Tanzer 27 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Tanzer 27 means looking at a boat built by Tanzer Industries from 1982 through 1986, a C. Raymond Hunt design that carried the Paceship PY 26 forward with a deck-stepped mast and a reworked interior. These are compact masthead sloops with a transom-hung rudder, offered with either a standard fin keel or a shoal-draft keel, and any example you find descends from that four-year production run.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 27 sits slightly longer than the PY 26 it replaced and carries a different cabin plan, though listings will not itemize that layout beyond the broad distinction. Expect a two-person boat on paper, with a 25-gallon water supply and a 12-gallon diesel tank powering a lone direct-drive unit. The deck-stepped mast is the headline structural difference from the keel-stepped PY 26, and the balsa-cored deck over a solid fiberglass hull below the waterline is the construction story buyers should keep in mind when evaluating condition.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Because no market equipment brief accompanies the model, buyers should evaluate each boat on its own rig and systems. The masthead sloop rig on a 38-foot mast from the waterline implies standard headsail handling for the era, and the shoal versus fin keel choice is the one factory layout variable with real consequences for sailing profile. Beyond that, treat canvas, navigation, and power upgrades as owner-driven rather than standard, and judge any generator, watermaker, or rig modification on its installation quality rather than its presence.
What to Inspect
The known construction points center on the deck-stepped mast interface and the balsa-cored deck, since a solid hull below meets a weight-saving core above. The transom-hung rudder and its fastening deserve close attention, as does the integrity of the hull-to-deck joint where the two construction zones meet. Inspection should follow normal fiberglass practice for a 1980s solid-below/balsa-above hull rather than a known-fault checklist.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Treat the Tanzer 27 as a scattered used-market candidate rather than a regionally concentrated one. For a buyer, the short list is: confirm fin versus shoal keel and accept the shoal boat’s slower PHRF band; check the deck-stepped mast step and balsa deck for moisture; verify the rudder and hull-deck joint; and budget for owner-installed systems of unknown provenance.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Tanzer 27. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25 | 1 | $7,500 | — |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $5,900 | -21.3% |
| Oct 26 | 1 | $2,900 | -50.8% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina 27 | 26.83' | $ 7,625 | 80 | 23 |
| Moody 27 | 27.67' | $ 14,247 | 27 | 10 |
| Pearson 27 | 26.92' | $ 11,000 | 15 | 1 |
| Mirage Yachts 27 | 27.17' | $ 5,000 | 8 | 0 |
| Tanzer 27You are here | — | $ 2,900 | 1 | 1 |