Jaguar 27, getting wet?

[pmagowan]

Look at the Honeybee. There is one for sale up the Clyde. They are 28' and are designed for a small family cruising the west coast of scotland. They are very capable and comfortable, although a little cramped. They are long keeled and so won't do anything too exciting for your wife. They are not as 'fat' as more modern boats and they will heel when beating but they don't let you down.

 

[SiteSurfer]

will heel when beating

Which is one of SWMBO's issues... oh and a bilge keel is a must.

 

[Bobc]

We looked at a few Jaguar 27's when buying our first boat, but most were just over the budget, and the ones that weren't looked rough. A chat with a broker bought up the suggestion of the 25, so after a bit of scouting around the south coast we ended up buying a twin keeled one from a gent in Brighton. Well within budget, which being complete novices left us a small pot of money for all the personall kit needed.

Kept it for just over 17 years in the end........

I had a 25 for similar reasons and looking back I wished I'd got a bit more money together and got a 27.

 

[Bobc]

Make sure you get one with roller reefing genoa and a sprayhood.

 

[pmagowan]

Which is one of SWMBO's issues... oh and a bilge keel is a must.

Don't beat! I think you will need a pretty fat boat at that LOA not to heel much. I can't help you with the bilge keels having only sailed in one which was like a bathtub on a bouncy castle. good luck

 

[Seajet]

Get a good boat and trade in SWMBO for a more seaworthy example; you know it makes sense !

 

[PetiteFleur]

We had a Jaguar 27 for 5 years and loved it. Large cockpit, roomy down below, sails well(always beat my friends Contessa 28) very seaworthy, sailed all over the Thames Estuary including France, Belgium and Holland. Got caught out in a f7 and the boat coped very well. We did have a sprayhood and never considered it a 'wet' boat unlike the previous boat, a Halcyon 23.

 

[SiteSurfer]

Ok, how do they stack up against the Westerly Griffon? I appreciate that everyone has their favourites and i dont expect the definitive answer - just some pointers.

 

[Seajet]

I have not had either boat, but have been around in the times both were new.

The Griffon always seemed a significantly higher quality boat, but I reckon a good late Centaur ( while perhaps not as good looking ) would give either of them a run for their money, far better value nowadays.

 

[aquaplane]

Another boat that size which is available in bilge keels is the Leisure 27, they do well on the looks front, compared to a Centaur anyway.

 

[Bobc]

Ok, how do they stack up against the Westerly Griffon? I appreciate that everyone has their favourites and i dont expect the definitive answer - just some pointers.

Go and take a look at both, and the differences will become clear.

 

[PeteCooper]

I am sure that the Jaguar 27 featured in the 1972 Yachting World one of a kind rally - and was beaten by the Trapper 500 and the Ecume De Mer(the joint winners). If the OP is interested I can provide a copy of the entire report which has a separate section of each of the entrants.

 

[niccapotamus]

it is probably time to do some legwork and have a look around some brokerages. If you are thinking bilge keels then use this to restrict your choices. there will also be boats at yards that you haven't even considered - we ended up buying a seawolf 30 by accident as I thought we were after a hunter horizon 27 or a sadler 29 - both bilge by the way.

part of your answer will be dictated by your trips below - deciding what you can and can't live with for weekends and weeks at a time. by and large boats sail OK - some a bit faster, some a bit slower, but you'll be happier with your compromises if you do it this way rather than try to do the process as a pure fact collecting exercise. Anyway performance depends on a large number of factors - a griffon, or maybe even a centaur with sexy new sails, sailed well, will probably equal or outperform a jag 27 with shagged out sails (I know this to be true).

 

[SiteSurfer]

Off looking this weekend. And so it begins!

 

[Fossil]

Jag -27 : Most comfortable 27 footer we ever found after lots of looking. Had one for 10 years, sailed it all over Holland, through Germany and Denmark and several cross-channels. Lived on it for nigh on 3 months when I was first made redundant with a decent compensation package. Get one with a sprayhood, dodgers and a decent engine, no wetter than anything else. Sails remarkably well, too.

 

[SiteSurfer]

Here's a thought for you venerable old experienced types.. when trying to do a deal on a brokers price - are they like cars and generally marked up so that they can be knocked down? I am seeing quite a lot of discrepancy on some boats against what I expected them to be priced at. I suppose the best thing is to make an offer and see how loud they laugh

 

[Tranona]

Here's a thought for you venerable old experienced types.. when trying to do a deal on a brokers price - are they like cars and generally marked up so that they can be knocked down? I am seeing quite a lot of discrepancy on some boats against what I expected them to be priced at. I suppose the best thing is to make an offer and see how loud they laugh

Not deliberately marked up - usually asking price reflects what the vendor would like to get, or what he thinks it is worth. The problem with pricing older boats is that condition varies so much that it is difficult to arrive at an average market price. Add to that some sellers still see their boats in terms of what they paid for it years ago and imagine it is still in the same condition.

No substitute for looking at as many boats as you can to get a feel for what you can get for your money and do not be afraid to make an offer.

 

[Moonshining]

Whilst perusing an ever growing list of possible purchases I came across a couple of Jaguar 26/27 (not 100% that the 26 isn't a 27) - having done some digging, the boat appears to be rather ideal for a family and novice - with one exception which I picked up from a Google trawl.

"Be prepared to get wet" - I've not seen that expression bandied around with other boats that have caught my eye and I'm intrigued now as to what they mean. (It was a reference to when doing anything other than bimbling around).

I'm drawn to the boat as the lines are quite a lot nicer than the Westerly's which I've been compiling - however I'd welcome any advice about Jaguars (and what to look for) prior to inspection.

I've got a 1973 fin keel 27. It's generally a pretty dry boat, so I'm not sure where the comment comes from. Although we generally only sail in fairly benign conditions, so it might be different in an F9

I don't think there is such a thing as a Jaguar 26 - there was a 265 though: http://jaguaryachts.co.uk.g8seq.com/j265summary.html

We've really enjoyed having her. Ours is the Mk 1, so has the dinette arrangement. with a linear galley on the port side with a table on the starboard side with bench seats facing fore and aft. It's handy for eating, but I sometimes think it would be better to have had one of the versions which includes a better sofa style berth for lounging around.

As said elsewhere, because of the sloping bulkhead from the cockpit, you really do need a decent sprayhood, otherwise the saloon gets very wet when it rains. Ours is positively enormous for the size of the boat, but is generally down for sailing.