Cal 2-27

Built 1974–1980 by Jensen Marine

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About the Cal 2-27

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Built: 1974–1980
Builder: Jensen Marine
Designer: C. William Lapworth
Length: 26.58 ft
Waterline: 22.08 ft
Beam: 9.25 ft
Draft: 4.25 ft
Displacement: 6,700 lb
Ballast: 3,100 lb
Hull: fiberglass
Hull / keel: fin keel
Rig: sloop
Propulsion: inboard
Fuel: 15 gal
Water: 20 gal
Number built: 656
Stern thruster: not fitted
Steering: tiller

Tank capacities — where the figures come from

Fuel 15 gal
“The fuel tank holds approximately 15 gallons of gas or diesel fuel” — owner's manual, calsailors.com · “The fuel tank holds 25 U.S. gallons” — spec database, en.wikipedia.org · “95 liters (25 US gallons)” — search excerpt, yachtdatabase.com

The builder's owner's guide (Jensen Marine, part of Bangor Punta) says about 15 gal, and the tank came with the optional inboard engine. The 25 gal on Wikipedia and a spec database isn't supported by the builder.
Water 20 gal
“There is a 20 gallon fresh water tank under the "V" berth - forward.” — owner's manual, calsailors.com

The builder's owner's guide agrees with our earlier figure.
Holding unknown
The owner's guide lists head options but no holding-tank size.
Water heater unknown
“There is a 20 gallon fresh water tank under the "V" berth ... To pump water, simply move the pump handle back and forth.” — owner's manual, calsailors.com

The Cal-Boats owner's guide describes only a 20 gal tank with a hand pump to the galley and an optional vanity sink, and a 12 V DC-only electrical system. No hot water is mentioned, though the guide never says there was none.

Tanks are often replaced or added on older boats — check the tank labels or a survey for yours.

Thrusters and steering — where this comes from

Bow thruster unknown
The Cal-Boats owner's guide covers optional engine, head, stove, ports and batteries but no thruster; it is not a full option list.
Stern thruster not fitted
Our earlier figure of none has no source, and nothing was found either way.
Steering tiller
“Is there a conversion to wheel steering for a cal 2-27 1978? ... Wife has a hard time under power with the prop against” — search excerpt (1978), forums.sailboatowners.com

An owner's question about converting a 1978 boat to wheel steering suggests a tiller as built. The Cal-Boats owner's guide doesn't describe the steering, and no factory wheel option was found.

Thrusters and steering are often replaced — check the units on your boat before ordering parts.

Sources disagree on engines — left blank rather than guessed.

Solid hull with internal lead ballast in an envelope keel; deck cored with plywood sections. Deck-stepped mast on a compression post over a transverse fiberglass molding. Standard engine and production years were disputed (see disputed). Built in Canada as the Crown 28.

Engines fitted

Atomic 4 (Universal) — gas, single standard
Factory-fitted at first and installed in many boats (Wikipedia, Practical Sailor). Some boats had an outboard instead.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · practical-sailor.com
Atomic 4 (Universal) 11 hp diesel ('Atomic 11' per sailboatdata) — 11 hp, diesel, single standard
Sailboatdata lists a Universal 11 hp diesel as the engine; Practical Sailor heard from owners with 11 hp Universal diesels (and Volvo MB10As). Whether factory or retrofit is not stated.

Sources: sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com
Farymann single-cylinder diesel — 12 hp, diesel, single factory option
Option on later boats that few chose; owners reported corrosion and parts problems.

Sources: practical-sailor.com · en.wikipedia.org · sailboatdata.com

Boats of the same model can differ — check which engines yours actually has before ordering parts.

Generator

Owner's guide: 6-fuse 12 V DC panel fed by one (optional two) 70 Ah battery; no AC system or generator mentioned.

Manuals and brochures online

Owner's manual Cal 2-27 Owner's Guide, Cal-Boats (Bangor Punta), with sail plan, inboard profile and rigging list (scan) — calsailors.com

Hosted by the builder or an owners' association; they own the copyright.

Known problems for this model

Weak backing for stanchions and hardware deck
Stanchions and deck hardware were fitted with inadequate backing plates, and many owners have added their own.
practical-sailor.com
Chainplate and hull-deck joint leaks deck
Chainplates are hard to seal at the deck and the putty-sealed hull-deck joint is reported to leak.
practical-sailor.com
Loose rudder post steering
Owners mention play in the rudder post.
practical-sailor.com
Farymann diesel corrosion and parts engine
Owners of the optional Farymann diesel report electrolytic corrosion damage and trouble getting parts; diesel boats are also felt to be underpowered, and engine access is poor.
practical-sailor.com
Gate valves on through-hulls plumbing
Original through-hulls used gate valves rather than proper seacocks.
practical-sailor.com

1 more

Gelcoat crazing hull
Gelcoat crazing is a common complaint on these older hulls.
practical-sailor.com

Engines & parts

Universal Atomic 4 parts: good

Factory standard engine — you entered “Atomic 4 (Universal)”

Tens of thousands were built (sources say from 40,000 to 50,000). Despite being out of production for decades, the engine is well supported: Moyer Marine sells parts, rebuilt engines, fuel pump rebuilds and exhaust parts, and hosts an owners' forum; Old Lyme Marina and others also supply parts, and electronic ignition upgrades are available.

Parts sources: Moyer Marine

Common problems (3)

Raw-water cooling scale and corrosion cooling
Most Atomic 4s are raw-water cooled, so the block scales up and corrodes, especially in salt water; cranking without starting can also flood the engine with seawater through the exhaust.
goodoldboat.com · moyermarineforum.com · keelindex.com
Gasoline vapor fire/explosion risk fuel
Gasoline vapor is heavier than air and settles in the bilge, so ventilation, blower use and shutting the fuel valve (a stuck carburetor float can overflow) matter.
goodoldboat.com
Ignition and fuel system faults electrical
Points, condenser, cap and wires, plus gummed carburetors and contaminated fuel, are the most common reasons an Atomic 4 won't run well.
keelindex.com · goodoldboat.com

Maker’s service schedule (9)

Engine oil & filter change	50 hrs	“3. FIFTY HOUR CHECK a. Using sump pump, remove all oil from crankcase. Refill with a good grade oil as specified in Tabl” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Fuel filters & water separator	50 hrs	“e. Clean fuel pump strainer.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Heat exchanger & oil cooler cleaning	50 hrs	“b. Inspect oil cooler and remove any accumulation of grit or dirt.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Clean flame arrestor	100 hrs	“b. Inspect flame arrestor to be sure air passages are clean and free from oil. If dirty remove and wash with kerosene.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Check clutch (reverse gear) adjustment	100 hrs	“4. ONE HUNDRED HOUR CHECK ... c. Check adjustment of clutch.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Valve clearance check / adjust	150 hrs or 1 yr	“5. ONE HUNDRED FIFTY HOUR CHECK a. Check valve tappet adjustment.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Spark plugs inspect / replace	150 hrs	“b. Remove, clean, and reset spark plugs.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Transmission fluid change Universal V-drive unit (V-drive installations only; the standard reverse gear shares engine oil)	500 hrs	“(2) After the first 50 hours of operation, drain unit and refill ... (3) Change lubricant every 500 hours of operation.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Complete overhaul	3,000 hrs	“At the end of three thousand hours of operation the engine should be completely overhauled.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com

Service part numbers (8)

Oil filter optional add-on oil filter (not standard equipment)	Universal 276236	“2 Element or Cartridge 1 276236 (Oil Group, Oil Filter, Not Standard Equipment)” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Raw-water impeller Oberdorfer N202M-03 / N202M-07 replacement raw-water pump (Universal pump 295625)	Oberdorfer 6593	“5 Impeller 6593 6593 6593 6593 6593 1 (N202M, N202M-03, N202M-07 parts list)” — manufacturer, pumpsandpartsonline.com · “Impeller : Catalog # 6593, Impeller” — dealer, pumpagents.com
Raw-water pump kit Oberdorfer N202M-03 / N202M-07 raw-water pump	Oberdorfer 10725	“REPAIR KIT N202M N202M-03 N202M-07 10725” — manufacturer, pumpsandpartsonline.com · “Catalog # 10725, Repair Kit, includes O-Ring, Snap Ring, Impeller, 2 x Lip Seal” — dealer, pumpagents.com
Drive belt alternator belt (Prestolite and Motorola alternators)	Universal 239387	“19 Belt 1 239387 (12 Volt - Motorola 51 Amp Alternator)” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Spark plug	Universal 273276 × 4	“8 Spark plugs, champion 4 273276” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Thermostat late style, from 1967 / serial #79476 (Holley 145 F, on cylinder head)	Universal 200206	“12 Thermostat Kit 1 200206 consists of 262278 and 261601” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Thermostat Dole type, before serial #79476 (on manifold)	Universal 200207	“13 Kit, Thermostat (consists of 275965 & 261144) 1 200207” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com
Zinc / anode fresh-water-cooled engines only (Universal heat-exchanger kit)	Universal 299760	“23 zinc pencil 1 299760 (Cooling, Fresh Water System, after serial #79476)” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com

From the engine maker’s parts lists, or two independent parts dealers. Numbers change with serial number and get superseded — check yours before ordering.

Sources disagree on first year, last year, number built — left blank rather than guessed.

Model sources (5)

sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com · sealsspars.com · en.wikipedia.org · calsailors.com

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Other Cal models

Cal 2-29 1974–1978
Cal 25 1965–1976
Cal 31 ?–1984
Cal 39 Mk II 1978–1982

Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.