# Sun Yacht



## wchevron (Oct 19, 2007)

anyone ever heard of sun yachts. someone nearby is selling a '78 27' sun yacht. roller furling, 12 hp yanmar diesel, tiller steering. looked at it very quickly and appears to be in decent shape. my neighbor is looking for a boat this size. just wondering if i should recommend it or not.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Wchevron-

Are you sure it isn't a Jeanneau... They've used sun in a bunch of their product names... the Sun Fast and Sun Odyssey series for example.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Sun Yachts were built by Spencer in BC, they produced the 838 (27'), a 31 footer and after a short time began to market themselves as "SUNSTAR", which are the same hulls with slightly different window treatment.

They seem to be reasonable coastal cruisers, plenty of them around here. They have a good amount of space, fairly high freeboard but good headroom. Build quality would be average-to-good, Spencer has been building a lot of semi custom bigger boats for years, (many of which have done extensive ocean passages) so they know how to do it.

The 27 is probably on par or better quality wise with a Catalina 27 but is a much bigger boat.

The Sunstar 31 is a nice looking boat, actually suspiciously similar to the S2 31 footer. I think that there were many more 27s (8.38s) sold than the 31s. IIRC the 31s were underpowered as standard.

Here's a link to a Sunstar 28 (later version of the 27) Does it look similar?

Sailboats: 28' Sunstar 28 - Listing #: 2483

As always, get a good survey and check it out. I believe they both used encapsulated ballast rather than bolt on keels, underwater profile is moderate fin and spade.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Thanks faster.


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## wchevron (Oct 19, 2007)

faster
thanks, it does look similiar but i really need a closer look. the boat is at a business and the owner wasn't around but one of the employees told me it was a sun yacht so i'm not positive it's not a jenneau but the employee said the owner told him the boat was built in washington state which is close to B.C. so i think it might be a sun. thanks for the help, i'm going to let my neighbor know about it. it's been on the hard for a couple of years but the asking price is $5000 but negotiable.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

If in good condition at a negotiable $5K that could be a real deal... If the boat came from the PNW I'm pretty confidant that we're talking about the same boat.

Google "SUN 838" or "Sunstar 28" and you should get a few more pics to compare.


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## den98028 (May 28, 2009)

*sun yacht 27*

I have a sun yacht 27. We believe this one was made n 78. Mine has a manual jib with an 8 hp Yanmar diesel.

I'm only a novice sailor but we like it a lot. I agree with others that its well built and probably suitable for coastal sailing. We have had to do very little maintenance so far. We keep it in Puget Sound.

Like you, I'm thrashing around for specifications. I was told the boatyard was in Bellingham Wa. and it folded years ago. We were also told their was some link to Reinell which was another local boatyard, but again; not sure. Take a close look and get a pro to do a survey.

Regards


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## Biker1bob (Sep 15, 2008)

I have been looking over one for a while now here in ONtairo Canada. I know it is a SUN 28 and I did manage to get some specs etc from Spencer Yachts..

So if anyone would like me to make a PDF for you.. let me know.

Also Faster made a good post in this thread to me last year http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/17744-27-sun-sloop.html

Yes I would agree $5000 is very fair.. boats this size and build go for $10+ out here.. but because it is little known and hard to get info.. you get a deal.

James


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## Biker1bob (Sep 15, 2008)

Well no one has posted here again. Den98028.. would you be willing to share some pics of your boat? chainplates? engine compartment, galley, head, your electrical area?

I am close to taking the one I am looking at.. it is a fixer upper.. but with a good hull (not cored I understand) a deck that might have 1 soft area, and a good rig with 6 sails, I think this is worth getting into.

I have a fair amount of info on this boat now for those that are looking.

Wchevron.. what ended up with the one you were looking at??

I have seen some excellent examples of these boats.

Mine looks like it has been fresh water, and it came from the Ohio area before getting out east (LAke Ontario) to me.. 

Anyone want to discuss this boat more?

James


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

The Sunstar was built by Spencer for Specialty Yachts (of North Vancouver)
in molds bought from somebody in Washington state. Attachment from Spencer owners group
Brian


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## Biker1bob (Sep 15, 2008)

Well thanks for the post mitiempo. 

For those with these boats, it would be nice to get some information exchanged etc. Sailnet is easy to use is already up and lets be honest there really is not enough of these boats to get an honest to goodness association going.

What did people do about your windows? Anyone give me suggestions on gasket material to back the plexiglass? or did you use caulking? or what did you do?

James


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## danno8698 (Dec 15, 2009)

biker1bob,
Dang, it's been a few years. I took the windows out, got the frames powdercoated and installed smoked plexiglass. Since it's not a bluewater boat, I decided against anything more expensive. But I didn't install the glass in frame. I DID caulk the crap out of the window/cabin install. I'm a novice myself and ask a bunch of questions about what to use. I think I ended up using sikaflex which is supposed to be pretty bulletproof. are the pdf's still available? ps. most of the stuff I've read about sunyachts seems to jive with what I've learned about mine (1978 27' - HAD a yanmar ysb8 but salt water ate a hole in the head)


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## crabsailer (Jan 8, 2010)

I also have a Sun 27. I have removed all of the headliner and most of the cabinets in my mildew eradication program. Of course the head and it's smelly hoses were the first things to go (the porta potti has only been used once in three years of heavy boat use) with the giant head cabinet. Water that seaps in from the chainplates, windows, handrails... was getting caught in between the overhead and the headliner hiding leaks. The vinyl came out pretty easy but the foam that was glued to the hull was a bigger problem.

Now that it's all gone and the interior has been painted the boat smells fairly neutral. Taking out the engine and putting an outboard on helped with interior smell, noise and vibration. Only the turning circle was adversly effected. When I want an oil change I place the motor in the back of my pickup and bring it to the mechanic.

Overall we like this boat for general use, ours is quite a bit lighter without the inboard and all the cabinets and crap inside, we have no problem going 6.5 knots under power and full throttle pops it over 7. 13 knots with the current under the Narrows Bridge. If you use your boat as a boat and spend most of the time outside the wide sidedecks are about as good as I've seen in a lower priced 27 foot cruiser.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Here's some stats:

Sun 27


Sun 28

Designed by Robert Perry.


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## downeast450 (Jan 16, 2008)

It sure looks like Perry's Islander 28.

Geo.


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## n.w.sailor (Oct 9, 2012)

wchevron said:


> anyone ever heard of sun yachts. someone nearby is selling a '78 27' sun yacht. roller furling, 12 hp yanmar diesel, tiller steering. looked at it very quickly and appears to be in decent shape. my neighbor is looking for a boat this size. just wondering if i should recommend it or not.


I have a 1978 Sun 27 Some were made near Belligham and some near Vancouver. They came with outboard, 1 cyl. Yanmar , and 2 cyl. Yanmar. Similar to a Catalina27 but much heavier built. They were NOT designed by Perry but by the young Monk. Perry drew the lines for the bow and stern for Monk
who rented the first floor of Perry's little building in Seattle. I've had my boat for about 19 years or so. very sturdy and does well in the storms I've been caught in. Very well designed living space with an offset entrance. A good boat for the price. A few things I added, handholds inside the cabin. I have a 20GM Yanmar in mine now, and a Campbell 12 inch prop. Does well in the Northwest.


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