macwester 27 sailboatdata

• Types of Sailboats
• Parts of a Sailboat
• Cruising Boats
• Small Sailboats
• Design Basics
• Sailboats under 30'
• Sailboats 30'-35
• Sailboats 35'-40'
• Sailboats 40'-45'
• Sailboats 45'-50'
• Sailboats 50'-55'
• Sailboats over 55'
• Masts & Spars
• Knots, Bends & Hitches
• The 12v Energy Equation
• Electronics & Instrumentation
• Build Your Own Boat
• Buying a Used Boat
• Choosing Accessories
• Living on a Boat
• Cruising Offshore
• Sailing in the Caribbean
• Anchoring Skills
• Sailing Authors & Their Writings
• Mary's Journal
• Nautical Terms
• Cruising Sailboats for Sale
• List your Boat for Sale Here!
• Used Sailing Equipment for Sale
• Sell Your Unwanted Gear
• Sailing eBooks: Download them here!
• Your Sailboats
• Your Sailing Stories
• Your Fishing Stories
• Advertising
• What's New?
• Chartering a Sailboat
• Cruiser Yachts under 30'
• Macwester 27

The Macwester 27 Sailboat

The Macwester 27, designed by Jim Roy and produced in the UK by his company Macwester Marine, was a popular bilge-keeled sailboat of the 1970's.

Bilge keels enables an owner to take advantage of drying moorings which are always cheaper than deep-water moorings, but of course are less convenient.

However, if you run aground at the top of a spring tide in one of these, you're likely to remain there for rather a long time!

Nevertheless they are popular with sailors, particularly in the UK.

Published Specification for the Macwester 27

Underwater Profile:  Twin keel (bilge keels) with skeg-hung rudder

Hull Material:   GRP (fibreglass)

Length Overall:  26' 11" / 8.22m

Waterline Length:  23' 0" / 7.0m

Beam:  9' 2" / 2.80m

Draft:  4' 11" / 1.50m

Rig Type:  Masthead Sloop

Displacement:  7,385lb / 3,350kg

Designer:  CSJ (Jim) Roy

Builder:  Macwester Marine Co. Ltd. (UK)

Year First Built:  1972

Owners Association:   Macwester Owners Association

Published Design Ratios for the Macwester 27

Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 13.9

• Less than 16 would be considered under-powered;
• 16 to 20 would indicate reasonably good performance;
• Over 20 suggests relatively high performance.

Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 33.4

• Under 40: less stiff, less powerful
• Over 40: stiffer, more powerful

Displacement/Length Ratio: 271

• Under 100: Ultralight
• 100 to 200: Light
• 200 to 275: Moderate
• 275 to 350: Heavy
• Over 350: Ultraheavy

Comfort Ratio: 24.7

• Under 20 indicates a lightweight racing boat
• 20 to 30 indicates a coastal cruiser
• 30 to 40 indicates a moderate offshore cruising boat
• 40 to 50 indicates a heavy offshore boat
• Over 50 indicates an extremely heavy offshore boat

Capsize Screening Formula:   1.9

• Under 2.0 (the lower the better): Better suited for ocean passages
• Over 2.0: Less suited for ocean passages

read more about these all-revealing numbers...

The Macwester 27: A Solid and Spacious Sailboat for Cruisers

The Macwester 27 is a bilge-keeled sailboat that was designed by Jim Roy and built by Macwester Marine in the UK from 1972 to 1980. The Macwester 27 is a popular choice among cruising sailors who want a boat that can handle coastal cruising and occasional offshore trips.

The boat has an aft cockpit with tiller steering and all sail controls are led back to the cockpit for easy handling. The cockpit is self-draining and has a locker for storage.

The Macwester 27 has a length of 8.2 meters (26.97 feet) and a beam of 2.79 meters (9.15 feet). The mast is deck stepped and simple to lower when necessary. The sail area is 30.57 square meters (329 square feet), which gives the boat a moderate sail-to-displacement ratio of 13.92.

The boat has a displacement of 3,350 kilograms (7,385 pounds) and a ballast of 1,120 kilograms (2,469 pounds), which gives it a high ballast-to-displacement ratio of 33.43¹. This means that the boat is relatively stable and stiff with a good righting capability. The boat has a draft of 1.5 meters (4.92 feet), which allows it to access shallow waters and anchorages.

The boat has a spacious interior with four berths in two cabins and standing headroom of 1.83 meters (6 feet). The forward cabin has a V-berth that can be converted into a double berth with an infill cushion. The main cabin has two settee berths that can also be used as single berths. The galley is located on the port side of the main cabin and has a gas cooker with grill, a sink and a cooler. The navigation station is located on the starboard side of the main cabin and has a chart table, instruments and an electrical panel. The head is located aft of the navigation station and has a marine toilet with a sink.

The Macwester 27 is a sailboat that has several advantages for cruising sailors, some of which are:

• It has a lot of space and comfort for its size, both above and below decks;
• It has a solid and robust construction that can withstand rough weather and seas;
• It has a bilge keel design that allows it to dry out on tidal moorings or beaches;

However, the Macwester 27 also has some drawbacks, some of which are:

• It is not very fast or agile, especially in light winds or upwind sailing. It may need help from the engine in such conditions.
• It has a lively and less comfortable motion at sea under sail, which may cause seasickness or fatigue for some crew members.
• It is not intended for ocean sailing or long-distance voyages.

Jim Roy, Yacht Designer

Jim Roy founded Macwester Marine, a company that built more than 1,500 yachts between 1964 and 1979. He designed the Macwester 26 and the Macwester 27, among other models.

The Macwester 26 was the first sailboat built by Macwester Marine. It was a clinker-built fractional sloop with a simple rig and a small, low-profile cabin.

The Macwester 27 was an improved version of the Macwester 26, designed with the help of dynamic tank-testing at Southampton University. It had a profiled and shaped ballast in cast iron bolted to the GRP stub keels.

Sailboats designed by Jim Roy and built by Macwester Marine include:

• Macwester 26 : A sturdy bilge-keeled cruiser with good interior space and simple rig, but compromised sailing performance and weather helm issues.
• Macwester 27 : An upgraded version of the Macwester 26 with better sailing performance and manoeuvrability, deeper draft, and profiled ballast.
• Macwester Rowan: A smaller version of the Macwester 26 with a length of 6.7 m, a beam of 2.4 m, and a draft of 0.76 m. It had four berths, a galley, and a heads compartment.
• Macwester Malin: A ketch-rigged version of the Macwester 27 with an aft cabin and cockpit, giving more accommodation and privacy.
• Macwester Wight: A larger version of the Macwester 27 with a length of 9.75 m, a beam of 3 m, and a draft of 1.22 m. It had six berths, two heads compartments, and a spacious saloon.

The above text was drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; we believe it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.

Recent Articles

'Natalya', a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 54DS for Sale

Mar 17, 24 04:07 PM

'Wahoo', a Hunter Passage 42 for Sale

Mar 17, 24 08:13 AM

Used Sailing Equipment For Sale

Feb 28, 24 05:58 AM

Here's where to:

• Find  Used Sailboats for Sale...
• Find Used Sailing Gear for Sale...
• List your Sailboat for Sale...
• List your Used Sailing Gear...
• Sign-up for our newsletter, 'The Sailboat Cruiser' ...
• Identify this month's Mystery Boat...

Our eBooks...

A few of our Most Popular Pages...

Copyright © 2024  Dick McClary  Sailboat-Cruising.com

Macwester Owners Association

Established 1967

Search Syntax Explained:

• AND : Use AND to find documents containing both terms. E.g., seaforth AND wight shows results with both "seaforth" and "wight".
• OR : Use OR for documents with either term. E.g., seaforth OR wight fetches results with "seaforth", "wight", or both.
• NOT : Exclude a term with NOT . E.g., seaforth NOT wight finds results with "seaforth" but without "wight".

Quick Tips:

• By default, terms without operators search as if they're connected with OR . So, seaforth wight equals seaforth OR wight .
• Use parentheses to group terms: (seaforth OR wight) AND engine finds results with "engine" and either "seaforth" or "wight".
• Ensure AND , OR , and NOT are capitalized to work as operators.
• To search for exact phrases, enclose them in double quotes. E.g., "weather helm" will search for the phrase, not the individual words.

Home › Noticeboard › Maintenance, Renovation, Repairs Forum › MacWester 27 Techincal Drawings

• Author Posts

My name is Robert and me and my partner Carla have brought a MacWester 27 (Maybe) and would like some technical drawings for it if possible as it needs a little helping hand in some area’s.

The reason I say “Maybe” is that the surveyor said that normally the 27 has removable bilge keel, this one doesn’t

Hi Robert, I commented on your Facebook post. Have a look in the Technical library on the members  page. If you search on the 27 class there is quite a bit of info on them.

The comment on the keels being “removable” is a bit confusing! If he means that the ballast is not placed inside the hull moulding, that is correct for the Macwester 27, and it was the only Macwester to have the cast iron keels fixed to the hull with stainless steel studs. Due to the way that they are installed, I don’t think that it would be possible to remove them without enormous damage to the reinforcement structures inside the hull.

The surveyor is perhaps basing his comment on the fact that it is quite common to have to remove the keel, and replace the bolts on single keel yachts after any incident like running around. They are simply not designed to do that, unlike a twin keel Macwester which is intended to be able to be on a mooring which dries out twice a day with the tides.

If you have any photos of your boat out of the water, especially the central skeg ( under the propeller), and the rudder, that will enable us to identify the model. If you can also confirm that you can see the joint between the glass fibre hull moulding, and the cast iron keels.

On the 27, the cast iron keel is clearly visible on the photo (painted with white primer). Inside, if you remove the lower drawer in the galley, you can see one of the stainless steel fastenings which are one inch (25mm) diameter, and the reinforcement of the hull. There are 4 on each keel.

You must be logged in to view attachments.

• You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Forgot your password?

Please give details about your Macwester

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Back to login

If you would like to make a comment or observation on this website please complete this email form and we will get back to you

Practical Boat Owner

• Digital edition

Coming of age: the 1970s yacht designs that have stood the test of time

• Rupert Holmes
• February 14, 2020

Sailing in the 1970s was characterised by innovation, enthusiasm, mass participation and home boatbuilding. Rupert Holmes reports

The 1970s saw further rapid advances in boat design, with new boats becoming quickly outclassed. It also coincided with a new rule for rating race boats, the International Offshore Rule (IOR).

This had an enormous effect on yacht design – many cruising yachts also sported the narrow, pinched sterns of the era.

IOR severely penalised righting moment, so the bulb keels that had started to gain in popularity in the late 1960s disappeared. Instead, lightly ballasted keels , with their centre of gravity well above the mid point, became the norm.

In my view this set yacht design back by almost two decades. It also had important safety implications in terms of ultimate stability that helped contribute to the Fastnet race disaster at the end of the decade.

Nevertheless yachts became faster and were generally more robust, more reliable and more fun to sail.

For instance, the Macwester 27 of 1972 – a development of the earlier 26 – was one of the first yachts to benefit from tank testing to improve its hydrodynamic efficiency.

The result was significantly deeper bilge keels that were set at more efficient angles and a more effective rudder . This transformed speed and handling and, combined with a new interior, created a desirable yacht.

This was also the heyday of home boatbuilding .

Participation in boating continued to grow at a staggering rate, so the demand for craft far outstripped what the second-hand market could supply.

By contrast, today’s boat buyers reap the benefits of the huge number of boats that were built in the 1970s and now often change hands at very modest prices.

It’s often thought that sensible cruising yachts of this era were built exceptionally strongly.

Incidents today tend to be shared rapidly via social media, but 40 years ago it was easier to keep embarrassing events quiet.

Yet, there were numerous examples of problems, including a near new Westerly Pageant that sank on its tidal mooring in Chichester harbour when one of the keels parted company with the hull.

Similarly, all but a few Westerly GK29s , Fulmars and Konsorts had to have the reinforcement that spreads the keel loads in the bilge replaced with top-hat stringers in place of the original glass-over-plywood frames.

As with 1970s cars, the scale of some problems at this time should not be underestimated – large numbers of near-new boats had to be modified and Westerly was by no means the only manufacturer that suffered.

Fortunately for today’s buyers the appropriate repair procedures were well understood and have usually withstood the test of time well.

Designer profile: Olin Stephens America’s Cup hero and yacht designer Olin Stephens

With a career that started in the 1920s, Olin Stephens was one of the most successful and prolific designers of the 20th century.

In the early and mid-1970s he was still producing craft that excelled at every level in offshore racing and prestigious events including the Rolex Fastnet, Sydney Hobart and Whitbread Round the World races.

His designs also dominated the America’s Cup from its post-war revival in 1958 until 1980.

Stephens’ S&S 34 of 1969 had proved hugely successful, to the extent that former British Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath owned one in which he won the Sydney Hobart Race.

The design was to continue to prove successful for many years, including winning a heavy weather Round Britain and Ireland Race in the 1990s, and successfully completing several non-stop circumnavigations via the Southern Ocean. It remains a sought after and very capable classic.

This was also the era of Nautor’s early Swan designs, all of which came from the Sparkman & Stephens office until after Olin’s retirement at the age of 70. The best known by far was the Swan 65, thanks to Sayula II taking overall victory in the first Whitbread and second, third and fifth places four years later. Newer S&S designs won the next two races.

The early part of the 1970s was still an era in which successful offshore racing yachts would also make first-class cruisers and many of these boats still ply the world’s oceans.

Tomahawk 25 – 1970

The Alan Hill-designed Tomahawk 25

Marcon grew to become a huge boatbuilder in the 1970s, having been founded with the launch of the Trident 24 in 1960. Other models, including the Cutlass 27 (1967) and Sabre 27 (1968) followed, heralding a period of rapid growth that at one stage saw the company moulding some 15 designs, including the entire Rival range.

As well as laminating bare hull and deck mouldings for other boatbuilders, Marcon also supplied a large number of boats for home completion. While some of these suffered from a clearly DIY level of fit out, a few were completed to an extremely high standard that would have been unaffordable on a commercial basis.

The Tomahawk is an Alan Hill design that was offered in bilge and fin keel formats, both with a skeg hung rudder. This was a spacious design for a boat of its size in this era, both on deck and below.

The cockpit extends almost to the transom, while below decks early boats had a linear galley to port, with a dinette that converted to a double berth opposite. Later models had a more traditional arrangement with two settee berths and a small galley aft. A full-width heads compartment separates the forecabin from the saloon.

LOA: 7.70m (25ft 4in) LWL: 6.10m (20ft 0in) Beam: 2.60m (8ft 6in) Draught (fin keel): 1.40m (4ft 8in) Draught (twin keel): 0.90m (3ft 0in) Displacement: 2,300kg (5,066lb) Ballast: 1,000kg (2,200lb) Price now: £2,500-£7,000 tomahawk25.co.uk

Laser – 1970

Lasers have been hugely popular – with owners ranging from occasional club racers to Olympians

Canadian Bruce Kirby visualised an entirely new type of boat when he first sketched the Laser , a design that was reputedly created on the back of an envelope. It was conceived as a simple car-toppable boat that would be fun to sail, rewarding to race and made use of recent advances in materials.

In some senses this is the ultimate minimal boat – a slender hull with low freeboard, single sail and vestigial cockpit. A key benefit is that, unlike other dinghies of its time, the boat doesn’t need tedious bailing after a capsize. It proved an outstanding success, fleets quickly sprang up around the world and more than 215,000 have now been sold.

For best performance in the standard format the boat needs a big sailor – someone over six feet tall and weighing at least 80kg. Smaller rigs , dubbed Radial and 4.7, were therefore developed for smaller and younger sailors. This further boosted the Laser’s popularity, even though the smaller sails are underpowered relative to the hull weight.

Seven years later the Topper was born of a similar concept, but is a smaller boat of a perfect size for teenagers. It was made of almost indestructible polypropylene and at one time was the biggest injection moulding in the world.

LOA: 4.20m (13ft 9in) LWL: 3.81m (12ft 6in) Beam: 1.39m (4ft 7in) Hull weight: 59kg (130lb) Standard sail area: 7.06m2 (76ft2) Price today: £600-£4,000 laser.org

Contessa 32 – 1971

David Sadler-designed Contessa 32 is still an extremely popular and sought-after yacht

This was the second design from David Sadler to be built by Lymington boat builder Jeremy Rogers, following the long keel Contessa 26 of 1966 . At the time it represented the state of the art, with a separate skeg-hung rudder, high-aspect mainsail and large overlapping genoas.

Low freeboard and narrow beam helped keep total weight in check and contribute to ultimate stability, at the expense of the boat being wet in a seaway and reduced internal volume. The keel-stepped masthead rig is typical of early IOR inspired sail plans, with small mainsails and large overlapping genoas.

Nevertheless the hull shape is excellent for thrashing to windward in a blow and the high angle of vanishing stability – an astonishing 156° – makes for a supremely seaworthy vessel. A Contessa 32 was the smallest boat to finish the 1979 Fastnet race and examples have been sailed all over the globe.

Other designs of the same era have similar shapes, from the Nicholson 55 and Swan 65 to the 22ft Pandora and even the 19ft Squib racing keelboat that evolved into the Hunter 19 and Europa mini cruisers.

LOA: 9.75m (32ft 0in) LWL: 7.31m (24ft 0in) Beam: 3.00m (9ft 10in) Draught: 1.65m (5ft 6in) Displacement: 4,300kg (9,480lb) Ballast: 2,045kg (4,508lb) Sail area: 52.2m2 (562ft2) Price today: £14,000-£40,000 co32.org

Moody 33 – 1973

Wide-bodied Moody 33 was a big leap forward in European yacht design

This this was the first model in a range of Angus Primrose-designed yachts that marked the famous yard’s move from low-volume semi-custom boat building to becoming one of Europe’s most successful new boat sales operations.

Although the original accommodation layout was quite conventional for a centre cockpit boat of the era, it represented a giant step forward in cruising yacht design on this side of the Atlantic.

In particular the wide-beamed hull design was unusual at this time and is even not narrow by today’s standards. The later 333 models adopted a walk through to the aft cabin, albeit with limited headroom, while the 33S had an aft cockpit arrangement with a double quarter cabin.

The boat’s sailing qualities also surprised many at the time of her launch, with her then long waterline length enabling faster passage times than many ostensibly more performance oriented designs of the same length. However, a moderate draught and that wide hull limit progress in light airs and when close-hauled.

LOA: 10.06m (33ft 0in) LWL: 8.69m (28ft 5in) Beam: 3.51m (11ft 5in) Draught: 1.35m (4ft 5in) Displacement: 4,773kg (10,500lb) Ballast: 1,730kg (3,815lb) Sail area: 42.0m2 (452sq ft) Price today: £14,000-£22,000 moodyowners.org

Continues below…

Sail boat rigs: the pros and cons of each popular design

Peter Poland looks at the history of popular rig designs and how the different types affect boat performance

Boat hull design: how it impacts performance

Peter Poland explains how boat hull design has evolved over the years and how it affects boat handling and accommodation

Keel types and how they affect performance

Peter Poland looks at the history of keel design and how the different types affect performance

Jeanneau Melody – 1974

The Melody’s interior layout set the new standard

As well as new hull shapes, builders were also experimenting with new accommodation arrangements. In 1970 Jeanneau had already set new standards in interior space with the 29ft 6in Folie Douce, partly thanks to the boat’s wide beam. Six years later this was updated with an extended coachroof and renamed the Brin de Folie.

However, it was the 34ft Melody that introduced the interior layout that within 10 years would be adopted by almost every other new yacht of this size right up to the present day – the double quarter cabin.

On the Melody this is a little cramped, as the stern sections are narrower than on later designs, but this trend-setting arrangement was immediately copied and improved upon.

Early designs with a quarter cabin were often seen to be lightweight and flighty, but the Melody is a very solid sea boat.

A hefty ballast ratio and deep draught combine to make this a very capable vessel, even in heavy weather, while a powerful rig ensures good progress even in light airs. Around 600 were built.

LOA: 10.25m (33ft 7in) LWL: 8.70m (28ft 6in) Beam: 3.38m (11ft 1in) Draught: 1.90m (6ft 3in) Displacement: 6,000kg (13,228lb) Ballast: 2,900kg (6,400kg) Sail area: 55.3m2 (596ft2) Price today: £12,000-£20,000 jeanneau-owners.com

Quarter Tonners – (1967-1996)

The David Thomas Bolero design

As the decade wore on the rise of the IOR rating rule for racing yachts had an enormous effect on yacht design. The smaller Quarter Ton level rating class gave designers great opportunities to experiment, which resulted in some weird and wonderful shapes including bumps and hollows intended to exploit loopholes in the rule. This test bed also produced some important advances in yacht design.

The rule changed regularly in an attempt to keep up with designers’ creativity, so boats quickly became outclassed. As a result a thriving industry sprang up to build new designs. The class also established the reputations of a slew of designers that are still well known today, including Ron Holland, Ed Dubois , Bruce Farr and Doug Peterson.

These boats were at the forefront of innovation, which was often driven by small companies working in less than ideal conditions. It’s a long time since anything on a similar scale has existed in the UK, although there are hints of it in Poland, which has a long maritime heritage and inexpensive industrial premises.

In the early 1970s Quarter Tonners still had narrow sterns and were short waterline displacement boats, but as the decade progressed transoms broadened, opening the way to surfing, or even planing performance downwind.

Until the mid-1970s designs like Westerly’s GK24, Ron Holland’s Eygthene 24 and the David Thomas-designed Bolero (pictured) also offered tenable accommodation and were often marketed as cruiser racers. However, by the end of the decade freeboard and coachroofs had both diminished in size, with stripped out interiors having minimal volume becoming the norm. After this point high-end racing yachts and performance cruisers continued to diverge.

LOA: 7.80m (25ft 7in) LWL :6.80m (22ft 4in) Beam: 2.50m (8ft 4in) Draught: 1.40m (4ft 8in) Displacement: 1,272kg (4,170lb) Price today: £3,000-£25,000 quartertonclass.org

The Drascombe story

The enduringly popular Drascombe Lugger (Alamy stock photo)

Those who preferred more leisurely sailing in smaller boats were also well catered for. Although the Drascombe Lugger pre-dates the 1970s, this was the decade in which the popularity of the designs took off and some 4,500 from 14-22ft have now been built across more than a dozen different models.

The original 18ft Lugger, built in wood by designer John Watkinson in 1965, was an undecked open daysailer with an easily handled loose footed yawl rig.

Watkinson took his first wooden production model to the 1968 London boat show, where it proved unexpectedly popular – he took an order within half an hour of the show opening, plus a further ten before the show ended.

That led to him licensing Honnor Marine to build the boats in fibreglass . When they exhibited the first boat in 1969 sales took off.

Large families loved the big cockpit that meant children could bring their friends sailing and there was heaps of space for picnics. The outboard engine is mounted well aft to keep noise as far away from the crew as possible.

Further designs soon followed, with the 22ft Longboat unveiled in 1970. Unlike the Lugger , this was also offered with a small two-berth cabin, giving additional flexibility.

Yet the boat weighs only 480kg, so it can be towed by a relatively small car, while the simple rig with short masts makes for quick and easy launching and recovery. A clear measure of the success of the concept is the Drascombes are one of a handful of designs from their era that are still in build today.

LOA: 5.72m (18ft 9in) Beam: 1.90m (6ft 3in) Displacement: 340kg (748lb) Sail area: 12.26m2 (132ft2) Price today: £2,500-£6,500 drascombe-association.org.uk

Sigma 33 – 1979

Sigma 33 design was influenced by the IOR

This David Thomas design was conceived as a fast one-design cruiser racer. It was an instant hit with the racing community and before long the class had a 70-strong fleet competing at Cowes Week.

Much had changed in design terms since the launch of the Contessa 32 eight years earlier. The Sigma has the feel of a larger yacht – a factor that’s also reflected in the accommodation volume. Thomas stayed with a traditional layout, but greater beam and higher freeboard dramatically increases the accommodation volume.

Under water the boat is a fundamentally different shape, with a shallower canoe body and broader transom, yet proportionately less wetted surface area.

The large balanced spade rudder improves control, especially in a quartering sea, while the increased form stability and broader aft sections markedly reduce rolling when sailing downwind.

Today, the Sigma 33 is seen as a moderate design by cruisers and heavy and sluggish among the racing community.

How did it score in the seaworthiness stakes?

The Sigma 33 doesn’t benefit from the Contessa 32’s high angle of vanishing stability (AVS), but it’s still well proven. The prototype lost a coachroof window in the 1979 Fastnet race storm, when the aperture widened as the structure distorted on a big wave. Nevertheless, it became one of the smallest boats to finish the race, albeit in very experienced hands. Subsequent boats have two separate windows, with structure between them, in place of the prototype’s long single window.

Even though the Sigma 33 was not intended as an IOR design key features were still influenced by the rule and Thomas later remarked that the keel would be more effective if it was bolted on upside down!

LOA: 9.90m (32ft 9in) LWL: 8.00m (26ft 3in) Beam: 3.20m (10ft 6in) Draught: 1.70m (5ft 7in) Displacement: 4,000kg (8,820lb) Ballast: 1,680kg (3,704lb) Price today: £15,000-£26,000 sigma33.co.uk

1979 Fastnet disaster

14 August 1979. Irish Sea. A lone yachtsman aboard Camargue – eight survivors were plucked from this yacht by Royal Navy rescue helicopter (Alamy/AJAXNETPHOTO)

The decade ended with one of the biggest disasters ever to hit the boating world.

Three days into the 600-mile race winds built unexpectedly to a sustained Force 10, with some competitors recording gusts above 70 knots.

In all 24 yachts were abandoned, five of which sank, 15 competitors lost their lives, and a further six people on non-racing yachts in the area also died. That toll was the UK’s largest ever peacetime rescue mission, involving some 4,000 people.

More than a third of the fleet experienced a knock-down to 90° and a quarter beyond that, including many boats that fully inverted or pitch poled.

Part of the problem was that the IOR rule penalised righting moment and encouraged low ballast ratios.

This effectively banned low centre of gravity keels, which made knockdowns and inversions more likely. The problem was further exacerbated by the trend towards wide hulls that are more stable in the inverted position.

Since many new cruising designs of the day were based on a successful IOR hull, there’s also a raft of cruising designs that have less than ideal ultimate stability.

For cruising sailors the legacy of IOR means many thousands of affordable boats built during one of the most active ever periods of boatbuilding lack the stability they could have.

The effects of this are two-fold. In moderate conditions reduced stability means a more tender boat that needs reefing earlier and more frequently, and one that will respond to gusts in a more dramatic manner.

In extremis, if caught in severe weather lack of stability makes it easier for wave action to capsize a boat. And if it rolls to 180°, a design with a low AVS will have less chance of being righted in a timely manner.

On a positive note, the subsequent inquiry led to important improvements in lifejacket , safety harness and liferaft design.

One other important point is rarely made in this context.

The accuracy of medium term weather forecasts has been improving at a rate of around one day per decade since the late 1970s. In other words the six-day forecast now has similar accuracy to the 48-hour forecast in 1979.

• Yachting Monthly
• Digital edition

• September 24, 2009

Atlanta 28 - a safe introduction to cruising

Product Overview

Manufacturer:, price as reviewed:.

Atlanta Marine made a good living in the late 70s and early 80s revitalising the cast-offs of other companies, particularly Macwester. The Atlanta 28 (aka the Macwester 28) is typical of their range, which stretched from a sporty 22-footer to 32ft. Hull mouldings favoured bulk over sophistication and the interiors were similarly robust if uninspired. The 28 was, though, spacious for the age and had a practical five-berth family layout in two cabins. There was a quarterberth, decent galley and chart table, and enclosed heads. Headroom was reasonable. She sailed quite well, having a taller rig than the Macwester, but she was no racing boat. Atlanta also produced a number of kits and some of these are best avoided. Well-maintained factory models make safe introductions to cruising.

Home > Find Your Sail > Search by Make and Model > Macwester > Macwester 27

Macwester 27

" * " indicates required fields

Step 1 of 3

Let's Get to Know Each Other

Let's connect, why it's important to partner with a designer on your macwester 27 sail.

The design is the most critical part of your new sail. Ensuring the sail fits and performs its best is a must for our crew. The Precision Sails Design team are experts at their craft. Unlike other sail lofts all of our sailors work one-on-one with a designer to perfect their Macwester 27 sail.

No Two Macwester 27 Sails Are Alike

There are many factors that affect the performance and design of your sails. Location, sailing experience, and weather conditions all come into play when picking the perfect sail. Two mainsails made for two Macwester 27’s in California and Florida will have different designs, sailcloth, and options based on what is best for the sailor.

Taking measurements is easy. All sailors work alongside our measurement team to measure and confirm their rig specs. This helps ensure your design is flawless and allows us to extend our Perfect Fit Guarantee to all of our sailors.

Discover the best cloth for your sailing needs, our sail details, or more about how Precision Sails is leading the sail-making industry with innovative new practices.

Proudly offering the largest selection of sailcloth in the industry, our team is always available to help you find your perfect sail. Whether you're a weekend sailor, coastal cruiser, or club racer our team is ready to walk you through the process.

Types of Sails

Precision Sail Loft specializes in producing headsails, mainsails, spinnakers, gennakers, and code zeros. So no matter the type of sail you’re looking for, we can help. Our sails are trusted by cruisers and racers alike from around the globe. Review the sail options and craftsmanship available to customize your dream sail.

Build & Process

Every sail we craft is produced to the highest standards with the best hardware, craftsmanship, and skill-set in the industry. Pair that with Precision Sails' approach to communication and your sailboat will be ready to set sail before you know it.

Unparalleled Commitment To Helping Sailors

As experts in design, communication, and production our team is ready to take on the task of making sails for your boat. Give us a call to get started.

“ I just received my asymmetrical spinnaker, with sock and turtle bag, along with a new 135 Genoa. The entire process was simple and both sales and the design team were in regular contact if there were any questions. The customer portal was easy to use and lets you keep track of where in the process your sails are. Great sails, great service -Graham Edwards (Facebook)

“ The whole team at Precision Sails was fantastic from start to finish. We’ve had a laminate main and genoa made so far and have a spinnaker on the way. They listened carefully to our needs and recommended a great sail cloth. We couldn’t have gotten more bang for our buck! -Noah Regelous (Google)

“ We received our spinnaker and launched it yesterday and I just wanted to let you know how pleased we are with it. The service we received from your company was exceptional and the quality of your product is second to none. We will certainly be return customers in the next few months to replace our main and jib sails and will recommend your company to all our sailing buddies. Once again-thank you.” -Daniel Jackson (Google)

“ we had good communication during the planning stages and the knowledgeable people at precision sails really got me fixed up good! The sails look and work fabulous! my boat sails better than it ever had! couldn’t be more pleased with the product AND the service!” -Fred Jelich (Facebook)

“ Our new furling jib for a Corsair 27 Had to be specially designed due to the height of the furler, but this was accomplished quickly and in short order we had our sail which fits beautifully and has a great shape. It’s everything we could have wanted, high tech design, thoughtfully executed and affordable.” -Nancy Y. (Yelp)

Request a Macwester 27 Quote

Looking to buy a new headsail or mainsail for your Macwester 27? Request a free quote from Precision Sails for a new custom sail. Our team will work with you to design the perfect sail for you.

• Agencies & Departments

Term and Conditions

The Assessor has developed an on line tool to look up basic information, such as assessed value and assessor's parcel number (APN), for real property in Santa Clara County.

Currently you may research and print assessment information for individual parcels free of charge. This system is best viewed using Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher and a screen resolution of 1024 x 768.

Please contact us with your comments or suggestions. If you have any questions or comments e-mail us. Your feedback is important in determining the type of and demand for services needed by the public.

This service has been provided to allow easy access and a visual display of County Assessment information. A reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the data provided; nevertheless, some information may be out of date or may not be accurate. The County of Santa Clara assumes no responsibility arising from use of this information. ASSOCIATED DATA ARE PROVIDED WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Do not make any business decisions based on this data before validating the data. [Revenue and Taxation Code Section 408.3(c)]

California Government Code 6254.21 states that "No state or local agency shall post the home address or telephone number of any elected or appointed official on the Internet without first obtaining the written permission of that individual." As the cost to collect and continuously update that information is prohibitive, the On-Line Property Assessment Information System does not display the Assessee name information.

The information contained in this web site is for the current owner of record only. Current owner history displayed is available for up to the most current three years only. If the ownership has changed during the past three years, the information displayed will only be for the most recently closed assessment roll. Certificates of title of mobile homes are processed through the California Housing and Community Development (HCD). For more information on certificates of title or ownership you can visit their web site at: www.hcd.ca.gov.

Any resale of this information is prohibited.

Property Maps and Records

The Assessor’s Office offers easy to use tool enabling users to perform a property search by entering just the first few characters of the address or utilizing a Google map. Properties can also be searched by parcel number and there is a special tool to search the nearly 10,000 mobile home properties.

Information displayed includes useful property information, free of charge, such as the assessed value, assessor's parcel number (APN), document number, property address, Assessor parcel maps, mailing address and other information.

Consistent with State law, the system does not allow searches by owner name, nor are the names of individual property owners displayed. The database will be updated weekly to reflect changes in ownership; however, assessed values are available only for the most recent annual assessment roll closures.

Residents can also research at the Assessor's office a property's indicated sales price, which can be different from the assessed value. To learn more about researching the indicated sales price, see the commonly asked questions below.

Parcel Maps and Search Property Records

• Real property search
• Mobile home property search
• Search by map

The Assessor's Office allows residents to view, free of charge, basic information about properties in Santa Clara County such as assessed value, assessor's parcel number (APN), document number, property address, Assessor parcel maps, and other information. This information is available on-line by clicking here , by microfiche or computer at the Assessor's Office located at 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose, East Wing 5th Floor, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.

In addition, residents can also research at the Assessor's office a property's indicated sales price, which can be different from the assessed value. To learn more about researching the indicated sales price, see the commonly asked questions below.

Can you tell me how much a house was sold for?

We can provide the indicated sales price. There is a list of property transfers within the county, which have occurred within the preceding two year period. There is a nominal fee to view the information for one year, plus a photocopy charge per page. For a complete list of fees see click here or for more general information on, and forms for purchasing data from the Assessor's Office click here .

Why is there a fee? Isn't it public information?

The list is available for public viewing, but the fee is for administrative costs to develop and provide the information. For more information about fees and why we have them as well as a detailed fee schedule click here .

What is on the list?

The list contains the following information:

Where can I get the information, and what is the best time?

You can get the information from the Assessor's Office located at 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose, East Wing 5th Floor, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.

What information do I have to give to you before I can access the data?

Please bring either a check or cash to pay for the information, and either the property address or the Assessor's parcel number that you are interested in.

Related Links:

Related items

• Order Information for Assessor Parcel Map and Property Characteristics

Standards and Services Division

• Phone: 408-299-5500

Email us, the fastest way to contact us

Latest from Standards and Services Division

• Proposition 19 Overview
• Parent-Child Transfer (Proposition 19)
• Recent Webinars

Quick Links

• Santa Clara County Website
• Department of Tax and Collections
• Pay Property Taxes
• Assessment Appeals
• County Planning Department
• Office of the Clerk Recorder
• Board of Equalization
• County Ordinance
• California Law
• SCCMap (GIS Interactive Map)

Macwester 26

The macwester 26 is a 26.0ft masthead sloop designed by c.s.j.roy and built in fiberglass by macwester marine co. ltd. (uk) between 1964 and 1972., 400 units have been built..

The Macwester 26 is a heavy sailboat which is under powered. It is stable / stiff and has a good righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a coastal cruiser. The fuel capacity is originally very small. There is a very short water supply range.

Macwester 26 for sale elsewhere on the web:

Main features

Login or register to personnalize this screen.

You will be able to pin external links of your choice.

See how Sailboatlab works in video

We help you build your own hydraulic steering system - Lecomble & Schmitt

Accommodations

Builder data, other photos.

Modal Title

The content of your modal.

Personalize your sailboat data sheet

Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.

• Sailboat Guide

Wight (Macwester) MKII 32

Wight (Macwester) MKII 32 is a 31 ′ 9 ″ / 9.7 m monohull sailboat designed by C. S. J. Roy and built by Macwester Marine Co. Ltd. starting in 1972.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

A development of the orginal WIGHT Class Ketch. The MkII version is longer and has more freeboard. A later version was called the MALIN.

Embed this page on your own website by copying and pasting this code.

• About Sailboat Guide

©2024 Sea Time Tech, LLC

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center

Photos & videos.

See all 6 photos

Services Offered

Verified by Business

Appliance repair

Vacuum repair

Review Highlights

“ Imagine my joy when the gentleman who answered recognized my machine and said it was a good sewing machine ! ” in 7 reviews

“ That was very classy of them, and I would have gotten a Miele if Tacony didn't make their vacuums in the USA. ” in 5 reviews

“ Dan has always helped me with cleaning or needing a new belt or with any kind of maintenance that I need. ” in 3 reviews

You Might Also Consider

Metro by T-Mobile

1.9 miles away from Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center

Jessica C. said "I've been to this store more then hundreds of times.. But today I went in and finally got the phone I've wanted for a weeks now. I've purchased phones from here before, but today I am just so happy about my phone, I had to write a…" read more

in Electronics, Mobile Phone Accessories, Telecommunications

Bay services

1.2 miles away from Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center

William P. said "The crew of two came out, inspected and did an excellent job. Very efficient and effective. They were thorough and kept things clean. They shared photos of the before and after. I found no signs of debris or dust anywhere. They also…" read more

in Air Duct Cleaning, Chimney Sweeps

Handy Plumbing Man

Addison W. said "Adding a review here for Rafael and Maurice, who helped us with our clogged balcony drains. The first visit was great - the team was able to fully hydro flush out all of our drains (including 4 on the roof!). We noticed a few weeks…" read more

in Water Heater Installation/repair, Hydro-jetting, Plumbing

About the Business

Sales, service parts on all makes on Sewing machine and Vacuum machine. Sergers, Embroidery, sewing & Quilting machines and more …

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

2700 El Camino Real

Santa Clara, CA 95051

Amenities and More

Ask the community.

Ask a question

Yelp users haven’t asked any questions yet about Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center .

Recommended Reviews

• 1 star rating Not good
• 2 star rating Could’ve been better
• 3 star rating OK
• 4 star rating Good
• 5 star rating Great

Select your rating

Overall rating

You never know how much you need your vacuum until it stops working. I called Dan on a Thursday afternoon and he said he had space for me to bring mine by. It was an easy culprit- my mess of curls tangled in the spools and he dislodged it promptly for a mere $20. Always happy to support a small business for such an affordable price and prompt service. Never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to go home and clean!

Great service, his kind and respectful , located in a big plaza in Santa Clara, on el camino real, lots of parking available, a lot of vacuum /supplies sold as well as repair work

You don't find too many of these around. I needed a vacuum filter in a pinch on Labor Day and he was in the shop. Had the part I needed (or close enough) and showed me how to clean the secret hidden filter. Great service.

My first time here. Completed repairs on budget and two days early. Asked us if we needed new bags and saved us a trip back.

I love supporting locally family owned businesses! And this one is a diamond in the rough! Is there anything more frustrating than a vacuum that stops working? I wish I would have known about this place sooner as I am the Queen of breaking vacuums! No more buying new ones! I will just get them repaired!

Dan, who owns this shop is a great guy. He is an expert on vacuums - refurbished ones, servicing, new ones. I like to give him my business and keep these local shops around. Dan is very knowledgeable about vacuum cleaners. This is so useful when you have a problem with your pricey vacuum you bought at Costco and need to fix it. Vacuum bags are also sold here, saving you the bother of searching for them online and risking the wrong bag purchase. I get all my vacuum bags here. This store sells sewing machines too, and services some of them. What a joy to have this resource close to home with a knowledgeable service person and a variety of appliances to choose from including bags and sewing parts. Old fashioned, personalized customer service, easy access, fun to visit, great selection of appliances and parts, and very personable owner. What is not to like?

I'm very happy that I found Dan for the repair of my 15-year-old Dyson Animal vacuum. He is extremely knowledgeable, responsive, straight talking, and honest. He'll tell you exactly what he's going to do, when it will be done, and give you a good idea of what it will cost. Then he does exactly what he says. I only wish that every business person was just like Dan.

The best place for KIRBY vacuum sales and for KIRBY parts, they not only specialize in Kirby but they have many high quality vacuum and floor care machines... I was tired of spending money on Plastic Shark vacuums and I found that I was replacing my Vacuum almost every year, my Grandmother would come to this place for years so I thought I'd give it a try well this place does not disappoint! If you spend a little bit more on a steel metal vacuum then and if you take care of your machine then you don't have to continue wasting your money on cheap plastic shark or Dyson vacuums!! BUY KIRBY!! And buy the BEST!! THANK YOU

Visit-1: I take my Dyson upright in for a new cord plug because one prong is suddenly way shorter than the other. Visit-2: I bring my Dyson home, after paying $89.50 for the repair. Moonlite also replaced some part they felt was broken, replaced my motor with a used one they had in the shop, and cleaned the filters and tank thoroughly, all at no additional charge. Visit-3: I try vacuuming with my very fragrant-smelling Dyson. After about 3 rooms of vacuuming, it suddenly made a very different quality of air sound, like it had sucked up something it shouldn't have. It then quit moving forward. So, I took it back to Moonlite. The gentleman with whom I had been dealing discovered that the filter inside the roller ball was loose. He pushed it in until it clicked into place and sent me on my way. Visit-4: I try vacuuming again. The motor cuts out a couple of times, but I manage to get the vacuum restarted and continue. Then, while vacuuming the fourth room, there is suddenly a very different quality of air sound, and it quits rolling forward again! I took the vacuum back to Moonlite AGAIN, and asked for either my money back OR them to repair and deliver it. The gentleman with whom I had been dealing gave me back my money and apologized for all the trouble I'd had. (Otherwise, this would have been a 1-star review!) CONCLUSION: I've made FOUR trips to Moonlite Vacuum, from which I've achieved a new working plug and a couple much more serious problems that weren't present before! I'm guessing it will cost me a lot more than $89.50 to get some other shop to fix whatever Moonlite broke....

I went to Moonlite Vacuum and Sewing because my wife's seeing machine was not working. Dan gave me an estimate and the possible time when the machine is going to be done. It was done be the next day. The machine only needed maintenance and he did a test run on the machine and showed me the stitches the machine made. I feel comfortable recommending Moonlite to anyone who needs their sewing machine repaired. Knowing that my wife's machine needs yearly maintenance. I will come back every year to Moonlite Vacuum and Sewing.

4 other reviews that are not currently recommended

10.5 miles away from Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center

M K. said "Highly recommend Attic Crew for Insulation, pest prevention and Moisture vapor barrier installation. I wanted to provide a review for the team at Attic Crew for the outstanding job they did on a large project at my house yesterday.…" read more

in Heating & Air Conditioning/hvac, Pest Control, Insulation Installation

5.0 miles away from Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center

Here in the AlphaBuild we specialize in the following: -Attic Cleaning -Attic Insulation Removal -Attic Rodent exclusion -Attic Insulation Installation -Crawlspace Cleaning -Crawlspace Insulation Removal -Crawlspace Rodent Exclusion… read more

in Air Duct Cleaning, Insulation Installation

Collections Including Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center

By Samantha W.

Browse Nearby

Things to Do

Restaurants

Dishwasher Installation

Hardware Stores

Furniture Stores

Appliances & Repair Cost Guide

Washing Machine Repairman Near Me

Service Offerings in Santa Clara

Vacuum Repair

Other Appliances & Repair Nearby

Find more Appliances & Repair near Moonlite Vacuum & Sewing Center

Related Articles

Why your dishwasher isn’t working (and how to fix it)

Related Cost Guides

Appliances & Repair

Carpet Cleaning

Furniture Repair

Jewelry Repair

Recording & Rehearsal Studios

• 5 More Cost Guides

People Also Viewed

A Better Discount Vacuum and Sewing Center

All Things Clean Vacuum & Appliance

A Vacuum & Sewing Hospital

California Sewing & Vacuum

Campbell Vacuum and Sewing Services

Appliance Repair Express

Ace Appliance Service

McElligott’s Appliances

Reyes Vacuum Repair

Infinite Appliance