Sailing a Halcyon 27

[@Tampo-tiger]

What a pleasure to hear the real sounds. No aggravating music or speaking for the sake of it, just the lovely sound of her cutting the sea in half.

[@HP-qj4gz]

What a beautiful boat! I regularly pass Nimbus on her berth and hope to see her sailing soon!

[@SVNimbus]

Thanks.. I didn't get much sailing last year.. hope this year is better.. so maybe see you out on the water rather than you passing her moored!

[@javiador602]

Great video! Dreaming with it. I have one too. Thanks for sharing.

[@lonestaradventures8838]

Great video.greerings from a halcyon sailor from Canada. We live the boat and its sailing qualities. We often sail above hull speed which is really good for a classic plastic boat. Ours crossed the atlantic with previous owners years ago.fair winds

[@SVNimbus]

Really nice to hear from another halcyon... your Canadian water must be much slippier that in Wales.. I don't get to hull speed too often!!! Hope you're able to get out sailing, we're still locked down here.

[@lonestaradventures8838]

Boat is on the hard for winter haulout. The great lakes freeze here.this year not,but we haul out every year. Perhaps it's the freshwater that makes it bit faster. 15 knots and we consistently get over 6 knots. Over hull when about 17 to 18. I find the sweet spot is 12 to 15 knots That's where the halcyon shines.as far as i know it's the only one in canada,perhaps north america

[@kqchannel]

Nice to see a video of your boat again.. greetings from Argentina

[@SVNimbus]

Greetings to you in Argentina!! It's nice to be back on the water again, my marina has been closed most of the year. Hope you keep safe, things look tough right now over there.

[@curtishill6490]

She seems so steady💯love watching from Cape Cod👍thanks for sharing your journeys 💯 stay safe🙏

[@SVNimbus]

Yes.. flat water and offshore breeze, but she's less fun reversing into tight marinas! Cape Cod looks to be a beautiful area.. do many people still sail in the wintertime?

[@johnwishart7950]

beautiful

[@anpgr]

Greetings from another Halcyon 27 owner on east coast. Always checking your vids for inspiration. Hope we get to see some new ones this year!

[@SVNimbus]

Greetings ... are you based on east coast of UK or US? Last year wasn't the greatest for sailing, couldn't cross the border into Wales to get to Nimbus due to lockdown, this year should be better... I hope!!! Have you managed to get on the water much?

[@anpgr]

@@SVNimbus East coast UK. No sailing yet for me - what was meant to be a quick antifoul job turned into a major drivetrain overhaul, prop, shaft, outboard bearing, seal, coupling & mounts. Hope to finish soon. And looking fwd to seeing your vids!

[@SVNimbus]

@@anpgr Yes that's always the way with "quick" haulouts!! I'm guessing you dont have the original Sabb engine and variable pitch prop, I'd be really interested in what your whole set up is, engine, coupling type and shaft seal, prop etc, My old yanmar SB12 is bolted down using pieces of tractor tyres as mounts... it even shakes boats anchored nearby!

[@anpgr]

@@SVNimbus I've got a Bukh DV10ME which just fits in the engine compartment! I believe this was installed early 90's long before I acquired her. The coupling was rigid standard bukh and there was a fixed 2-blade prop. I switched to a 3-blade prop 5yrs ago to help push against strong currents. This time I found my prop seriously de-zinced and loose on the shaft - the shaft had serious damage too. So made a new shaft & prop. De-zinc was due to no anode.. stupid mistake but there was none installed when I got the boat and I was on a swinging mooring back then, before moving to a marina. Thought about changing shaft seal from trad stuffing box to a more modern one but the inboard mounting for the seal has a lip which makes this a bit tricky - also the outboard bearing is not one that allows water flow as required by modern seals - so it was recommended to keep the stuffing box. I got a new one as the old one was in very poor condition. Also got a new solid shaft coupling that allows slight adjustment to prop length - this will allow me to put a small shaft anode . When I put everything back together there was significant engine/shaft mis-alignment - so got new mounts (not original but same as Bukh) and will hopefully replace this weekend. Depending on what the alignment looks like when I get the new mounts on I may get an R&D flex coupling - although the sigmadrive looks a lot more forgiving but 6x cost.. That's too much info but since you asked I thought I'd give you the full picture. I would check the alignment on the engine/shaft because several things could go wrong if this is way out of alignment. I know motoring is not what we want to do but it's good to have a reliable setup when we need it.

[@SVNimbus]

@@anpgr Thanks, that's really interesting and great to see such detailed info. I swapped my three blade to a two blade, hoping for less drag behind the keel but swapped back after a year because of the loss of thrust you mentioned. Other than adding remote greasers to the stuffing box and stern gland, I've not updated anything,, just maintained, truth is, I'm afraid once I change one part I'll end up changing the whole blooming lot, so I've turned a blind eye, and become accustomed to a less than ideal installation. On the flip side, I do like being able to start the engine manually with a hand crank, and that it drinks only 0.5lt/hr of diesel. If you still have the original green oval shaped steel fuel tank, I'd give that a good inspection on it's underside, mine rusted away, thin as a biscuit tin.

[@paulganniclifft5652]

Great videos, I enjoy watching them, I would love a boat like this but not many good ones around at the moment. Could you tell me what the headroom is like inside please? Thankyou and happy sailing Paul

[@SVNimbus]

Thanks, the original brochure says "six foot", but this relates to the area closest to the companionway, but the headliner steps down as you move forward. I raised my cabin floor to give a wider horizontal area .. partly so I didn't keep stepping on my dog, but also to fit a water tank underneath... originally there's only a 1ft wide flat bit of floor, before the hull curves upward on either side. I'm 5ft8, so now have 5Ft8 headroom!

[@paulganniclifft5652]

@@SVNimbus Thankyou for the reply that is really helpful and interesting. I am looking for a small safe full keel yacht with headroom I am also 5 ft 8. I have looked at contessa 26 but to small, think I have now narrowed down the search to either halcyon 27 or Vancouver. Let me know if you ever need a crew or help with anything. Thankyou for your help Paul

[@SVNimbus]

​@@paulganniclifft5652 some other similar yachts to consider cutlass 27, Elizabethan 29, Albin Vega 27, Bristol 27

[@Tampo-tiger]

Have just taken ownership of one, and a more heart-stirringly beautiful vessel I would be hard-pressed to name. No wonder ships are referred to as 'her'.

[@sailingceltic1911]

Hi. Cant rember if I told you, I saw your boat in Penwelli last year on my way to join the Jester Challange to Baltimore. It was a nice suprise. FAIR WINDS T.J.

[@SVNimbus]

Hi TJ hope you're keeping well across there. Yes I was working down south when you sailed over, it would have been great to catch up face to face and have a few beers. That all seems a world away now! Did you enjoy the Jester, if I remember the winds weren't too helpful for the return? Wales was "closed" until mid July so I'm just grateful to get back on the water.

[@multa765]

I love the view facing aft, you're really trucking! One thing puzzles me, though. You have GRP coamings. I always thought the Halcyon 27 had wood coamings... Explain, please.

[@SVNimbus]

Thanks for the comments.. Yes you are correct halcyons have teak coamings, but after being damaged I rebuilt in Grp, and redesigned to make the cockpit seats more comfortable, I filmed the start of the rebuild here kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZWpenmEa8ySl8ksi=4UrlizpSoYOVLOY1

[@mjcooke2sailingmostly]

Good you got out there, the cockpir mod doesn't look like a mod, if you know what I mean. Less wood to maintain. The teak lasted well but a great improvement now. She must have been going top speed. Hope there was a quiet anchorage at tbe end.

[@SVNimbus]

Hi yes nice offshore wind but still pleased to get over 6 knots (that doesn't happen often!!!). When I jumped overboard in the evening I was surprised how clean the hull was (after 18months since last haul out) hardly any barnacles , maybe my new berth catches more brackish flow from the river that feeds into the harbour. I'm glad I did the cockpit, it's much more comfortable.

[@elbob3631]

Hello. Nice boat. What sort is it.

[@SVNimbus]

Hello, it's a Halcyon 27 (built in the UK by offshore yachts in 1969)

[@Tampo-tiger]

Hi El Bob. Just wondering what led you to look at this video but to not see the title? Was it selected for you by KZbin, or maybe you simply clicked on it from the thumbnail? Just interested, that's all.

[@elbob3631]

@@Tampo-tiger I'm a subscriber - lazy one - evidently. I subscribed to find a decent cheap solution to self-stearing my boat. i commented as I like the idea of a small seaworthy boat that can be managed by a solo sailor

[@Tampo-tiger]

@@elbob3631 Oh my word, I'm in the same position mate. I just was looking at Sailing Uma's video about their on board equipment and they recommended their Cape Horn wind vane. When I Googled the company's web site I found that, like most factory-made self-steering units they are approximately $/£/€4000! I've been subscribed to the KZbin channel a Contessa 26 which was owned by wonderful Alan Mulholland, a Canadian gentleman, and he made a hardwood and stainless steel wind vane (he called it the Mark Three as it was gradually improved over the years and this was the final incarnation) for next to no money which has seen him safely across the Atlantic as well as other daunting passages. I'm going to have a go at making one as it looks pretty straightforward. Another DIY option seems to be the Hebridean, although you do have to buy quite a lot of their stainless steel parts which works out to cost a fair few hundred $/£/€. That's still a long way short of the cost of the - admittedly beautiful - wind-powered factory-made self-steering gear like the Cape Horn and the Hydrovane. Mike.

[@Tampo-tiger]

PS I'm boatless at the moment but looking for a Cutlass 27 or any similar Folkboat-style fibreglass fixer-upper craft that I can prepare for very long distance travel.

[@IrregularPineapples]

Sounds like the engine is on? or no?

[@SVNimbus]

Hi .. no the engine is not running here... just wind/boat noise... and I stopped using background music so y.tube can t interupt with adverts

[@IrregularPineapples]

@@SVNimbus Thanks for the reply. I prefer these no-music versions. Big job on the aft you did but it looks great. Thinking of getting a Halcyon 27 myself which is why I'm lurking around these parts of youtubes. The DIY roller is pretty amazing, too.

[@SVNimbus]

@@IrregularPineapples Thanks for the kind comments... and hope you get on the water soon (there's lots of good info at the owners web forum oycoa.org.uk/ for H27's)

[@greentiaan]

Hi SV Nimbus, I am of very similar mind and way of thinking . I sail a Sadler 25 and was wondering if I could private message you? [e-mail] Regards Bob

[@MrBluoct]

Mia. Planning to post again ?