Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass with a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder, built without a cored laminate in either hull or deck. The builder finished the deck with a proprietary simulated-wood resin layer called Shedeck, set off by black anti-skid caulking lines — a cosmetic treatment distinctive to the marque's 1970s output. At 8.5 feet of beam on a 26-foot overall length the length-to-beam ratio comes to 3.15, a relatively narrow section for the era that keeps the wetted surface to about 215 square feet. That surface area, combined with a displacement of 5,255 pounds and a ballast of lead, yields an immersion rate of roughly 638 pounds per inch, so the boat sits sensibly to her load.
Rig and Handling
The She 27 is rigged as a masthead sloop with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 14.75 and a displacement-length ratio of 267, a figure that places her among moderate racers rather than heavy cruisers. Her sail handling follows period norms: the jib and genoa sheets are both 27.9 feet long and 3/8 inch in diameter, the mainsheet runs 69.7 feet at the same diameter, and the spinnaker sheet is 61.4 feet. The theoretical hull speed for a displacement hull of this length is 6.1 knots, and the engine's calculated maximum is about 3.3 knots — useful for marina maneuvering but not passage-making. The capsize screening value is 2.03, which would bar her from recognized ocean races, and the Motion Comfort Ratio sits at 19.5 with a Relative Speed Performance of 4.
Accommodations
Below, the She 27 is equipped with four berths, a galley, and a toilet facility. The arrangement is compact but functional for a 26-footer of her generation, and the narrow beam translates to a snug cabin rather than an open-plan interior. The fin keel draws between 4.76 and 5.06 feet depending on load, which keeps her able to use shallow marinas without a centerboard compromise.
The Verdict
The She 27 is a small Sparkman & Stephens cruiser-racer with honest construction and a clear design brief. She is light on her lines, easy to squirrel into shallow harbours, and built to a recognized laminate standard. Her limits are equally clear: she is not an offshore racer by screening standards, and her engine is a low-speed auxiliary at best. For a sailor wanting a manageable vintage SHE with period character, she makes a coherent choice.
Pros
- Hand-laid solid fiberglass hull built to Lloyds 100 A1 specs
- Shallow-enough fin keel (under 5.1 ft) for modest marinas
- Four berths with galley and head in a 26-foot package
- Moderate-racer displacement-length ratio of 267
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.03 would bar ocean racing
- Engine calculated max speed of only 3.3 knots
- Narrow 3.15 length-to-beam ratio limits interior volume
