Overview
The Dockrell 27 is a British long-keel cutter designed by Ian Anderson and built by Dockrell Yachts from 1979. It combines shoal draft with a heavy displacement for its length.
Design and Construction
Displacement is 7,000 lb with 3,200 lb of ballast, and the keel draws only 3 ft. Atom describes a wing keel she can stand upright on in a protected harbor, or with legs added. The mast is stepped in a tabernacle, and the staysail is self-tacking on a boom. Yachtsnet’s archive describes a transom-hung rudder and a Folkboat-like sheer, but a shallower, longer iron keel and flatter bilges than the Folkboat types. The keel has a flared base to keep the ballast low and to help her take the ground upright, aided by removable beaching legs if necessary. Construction is fairly low-tech GRP, described as strong.
Under Sail
The cutter rig carries about 314 sq ft. Atom calls the boat somewhat slow to windward, the usual trade for shoal draft. The self-tacking boomed staysail makes single-handing easy, and there is a yankee for light winds. Yachtsnet rates her performance as moderately good, though not spectacular to windward, and credits the design with an excellent ballast ratio and a good reputation for seaworthiness.
Buyers Notes
Most boats are in the UK. Check the tabernacle and its pivot hardware. Factory-finished boats offered up to five berths in two cabins with a small separate heads and hanging locker. Some bare hulls were sold and many were home completed, so layouts and finish vary from boat to boat. Yachtsnet also repeats a claim that the 27 was made by modifying the underwater parts of the Ian Anderson Hurley 27 hull moulds to give shallower draft.
