Watkins 27P Explained

Watkins 27P
Designer:Walter Scott
Location:United States
Year:1981
No Built:7
Builder:Watkins Yachts
Draft:3.67feet
Displacement:75000NaN0
Hull Type:Monohull
Construction:Fiberglass
Loa:27feet
Lwl:23.25feet
Beam:10feet
Engine:Yanmar 150NaN0 diesel engine
Keel Type:shoal-draft fin keel
Ballast:35000NaN0
Rudder Type:skeg-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Bermuda rig
Sailplan:Masthead sloop
Sailarea Total:292square feet
Previous:Watkins 27

The Watkins 27P, also known as the W27P, is an American sailboat that was designed by naval architect Walter Scott and first built in 1981.[1] [2] [3] [4]

The Watkins 27P design was developed from the commercially successful Watkins 27, by adding a pilothouse and making changes to the mast height and sail area.[1] [4] [5]

Production

The design was built by Watkins Yachts in Clearwater, Florida, United States. A total of seven examples were completed, with all constructed in 1981.[5] [4] [6] [7]

Development

The boat was initiated as "one-off" custom design for a customer, using the Watkins 27 hull and deck as a basis. Once completed, the company decided to put the design into production to compete with Morgan Yachts and Pearson Yachts, which were also producing pilothouse yachts at that time.[7]

The prototype was used to create a mould for the pilothouse, the mast was then shortened, the boom raised to clear the pilothouse and the sailplan was adjusted accordingly.[7]

Design

The Watkins 27P is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of polyester resin-based fiberglass, with teak wood trim. Plywood coring is used in the structures of the cabin roof, the deck, seats and cockpit sole for additional stiffness. It has a masthead sloop rig with 6061-T6 aluminum spars, a raked stem, a vertical transom, a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel and a shoal-draft keel. It displaces 75000NaN0 and carries 35000NaN0 of ballast.[1] [3] [7]

The boat has a draft of 3.67feet with the standard shoal-draft keel fitted.[1] [3] [7] [4]

The boat is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar 150NaN0 diesel engine. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of .[5] [3] [4]

Sleeping accommodation is provided for five people and consists of a bow "V" berth, a main cabin settee berth and a double-sized quarter berth. The head is fully enclosed and located to port aft of the forward cabin. The galley is aft, on the starboard side and includes an icebox and a two-burner alcohol or gas-fired stove mounted on gimbals. Ventilation is provided by six opening ports. The main cabin has 740NaN0 of standing headroom. All woodwork is teak, including the cabin accents, bulkheads and the cabinets, which are teak veneer over plywood. The cabin sole is a teak parquet design.[3]

The design has a hull speed of 6.46kn.[4]

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club, the Watkins Owners.[8]

By 2008 it was reported that four 27Ps were still in existence.[7]

See also

Related development

Similar sailboats

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Watkins 27P sailboat . 4 November 2019. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191002190103/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/watkins-27p. 2 October 2019. live.
  2. Web site: Walter Scott. 4 November 2019. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190807191459/https://sailboatdata.com/designer/scott-walter. 7 August 2019. live.
  3. Web site: Watkins W27/W27P. 4 November 2019. Watkins Owners Association . watkinsowners.com. 20 October 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20190413172420/http://www.watkinsowners.com/w27.htm. 13 April 2019. live.
  4. Web site: Watkins 27P. 11 April 2022. Sea Time Tech, LLC. sailboat.guide. 2022. https://archive.today/20220411231443/https://sailboat.guide/watkins/27p. 11 April 2022. live.
  5. Web site: Watkins 27 sailboat . 2 November 2019. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190807191510/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/watkins-27. 7 August 2019. live.
  6. Web site: Watkins Yachts 1973 - 1989. 4 November 2019. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191002190035/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/watkins-yachts. 2 October 2019. live.
  7. Web site: History of Watkins Yachts. 4 November 2019. Watkins Owners Association . watkinsowners.com. 3 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20190314091547/http://www.watkinsowners.com/history.htm. 14 March 2019. live.
  8. Web site: Watkins Owners. 22 March 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20220322180235/https://sailboatdata.com/association/watkins-owners. 22 March 2022. live.