Följande artikel publicerades i Yachting World 1975 när den andra Vancouver 27 var framtagen, prototypen Strider, som sedan fick tjäna som plugg till formarna.
“Vancouver 27 is very far from a standard small cruising boat. Pheon Yachts, the British builders, are a small company with little interest in the mass production market. The boat is therefore not limited by the 5 berth demands imposed on the normal 27 footer and is built to satisfy a smaller and probably more demanding number of yachts-men.
It has only two permanent berths and an occasional third and is intended to be used by the couple who are seriously considering short-handed long distance cruising. That the vacht is planned for two is obviou as soon as you step aboard; the cockpit is very small and on the wooden prototype, shallow.
In a small boat intended for serious cruising I feel that a small shallow cockpit with a substantial bridge deck is the right answer. In a boat intended to have a wide appeal a small cockpit would probably be considered a disadvantage and a high bridge deck an inconvenience.
The advantages of designing and building for a small market are obvious. Below, as the general arrangement shows, the non-standard nature of the boat becomes even more apparent. As has been said there are only two permanent berths but that does not make, necessarily, for a good cruising accommodation. The resulting extra space must be well used. On the Vancouver 27 it has been, with plenty of space being given to the galley and the chart table. The idea of having a sleeping cabin separate from the main living area is also surely a good one; even with only two aboard it is often necessary to be able to get away from the running of the yacht (or the other person).
The engine, a Yanmar, was easily accessible and well installed and there is a very large wet locker alongside it. Smaller details like the bilge pump and the various stopcocks were all efficiently arranged although I thought that the lee-boards in the sleeping cabin could have been a few inches higher for maximum comfort when at sea. Ventilation was superb with three dorade boxes serving the interior of what is not really a large boat.
The W.C. compartment is small but very neatly arranged and therefore efficient. Obviously the performance of a boat intended for long distance cruising cannot be assessed in a brief day’s sailing. The traditional keel profile should make it perfectly obvious that a performance of the cruiser/racer type is not to be looked for, stability is the name of the game. I can say that she performed quite happily on all courses, tacked easily and quickly and was easily steered. Yachtsmen used to a stiffer breed of yacht would probably find her quite tender but production models will have slightly more waterline beam to make them a little stiffer. The prototype has a cold moulded hull and marine ply decks but subsequent production boats will be in g.r.p.
This form of construction will mean that cabin headroom can be increased asther will no longer be any need for frames and floors. The basic boat will cost you £9750, which these days is about average value. For £3350 you can buy the hull, deck and keel for home completion. So far most of the orders have been for the kit. which saves a lot about the current economic climate and perhaps something about the people who are interested in the Vancouver 27. By building from a kit you can turn what is already an unusual boat into a very individual boat.“
Yachting World November 1975, med tillstånd
