead. Those changes broadened the useful wind range and brought the boat's sail plan in line with the dominant masthead sloop convention of the day without altering the underlying hull.
Accommodations
Below, the Rhodes 27 was laid out for coastal cruising with a small crew. A pair of berths forward sat beside an adjacent enclosed head, while the main cabin offered seats on either side that convert to berths. A galley was placed at the foot of the companionway. The boat could sleep four, with provision for up to two additional pipe berths in the main cabin, a layout that gave the class a genuine cruising capability alongside its racing identity.
Known Issues
The principal known condition affecting the class is the one shared by all wooden yachts of the period: many of the Rhodes 27s have been partially or fully restored over the decades. The material itself — wood hull and deck — means that rot, fastening corrosion, and joint degradation are the chronic risks a buyer or owner faces, and the repeated restoration history confirms that these boats have needed cyclical structural attention through their long lives.
Refits and Ownership
Because the fleet is wooden and more than 40 boats have passed through many decades of use, partial or full restoration has been a recurring theme of ownership. The continued existence of the class into a second and third sailing generation is a direct result of that sustained restoration work rather than of any factory-supported continuation program.
The Verdict
The Rhodes 27 is a long-lived Philip Rhodes design that has worn its age well through repeated care. Its slim full-keel hull, masthead sloop rig, and practical four-to-six berth layout make it a credible classic racer-cruiser, provided the buyer accepts the obligations of wooden-boat ownership.
Pros
- Long production run from 1939 with building heritage in US and Germany
- Evolved rig from fractional to masthead with bigger jib by 1944
- Sleeps four with two optional pipe berths; enclosed head forward
- More than 40 built and many restored, showing durability
Cons
- Wooden hull and deck require ongoing restoration and inspection
- Narrow 9'8" beam limits interior volume versus later cruisers
