"Phoenix" is a British built Hunter Pilot 27. These boats are a design miracle, offering a lovely deck saloon with inside and outside steering and two double cabins, all in 27'. They sail well and are easily handled with a self tacking jib and all control lines lead aft to the cockpit.

As Hunter Pilot 27's go this one is in great condition, with a comprehensive inventory. She has been recently hauled and serviced and is ready to set sail.

Hunter association

With the same David Thomas designed hull and twin fins with substantial bulbs as the Ranger 265 and Channel 27, the Pilot 27 achieves exceptional stability and sailing performance.  With all main control lines led aft, this is an easy boat to sail single handed.  The dual engine controls and inside wheel steering gives great flexibility and allows one to venture out on days when one might otherwise give it a miss!

One of the advantages of the layout is the great panoramic view that one gets when sitting at the raised dinette in the saloon.

A great boat for a gentle relaxing potter, these boats are also great for more adventurous trips and will really look after you in a good blow.  One of the early ones got caught out in the middle of the Bay of Biscay in a Force 10 for 2 days during a single handed voyage to Spain.  Both the boat and the owner survived unscathed!

If you go to the Hunter Association website there are a couple of interesting articles.

"How to retire in style - Crossing the Bay of Biscay in a Pilot 27"

"Sailing with Serenity"

Dimensions & general info.

• LOA - 8.44m
• LOD - 7.62m
• LWL - 6.85m
• Beam - 2.8m
• Draft - 1.04m (Twin keel)
• Displacement - 2745kg
• Ballast - 1073kg
• Builder - Hunter Boats Ltd. (UK)
• Designer - David Thomas
• Build year - 2000

The Hunter Pilot 27 was designed by David Thomas for British Hunter and built between 1996-2205 with about 100 boats being produced. Although both fin-keel and twin keel versions were built, the twin-keel versions were more popular.

Hunter resolutely refused to call these boats bilge-keelers, preferring the term 'twin fin' to emphasise the performance. The two keels are asymmetric, and angled, to provide lift when heeled. In practice, there is little performance difference in most conditions between fin and bilge-keeled British Hunters.

Hull, deck & superstructure

• White GRP hull.
• White GRP deck and superstructure.
• Twin keels.
• Transom hung rudder with tiller steering and tiller extension and hydraulic ram (connected to interior wheel).
• Internal wheel steering.
• Antifouled July.
• Aluminium anodes. New July.

Interior & accommodation

• 4/5 berths. 2 double cabins and a single saloon settee berth.
• Teak interior - In good condition.
• Terracotta patterned upholstery in good condition.
• Eberspacher diesel fired warm air central heating with day timer control.
• Pressurised hot and cold water system.
• Clock & Barometer.
• Ripspeed stereo radio CD player, USB and SD card sockets, with remote.

Forward cabin

• Large double V berth with extended length/seat on the port side.
• To starboard is a locker with louver door
• Forward is a wood shelf.
• Storage under the berth.
• Chart holder.
• Inspection hatch to water tank.
• Central deck hatch with Marinco day / night solar vent.
• Port and starboard opening portlights (new 2016).
• Door to the main cabin.

Deck saloon

• Raised U shaped seating area to port.
• Large teak table.
• To starboard is the internal helm position and galley.
• Panoramic windows, 3 forward and two each side.
• Wooden glass holder forward
• Navigation and document holder to rear.
• Adjustable I-pad holder.
• Removable chart table and Perspex cover.
• 2 LED lights and one switchable white red LED light.

Galley

• Linear galley to starboard.
• Stainless steel sink with pressurised hot and cold water via a mixer tap.
• Storage cupboards and a drawer below the countertop and storage outboard.
• Plastimo Neptune 2000 stainless steel, gimbaled gas cooker. 2 burner hob and potholders. Insulation protection to surrounding woodwork. Grill and oven.
• Opposite the galley is a fridge (Coolmatic) under forward seating.
• LPG, CO2 and smoke detectors.

Internal helm

• To starboard with folding seat and moulded footrest.
• Wheel steering & Morse throttle/gear control and ignition
• Instrumentation (GPS and Tacktick display (wind log depth) mounts, ships electrical distribution panel and VHF radio.

Heads

• Jabsco lite flush electric marine toilet & plumbing.
• Moulded vanity unit with inset sink.
• Hot and cold pressurised water via a mixer tap.
• 2 x mirrors.
• 2 x closable wet hanging storage lockers (with air heating outlet)
• A spacious locker under the vanity unit.
• Solar air vent (Marinco).
• USB socket (for rechargeable toothbrush.

Aft cabin

• Large double aft cabin which extends under the cockpit.
• There is a well insulated access panel to the engine compartment.
• Port light opening to cockpit.
• Small round window aft.
• There is a shelved locker with dressing seat.
• Shelf to the rear
• 2 USB charging sockets in an iPad / phone holder and two cup holders.

Deck gear & equipment

• The deck is secured with a stainless steel pulpit, quarter pushpits and stanchion posts with 2 guard wires. The cockpit is a good size with large cockpit locker to port.

Deck gear

• Double bow roller.
• There is a bow mounted fender to mitigate anchor damage.
• Anchor locker, lid, opens to port.
• Deck mounted Simpson Lawrence 600 electric windlass (refurbished 2025 with new seals and bearings) with switch to cockpit and adjacent socket with Lewmar hand controller.
• 10Kg Delta anchor with 60m of chain.
• Fortress light weight kedge anchor.
• Foredeck, midship and aft mooring cleats.
• Mooring warps.
• 12 fenders.
• Boarding ladder.
• Boathook and mooring buoy hook.
• Achor chain snubber
• Mooring strops with chain
• Canvas screen to all windows hatched and companionway.
• Cockpit tent (Habitant Mistral).
• Ensign staff and Ensign.
• Mast ladder (Kinleven Marine).

Rig, rigging & sails

Rig & rigging

• Z Spars silver anodised fractional rigged single spreader mast.
• Z Spars silver anodised boom.
• Silver anodised spinnaker pole.
• Plastimo roller furling headfoil system for the Jib.
• Self tacking jib track with singe sheet.
• Standing rigging recently replaced 2015.
• Adjustable backstay.
• Main control lines and halyards lead to the coach roof winch including the genoa sheet and reefing lines.
• Lewmar 16 coachroof winch with self-tailing conversion. 

Sails

• Hyde Dacron mainsail in good condition with 3 reefs (refurbished 2023).
• Stack pack (new 2025) with lazy jacks.
• Hyde Dacron self tacking furling jib (refurbished and new sacrificial strip 2023) .
• Cruising chute.

Engine

• Nanni 2.50HE 14hp diesel engine with shaft drive to two blade bronze prop.
• Engine hours - Approx. 1278 hours.
• Serviced in March 2024, including heat exchanger ring seals and antifreeze.
• Serviced July 25.
• New stern gland fitted July 25
• Rope cutter.
• Single lever Morse control in the cockpit and at the internal steering position.

Electronics & navigation equipment

• Garmin GPS map551 chart plotter integrated with AIS at internal helm.
• Raymarine Clasic C80 on coach roof integrated to radar and wind log and GPS data.
• Raymarine  Radome scanner, stern mounted.
• AIS True Heading CTRX Graphine class B transponder, connected to an NKE Wi-Fi transmitter (view vessels on portable device or the Garmin map551)
• Evermore SA-320 GPS antenna
• Icom IC-M423G DSC VHF with hand mic at internal helm.
• Icom HM-195 Commandmic, remote control mic in cockpit
• Icom handheld DSC VHF
• Raymarine ST2000+ tiller pilot with S100 wireless remote control
• Tacktick mounts at internal helm and cockpit.
• Tacktick MN100 (Micronet) dual digital and analog (wind) displays.
• Tacktick wind WiFi transducer at masthead.
• Tacktick hull transmitter connected to heading compass log and depth transducers. Incorporated voltmeter.
• Tacktick wireless interface.
• Bulkhead magnetic compass. Cockpit.
• NASA fluxgate compass on internal forward bulkhead.

Electrical

• 230v shore power with internal 3 pin sockets.
• 12v ships electrical system with distribution panel at the internal helm station.
• Sterling 4 step mains battery charger and battery management system.
• Sterling Universal advanced 4 step alternator regulator.
• Tacktick battery voltage indicator.
• Engine alternator.
• Leisure batteries 2 x 80 Ah Quasar EQM 24, new 2025 (Carbon nano tech can use 90% capacity so available approx. 140 Ah).
• Engine battery 1 x 100 Ah Preditor DPX 1500, new 2025.
• Emergency couple to use domestic batteries for engine start.
• Anchor windlass breaker/isolator.

Tankage & systems

• Fuel - 50L
• Water - 100L. flexi tank.

Systems

• Eberspacher Airtronic D2 diesel fired warm air central heating with day timer control (fully refurbished 2016).
• LPG (Campingaz 904) system – marine regulator, fittings, connectors, hoses. Spare cylinder.
• Gas system safety check July 25.
• Gas bottle storage locker in the cockpit which drains overboard.
• Water system 100L flexible tank, all fittings, valve, hoses, connectors. There is room to increase the tankage if required.
• Pressurised hot & cold-water system.
• Hot water via a calorifier tank, heated by 230v immersion heating element or engine heat exchanger.

Safety gear & equipment

• Navigation lighting bow stern and tricolour mast head.
• 2 Navisafe emergency nav lights one tricolour, one white.
• Dan buoy and horseshoe life buoy on stern mounting.
• Stern mounted Seago 4 person liferaft in canister, serviced Nov 2024.
• 2 fire extinguishers.
• Fire blanket at the galley..
• Manual bilge pump.
• Radar reflector.
• Fog horns, an Ecoblast air pressure rechargeable and a Trump.
• Daniamant ODEO LED electronic distress flare.
• Large LED rechargeable torch.
• Spare fuel filter water pump impellor and belt.
• Set of wooden bungs.
• 2 harness safety lines.
• 1 Seago classic 190N and 2 Baltic 150N life jackets.
• Emergency VHF aerial.
• Bushell Permafocus 7x35 binoculars.
• Gas detector.
• CO2 and smoke detectors.

Additional equipment

• Tool kit including multi-meter and rechargeable drill and bits.
• Galley fully kitted out with Corelle crockery, cutlery, cups, glasses and pans.
• RYA log book.
• Charts - Leisure portfolio sets covering West & East Scotland and East England
• Sailing directions covering most of the UK