Orion 27-2


The Orion 27-2, also called the Orion 27 Mk II, is an American sailboat that was designed by Henry Morschladt as a cruiser and first built in 1981.

Production

The design was built by Pacific Seacraft in Washington, North Carolina, United States, starting in 1981, but it is now out of production.

Design

The Orion 27-2 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of plywood-cored fiberglass, with teak wood trim. It has a cutter rig, a raked stem, an angled transom, a keel-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed long keel, with a cutaway forefoot. It displaces and carries of ballast. The design has a length overall of, including the wooden planked. platform-mounted, teak bowsprit, with dual Sampson posts. A yawl rig was optional. The hull cross-section is a traditional "wineglass" shape.
The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. The boat is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar 2GMF diesel engine of. The fuel tank holds.
The boat has two interior configurations. The first has a "U"-shaped dinette table and a navigation station aft of the dinette. The second layout is intended for longer-ranged cruising and has a smaller dinette table, which makes room for a wet locker at the foot of the companionway stairs. Space in the bow can be used for stowage or an optional cabin heater. In both configurations the galley is located on the starboard side of the cabin. There is a "V"-berth in the bow. The head is equipped with a shower, has a privacy door and is located forward, just aft of the bow "V"-berth. Additional sleeping space is provided by quarter berth in the cabin.
The deck has teak capped bulwarks. Ventilation is provided by a cabin hatch, two dorade vents and ten opening and screened ports.
The boat has two genoa winches and two winches for the halyards. The mainsheet traveler is mounted on the coach house roof.

Operational history

A review in Blue Water Boats, described the design as, "beautiful, strong, and capable". The review went on to say, "unsurprisingly for a Mohrschladt design, the Orion 27 has conservative lines. Under the waterline is a long keel with a forefoot cutaway to improve nimbleness and reduce wetted area. The sections carry the tried and true wine-glass shape. Don’t expect record setting pace with this kind of shape; think strong, safe, and good manners for heaving-to in the rough."