The Aloha 27 is a series of
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminolo ...
s, that were designed by
American yacht designer Robert Perry and first built in 1979 under the designation Aloha 26.
The Aloha 26, 27, 8.2, 271 are all closely related designs. Although the hulls are identical and were produced in the same mould, the builders used several different sail and mast suppliers during the production run of the designs and specifications for the boats produced varied accordingly. Many of the boats produced have interchangeable sails and other parts.
Despite having so many designations for the vessel, Aloha 27 is colloquially used as the model designation.
The Aloha 27 should not be confused with the slightly larger
Aloa 27 which was designed by Frans Maas and built in France by
Aloa Marine, starting in 1976.
Production
The design was built between 1979 and 1987 by
Ouyang Boat Works in
Whitby, Ontario
Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, under the
Aloha Yachts brand. During that period the company built 188 of the Aloha 27 design.
Design
![Aloha 27 Mischief 0436](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Aloha_27_Mischief_0436.jpg)
The Aloha 27 series are all small recreational
keelboat
A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
s, built predominantly of
fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
, with wood trim. They all have
fractional sloop rigs, internally-mounted spade-type
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...
s and fixed fin
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
s. They are fitted with a tiller, although a wheel was a factory option. They all displace and carry of ballast encapsulated inside a fibreglass keel.
The series all have a draft of with the standard keel fitted.
The boat came with an
outboard motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...
provision as standard with the option of an
inboard
An inboard motor is a marine propulsion system for boats. As opposed to an outboard motor where an engine is mounted outside the hull of the craft, an ''inboard motor'' is an engine enclosed within the hull of the boat, usually connected to a pr ...
BMW,
Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta was founded as Penta in 1907 with the production of its first marine engine, the B1. The Penta company soon became an established internal combustion engine manufacturer, which in 1927 delivered the engine for Volvo's first passenge ...
or Westerbeke
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
powering a
saildrive
A saildrive is a transmission system for a boat whose inboard engine has a horizontal output shaft. The saildrive's input shaft is therefore also horizontal. That input shaft is geared so as to drive a vertical intermediate shaft extending dow ...
unit. The early versions had the BMW powerplant of , which some owners found underpowered and that led to the Westerbeke engine of being substituted. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of .
The original production run boats featured such amenities as Barient winches, tufted crushed
velour
Velour, occasionally velours, is a plush, knitted fabric or textile similar to velvet or velveteen. It is usually made from cotton, but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Often, it contains a percentage of elastane, ...
cushions, oversized spars, pulpit and lifelines, as well as internal
halyard
In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag or yard. The term ''halyard'' comes from the phrase "to haul yards". Halyards, like most other parts of the running rigging, were classically made of ...
s.
Of the interior accommodations, reviewer Michael McGoldrick noted:
The Aloha 27 has a
PHRF
Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...
racing average handicap of 207 and a
hull speed
Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-t ...
of .
Operational history
In an interview in Sail Universe, two Aloha 8.2 owners described the design:
Variants
![Aloha 8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Aloha_8.2_sailboat_4050.jpg)
;Aloha 26
:This model was introduced in 1979, has a length overall of and a waterline length of and was soon renamed the Aloha 27.
;Aloha 27
:This model was the 26 renamed and was built in the same mould, with a length overall of and a waterline length of .
;Aloha 8.2
:This model was renamed in 1980 when Canada adopted the
metric system
The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Interna ...
, has a length overall of and a waterline length of .
;Aloha 271
:This model was introduced in 1987, has a length overall of and a waterline length of .
See also
*
List of sailing boat types
Similar sailboats
*
C&C 27
The C&C 27 is a family of Canadian sailboats, that was designed by Robert W. Ball and first built in 1970. The design is out of production.
Production
The boat was built by C&C Yachts in Canada, with some also produced in the United States.
...
*
Cal 27
*
Cal 2-27
The Cal 2-27 is an American sailboat, that was designed by William Lapworth and first built in 1974.
The Cal 2-27 design replaced the earlier Cal 27 and was replaced in turn in the Cal Yachts line, by the Cal 3-27 in 1983.
Production
The Cal ...
*
Cal 3-27
The Cal 3-27 is an American sailboat, that was designed by William Lapworth and first built in 1983.
The Cal 3-27 is a development of the Cal 2-27, which was in turn a development of the Cal 27.
The Cal 3-27 was also marketed as the Cal 27 M ...
*
Catalina 27
The Catalina 27 is an American sailboat designed by Frank V. Butler and Robert Finch. The design became one of the most popular sailing keelboats of all time and was built from 1971 to 1991.
Production
The boat was built by Catalina Yachts ...
*
Catalina 270
The Catalina 270 is an American sailboat, that was designed by Gerry Douglas and first built in 1992. The design is out of production.
Production
The boat was built by Catalina Yachts in the United States and replaced the Catalina 27 in the ...
*
Catalina 275 Sport
The Catalina 275 Sport is an American sailboat, that was designed by Gerry Douglas primarily for racing and day sailing.
Production
The boat is built by Catalina Yachts in the United States, with production starting in 2013. It remained in pro ...
*
Crown 28
The Crown 28 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by naval architect C. William Lapworth in conjunction with Calgan Marine founder Al Nairne and first built in 1976.
Calgan Marine had produced several Cal Yachts designs under licence a ...
*
CS 27
The CS 27 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Raymond Wall and first built in 1975. The design is out of production.
Production
The boat was built by CS Yachts in Canada, with 480 examples completed between 1975 and 1983, when produc ...
*
Edel 820
*
Express 27
*
Fantasia 27
*
Halman Horizon
*
Hotfoot 27
*
Hullmaster 27
*
Hunter 27
*
Hunter 27-2
*
Hunter 27-3
The Hunter 27-3 and Hunter 27X are a family of American sailboats that were both designed by Glenn Henderson and both first built in 2006.
The Hunter 27-3 was originally marketed by the manufacturer as the Hunter 27, but is now usually referr ...
*
Irwin 27
*
Island Packet 27
*
Mirage 27 (Perry)
The Mirage 27 (Perry) is a Canadian sailboat, designed by Americans, American Robert Perry (yacht designer), Robert Perry and first built in 1982. The design is out of production.
Production
The boat was built by Mirage Yachts in Canada. It is ...
*
Mirage 27 (Schmidt)
The Mirage 27 (Schmidt) is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Peter Schmitt and first built in 1975. The design is out of production.
Production
The boat was built by Mirage Yachts in Canada starting in 1975. It is not related to the la ...
*
O'Day 272
*
Orion 27-2
*
Tanzer 27
The Tanzer 27 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by C. Raymond Hunt and first built in 1982. The design is out of production.
The Tanzer 27 is a development of the Paceship PY 26, which was produced by Paceship Yachts in Mahone Bay, ...
*
Watkins 27
*
Watkins 27P
References
External links
*
{{Aloha Yachts
Keelboats
1970s sailboat type designs
Sailing yachts
Sailboat type designs by Robert Perry
Sailboat types built by Ouyang Boat Works