nor 'Sea 27... are they as slow as they look?

[starboardyacht]

Howdy folks,
its cold and rainy again so to avoid my bouts of winter depression i resort to my favorite bad winter weather passtime..... looking at boats and trying to come up with a plan to sail across the big pond to france (hey its better than prozac)...... so i'm all situated with a warm siffter of conyac, cuban stoogie, paris combo playing in the background and i run across a nor'Sea 27.... salty looking little ship, heavy, built like a tank, and slow? i've read some of the owners blogs but how objective can you really be about your boat? So my questions are:

• Is this really a safe bluewater boat, capable of crossing the atlantic with a reasonable degree of comfort and speed?
  
• Will europeans want to buy it after i've cruised the med and french canals?
  
• They are not cheap, are they worth the money?

Time to stoke the fire and put on some wool socks.... come on spring!!!!

Merci'

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by starboardyacht

Howdy folks,
its cold and rainy again so to avoid my bouts of winter depression i resort to my favorite bad winter weather passtime..... looking at boats and trying to come up with a plan to sail across the big pond to france (hey its better than prozac)...... so i'm all situated with a warm siffter of conyac, cuban stoogie, paris combo playing in the background and i run across a nor'Sea 27.... salty looking little ship, heavy, built like a tank, and slow? i've read some of the owners blogs but how objective can you really be about your boat? So my questions are:

• Is this really a safe bluewater boat, capable of crossing the atlantic with a reasonable degree of comfort and speed?
• Will europeans want to buy it after i've cruised the med and french canals?
• They are not cheap, are they worth the money?

Time to stoke the fire and put on some wool socks.... come on spring!!!!

Merci'

I f you stay out of France and declare you are NOT an American - you can retain your investment..........AFOC comment only any financial advice you derived is at sole risk of the investor..

[starboardyacht]

Originally Posted by artbyjody

I f you stay out of France and declare you are NOT an American - you can retain your investment..........AFOC comment only any financial advice you derived is at sole risk of the investor..

What is the AFOC? Why the frog bashing?

[benjiwoodboat]

Interesting, France. My plans as well. I assume you read some of my Nor'sea blog. But I'll try to give you some unbiased answers to your questions.

Ed and Ellen Zacko, and many others have crossed the ocean. I have not. Based on my experiences sailing her, I think she'd be comfortable, and I'd have no concerns about doing it. I'd want to increase the size of the cockpit drains though. As far as speed, it's a 27' boat. BUT she's narrow for her length, so she is rather nimble, and cuts through seas far better than a wider boat, such as the W28. I don't think she looks slow at all. A Westsail looks fat, tubby and slow. A nor'sea does not. She isnt all that heavy, her weight is just perfect IMO. Enough to keep you safe, not too much to bog you down in light airs. She is well built, and strong, but that does not hinder her in anyway. Nor'seas are expensive, because they are quality. Climb aboard one and you'll understand.

I'm selling mine because I don't need a boat that can be trailered.

Originally Posted by starboardyacht

Howdy folks,
... and i run across a nor'Sea 27.... salty looking little ship, heavy, built like a tank, and slow? i've read some of the owners blogs but how objective can you really be about your boat? So my questions are:

• Is this really a safe bluewater boat, capable of crossing the atlantic with a reasonable degree of comfort and speed?
  
• They are not cheap, are they worth the money?

Merci'

[ehmanta]

A friend of mine had one of these. His was a centercockpit version. A centercockpit on a 27 foot boat makes for a tight forward cabin, but if you are single-handling it, it may be just right. He loved his boat but his wife thought of better plans for the money and she didn't like to heel.....
The Nor'sea has a moderately low freeboard and if you heel beyond a certain point, the cockpit will ship water (centercockpit version)
Some Nor'seas were owner finished, so be on the lookout for those.....
They are robustly built and sail fairly well once you get used to tacking thru the slot in the cutter rig (rolling up the genny, tack, unroll the genny). I would make the staysail stay removeable for ease of tacking/sailing in light airs.
Good luck, I love the lines Lyle Hess drew on this one. One way to justify the expense is that it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the Bristol Channel Cutter!!!!

[benjiwoodboat]

Most Nor'seas are simple sloops, so no inner stay to worry about. Only a few boats, that I know of, have cutter rigs, which owners added in later. I have shipped water in the cockpit, and did find it startling at first, but when you think about the small cockpit and how much weight the water actually is, its not all that bad. But like I said in my previous post, larger cockpit drains would be nice. One boat has added higher cockpit coamings... another good idea for this boat.

And yeah, to get into a Lyle Hess design, the Nor'sea is a great economical choice.

[Johnrb]

Ben: What is your opinion of the centre cockpit version compared with the aft cockpit model?

[benjiwoodboat]

Johnrb:

I have never seen an aft cockpit model. Would be curious myself. I know I like the aft cabin alot... but 1/4 berths make alot of sense to me as well. So it's tough to say without having seen both versions, and sailed each one. One nice thing bout the aft cabin is the protection you feel from seas behind, and the wonderful seat it provides for steering/keeping lookout. Sorry I can't help you more. Best thing is to go see both versions.

-Ben

Originally Posted by Johnrb

Ben: What is your opinion of the centre cockpit version compared with the aft cockpit model?

[starboardyacht]

[quote=benjiwoodboat;260311]Interesting, France. My plans as well. I assume you read some of my Nor'sea blog.

Hi ben,
i spent a rainy cold saturday happily reading your blog, it sparked my interest in the nor sea.... your boat is primo, but outta my budget range. I am a bit of a francophile, spent 5 weeks cruisin around france on an old bmw k100, always stopped and watched boats on the canals. I've been reading a blog about a retired couple living on a barge in france for the last 7 years. Just curious, do you know the nor sea 27 phrf rating ?

au revoir et salut

[CrazyRu]

According to USSailing website, Nor'sea 27 PHRF range from 240 to 243 .