British Hunter Pilot 27

Unequivocally, we have here a Hunter Pilot 27. She’s a very comfortable 4 to 5 berth cruising yacht designed by David Thomas who has a string of successful yacht designs to his name, including the Elizabethan 31, the Sigma 33 MH, plus smaller boats like the Medina, the Sonata, the Red Fox 200 and the Horizon 21. He is a designer with almost impeccable credentials when it comes to perfection in yacht design, both for racing and cruising; therefore we can expect a good turn of speed and efficiency from the Hunter Pilot 27, but what we also get is practicality and functionality because of the ergonomics of the design.


In the forward cabin there is a large double berth and a hanging locker, and in the central cabin where most activity takes place and where there’s the least movement when the yacht is underway, there’s a galley to starboard and settee berths to port with a large table. This accommodation is enclosed in a raised pilot house where there can be an optional steering station, which I for one, would appreciate when the going gets tough, and the rain is bucketing down. Underneath the cockpit to starboard there’s a double cabin with a seat and a lobby. By the companionway to port there’s a heads with an optional shower.


Hunter Boats offered a twin keel version and a fin keel version, but by far the more popular was the twin keel yacht. In practice little difference has been found between their performance, and this must be due to the design of the asymmetric twin keels that are towed in to provide lift when sailing to windward. The yacht is steered by a transom-mounted rudder which can be operated by a tiller or by a wheel or both. Thus, the helmsman has a choice of whether to steer the boat from within the pilot house or from outside in the cockpit. The latter is self-draining, and it has sloping, teak-faced side benches. I particularly like the side decks which give easy access to the foredeck.


Altogether, Hunter Boats produced about 100 Pilot 27s, either for kit completion or as finished yachts. Production started in 1996 and ceased in 2005. Right now there’s a glut of second-hand Pilot 27s for sale, ranging from between £33,000 and £42,000. See my links below.


Specification


Hull Material: Fibreglass

Dimensions

LOA: 27' 7"
LWL: 22' 4"
Beam: 9' 1"
Draft: 3' 4"
Displacement: 2745 Kgs
Ballast: 1073 Kgs



Links



Pilot 27
http://www.hunterassociation.org.uk/site/ha_hunter_boat_range.php?boat_id=37


Yachts Net Info Page for the Pilot 27
http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/hunter-pilot-27/hunter-pilot-27.htm


Serenity – a Hunter Pilot 27 Sailing Yacht
http://www.yacht-serenity.org.uk/


Pilot 27 for Sale £42,000
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2003/Hunter-Pilot-27-2268748/Plymouth/United-Kingdom


Pilot 27 for Sale £38,950
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1997/Hunter-Pilot-27-2273437/Hayling-Island/United-Kingdom

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=166832


Pilot 27 for Sale £37,500
http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=166832


Pilot 27 for Sale £35,500
http://www.rightboat.com/Hunter-Pilot-27/boat-12079409/


Pilot 27 for Sale £32,995
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2001/Hunter-Pilot-27-2145787/Hayling-Island/United-Kingdom


David Thomas Yacht Designs
http://sailboatdata.com/view_designer.asp?designer_id=76