Review of Finn Flyer 27

Finn Flyer 27.

Basic specs.

The Finn Flyer 27 is a sailboat designed by the maritime architect Eivind Still in the late seventies. A few hundred boats have been produced. The Finn Flyer 27 is built by the Finnish yard Marin Form.

Looking for a new boat? Find a Finn Flyer 27 or similar boat for sale

Interior

The boat is equipped with 5 berths.

Rig

The boat equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.40 - 1.50 meter (4.59 - 4.89 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

Finn Flyer 27 is typically equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD5 diesel engine at 7.0 hp (5 kW), which gives a max speed about 4.2 knots.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Finn Flyer 27 is 2.20, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Finn Flyer 27 is about 120 kg/cm, alternatively 672 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 120 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 672 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Finn Flyer 27 is 16.3.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 27% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Finn Flyer 27 is 2.92.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 66% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Finn Flyer 27 is 40%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 50% of all similar sailboat designs. This righting moment (ability to resist heeling) is spot on average!

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Finn Flyer 27 is 223 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

58% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Finn Flyer 27 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 15.7, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 18.1.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 46% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Over- / underrigged

The Finn Flyer 27 has more rig than 85% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Finn Flyer 27 is 54

The relative speed performance is 54 which means that a it is faster than 54% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 20m² (215 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	23.3 m	(76.4 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	23.3 m	(76.4 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	23.3 m	(76.4 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet	8.2 m	(26.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	8.2 m	(26.8 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet	20.4 m	(67.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	18.0 m	(59.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Cunningham	3.2 m	(10.5 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap	6.4 m	(21.0 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul	6.4 m	(21.0 feet)	8 mm	(5/16 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Finn Flyer 27 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.