Jaguar Yacht Owners
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Zambant and staff.uk.com
Zambant and staff.uk.com
The following boat test is
an abridged version of that which appeared in Sailing Today,
Jan.04. issue 81 ,written
by Duncan Kent.
JAGUAR 27
“The 27 was originally offered
as a fin keeler, but was later offered in twin keel format. The reduction
in draught, however, was a mere 6”, & thoughtful design meant she pointed
almost as close as the fin keel model”
“Her proportions are conservative
by modern standards, & her sweeping sheer & traditional bow overhang
give her a ‘real’ boat look. A deepish, fine entry, gives her a comfortable
motion at sea, while her well stayed, deck stepped masthead rig offers a
better than average performance to windward. The test boat, ‘Barcorole’
is a fin keeled Mk2”
(click on photo tab above,
for pictures of various 27s, above & below decks, including ‘Barcorole’……
Laurie)
HOW DOES SHE PERFORM AT SEA?
“ The Jaguar 27 excels in
cockpit space, being narrow but not pinched, allowing easy bracing against
the opposite seat & the mainsheet track is behind the tiller, along
the forward edge of the lazerette locker. While this keeps the sheet clear
of the cockpit, it makes the track far less effective & the proximity
of the jammer to the tiller makes knocking off the main in a gust, knuckle
scraping.
The seats, 2.3 m/7’6”, are
long enough, especially as the tiller hinges away over the back. Underneath
is a deep & a shallow rope locker, or two shallow lockers. Both models
have a roomy lazerette that drains overboard & houses two gas bottles,
a manual bilge pump, amongst other things. The cockpit drains are a decent
size, & allow water to quickly drain away on either tack. The primary
winches are of a good size, originally of the fixed underhandle type making
it tricky to winch in rapidly. You can sit on the coamings, although good
visibility from the seats rarely necessitates it.
Access along the side decks
is ok as the shrouds are set well inboard; genoa tracks are however, toerail
mounted, reducing the sheeting angle a tad”
“ The foredeck is great-a
good size, & clear of most obstacles, thanks to the forehatch being
mounted on the coachroof. There is a chunky anchor cleat, as well as two
smaller warp cleats, & a windlass could easily be fitted. The roller
is fairly puny & not for anchor stowage.”
“ We set out on a bright October
day, with a F3-4. Surprisingly, she picked up way under mainsail alone,
while still in a lee, & only 7-8 knots across the deck. Once on
the open water, the breeze increased, & we unfurled the genoa. It wasn’t
long before we were trimmed & slicing through the flattish sea at 4.5knots,
close hauled, pointing admirably, some 35deg. off the wind. A tight tack
took us through 85-88 deg. in flattish water, with her accelerating
quickly away on the new tack. Once able to come off the wind onto a close
reach, she responded by accelerating to about 6 knots.
With the wind now reaching
22-24 knots apparent, she was undoubtedly overcanvassed &, although
she never actually rounded up, things were becoming hard work with the tiller
nearly in my mouth. She is a well balanced boat, & doesn’t show that
much weather helm even when overstretched”
“On a beam reach, I felt she
could easily hit the high 6s, low 7s had she a cleaner bottom. Downwind,
she is directionally quite stable, & her straight spreaders allow the
boom to be sheeted almost to right angles. In this position a kicker is
essential.”
“She happily hove to in comfort,
around 70 deg. to the wind, fore reaching marginally around ½ knot or so.”
VERDICT
“The Jaguar 27 is a stiff,
well balanced cruising yacht with a good turn of speed, & will punch
to windward happily without making life too uncomfortable on board.
Accommodation is limited but
perfectly adequate.”
Specifications, photographs
& various other details appear elsewhere on site. It should also be
pointed out that details such a deck layouts will vary between boats, as
boats will have now been modified to suit past owners. Other variations
of note are that some have twin keels, some have transom rudders.
The test appears with thanks
to Sailing Today magazine, the tests’ author, Duncan Kent, & finally,
Jeremy Knight, who owns ‘Barcorole’.
Jaguar 27
Test report
Test report
