Hotfoot 27
# Hotfoot 27

The Hotfoot 27 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Doug Hemphill as racer-cruiser and first built in 1981.

## Production

The design was built by Hotfoot Boats in Canada, but the company is no longer in business and the boat design is now out of production.

## Design

The Hotfoot 27 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fibreglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel. It displaces 3,600 lb (1,633 kg) and carries 1,500 lb (680 kg) of ballast.

The boat has a draft of 5.50 ft (1.68 m) with the standard keel fitted. The fresh water tank has a capacity of 12 U.S. gallons (45 L; 10.0 imp gal). The boat is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The motor is mounted in the starboard lazarette and can be swung up when not in use and the hull opening covered with a hatch.

The boat's galley is located on the starboard side. It includes a sink and a single-burner alcohol stove, which both slide under the cockpit for stowage. The head is a chemical type and is located forward, just aft of the bow "V"-berth, forward of the bulkhead. Additional sleeping space is provided in the cabin, with two berths. A chart table is located on the port side and also stows under the cockpit when not in use.

Standard equipment includes a spinnaker and associated gear, an outboard motor bracket, headfoil (a headsail airfoil-shaped reinforcement) and a compass. The boat's controls all can be actuated from the cockpit and include internally-mounted halyards. The cockpit has two genoa winches and two winches for the halyards. There is a 4:1 internal outhaul, an 8:1 boom vang and adjustable backstay and running backstays.

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 147 with a high of 152 and low of 138. It has a hull speed of 6.29 kn (11.65 km/h).

## Operational history

In a review Richard Sherwood wrote, "the Hotfoot is a new design that is selling well in Victoria, B.C., and starting to move south. Keel and rudder are both deep to assist to windward, often a problem with boats this light. The running backstays are unusual. The manufacturers feel that they are needed for shaping the sail, not for keeping the rig up."

