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Stiletto 27: The Beachcat Grown Up

S27: performance multihull meets trailerable, pocket-cruiser..

It’s hard to mistake the Stiletto 27s appearance-typically with blazing topside graphics and aircraft-style, pop-top companionway hatches. It’s also hard for the average sailor to appreciate the sophistication of the Stilettos construction-epoxy-saturated fiberglass over a Nomex honeycomb core.

Florida-based Force Engineering was formed to build the Stiletto in the late 70s. Forces then marketing director, Larry Tibbe, had been an aircraft account salesman for Ciba-Geigy, which manufactured Nomex. Nomex coring is used in a variety of aircraft parts (like helicopter blades), as well as the Stilettos hulls.

The 27, or Stiletto Classic, was offered in several versions. The Standard Stiletto had a mainsail, a nearly naked interior, and no options. The racing version, the Championship Edition, came with a few options like deck hatches, rubrails and removable berths, plus extra racing sails, winches, and a knotmeter. The Special Edition, the most expensive of the three, was equipped with pocket-cruising options like a galley, head, berths, carpeted interior, and running lights. The GT (Grand Tourismo) model came with daggerboards in each hull rather than a centerboard (as did the Stiletto 23 and Stiletto 30).

About 500 Stiletto 27s were built during the 10-year production run from 1976 to 1986, and most were Special Edition models; only six boats were GTs. However, like most older boats, custom buyer options and owner modifications over the years mean current Stilettos can vary widely in design details, deck hardware, sail options, rig sizes, etc.

Force engineers (and brothers) Ron and Andy Nicol bought the Stiletto brand in 1983 and continued to build new boats until 1986. After production ceased, the Nicols Stiletto Catamarans became a supplier of Stiletto parts and offered refurbishing and modification services. Recently, the Nicols partnered with the North Carolina-based Stiletto Manufacturing, which was founded by Jay Phillips to re-launch Stiletto boatbuilding. Stiletto Manufacturing has just begun producing the new Stiletto X-Series boats. (See Stiletto Foiler on Horizon accompanying this article on right.) Stiletto Catamarans, which continues to offer parts and services for the classic Stiletto models in Venice, Fla., will be regional distributors for the new X-Series boats.

Photos courtesy of Sail Stiletto and Ben Appel

Classifying Cats

Multihulls larger than 20 feet can usually be classified as cruising or performance boats. The cruising multihull is characterized by beamy hulls, with a cabin house across the bridgedeck, stubby rigs, monohull-like displacements, and spacious interiors. Their design priority is comfort. Performance multihulls feature light displacement, powerful rigs, and lean interiors. Custom ocean-racing trimarans fall into this latter category, as do a few production catamarans like the Stiletto 27.

The 27 has become a popular choice for owners looking for a more affordable option for multihull class racing. You’ll find active fleets of 27s racing in many parts of the country, but they’re likely most popular in Florida, the birthplace of Stiletto. In fact, the Stiletto Nationals are annually held in PSs homewaters of Sarasota, Fla.

While the Stiletto does offer ripping speed, its also a good family boat. Its trailerable and beachable, making it a fun platform for weekend camping trips aboard or exploring desolate beaches and sandbars with the kids. It doesn’t have the creature comforts of a typical cruising cat, but for a low-maintenance crew, it makes near-shore and inshore cruising accessible. It offers a stable ride and can easily accommodate six to eight people on deck. Its also a forgiving boat for new multihull skippers or sailing newbies; with only 9 inches of draft (centerboard up) and weighing only 1,100 pounds, there’s no need to worry about soft groundings as it can easily be pushed off the bottom.

Construction

Very few boats are cored with the Nomex honeycomb that make up the 27s hulls and bridgedeck. Sandwiching a core material between two layers of fiberglass laminate is not a new technique, but most boatbuilders use cores of balsa wood, Airex foam, or Klegecell foam. Core construction offers several advantages over single-skin construction. It is stiffer for a given weight, lighter for a given stiffness, makes the boat quieter, and reduces condensation.

Honeycomb is rarely used for boatbuilding because the molding procedure is far more sophisticated (and expensive) than with balsa or foam cores. Honeycomb can be made of several materials: paper, aluminum, and nylon. Using paper or aluminum honeycomb in boats is questionable because of their susceptibility to water damage should the cores outer laminate be breached. However, the Stilettos Nomex honeycomb core is made of nylon.

According to Stiletto, a Nomex honeycomb-cored panel, for a given weight, is stronger, stiffer, less brittle, and more puncture resistant than foam or wood cores. Nomex is also said to be impervious to water, so there is no water migration between the honeycomb cells should the outer skin be ruptured.

Getting the honeycomb to bond to the fiberglass skins isn’t easy. First, the fiberglass cloth must be pre-impregnated with epoxy resin. Most boat builders use polyester resin, which lacks the adhesive strength of epoxy, and saturate the fiberglass after it has been laid into the mold-a messy and inexact procedure. Pre-impregnated cloth, or prepreg, has an exact resin-to-cloth ratio, which means that the builder always has the optimum strength-to-weight ratio. Most boat builders must err on the resin-rich side when saturating cloth, which increases weight but not strength.

To cure the prepreg after layup, the mold was baked at 250 degrees for 90 minutes. At the same time, the fiberglass skins were vacuum-bagged to the honeycomb to ensure proper adhesion.

Most builders vacuum-bagging process entails laying a sheet of plastic into the mold and sucking the air out with a single pump. Force Engineering used a blotter to absorb excess resin and 16 spigots to distribute the vacuum, a more effective technique. When finished, each of the Stiletto 27s hulls weighed only 220 pounds and was impressively strong and stiff.

Unlike the high-tech hull and bridgedeck, the aluminum mast and crossbeams were built with conventional technology. All-up, the Stiletto weighed 1,100 to 1,570 pounds, depending on optional equipment.

Gelcoat cannot be used in the Stilettos molding process. Instead, each boat must be faired with putty and painted with polyurethane. Paint has the advantage that it will not chalk like gelcoat and is much easier to repair yourself, but it is more susceptible to nicks, scrapes and peeling, especially if improperly applied.

Except for the handful of GT models, the Stiletto 27 was designed with a single centerboard mounted on centerline through a slot in the bridgedeck. It is held snugly in place by a latticework of stainless-steel tubes designed to collapse in the event of a hard grounding. The airfoil centerboard on older models was made of wood, and chipped trailing edges were a common problem. Later boards were molded of fiberglass and more resistant to damage.

Some performance-minded Stiletto owners have done away with the centerboard all together, opting instead for a high-aspect daggerboard in each hull, with added bulkheads to support the daggers. This increases the boats pointing ability and boosts overall performance.

Few Classics still have the original aluminum spars and crossbeams. Common modifications on the 27s include moving the forward crossbeam forward 18 inches (increasing overall stiffness and adding sail area in the foretraingle) and extending mast heights three feet to accommodate a larger, square-top mainsail. Many of these modifications, along with the daggerboard refits, were carried out by the Nicols at Stiletto Catamarans.

The Stiletto 27 gets high marks for its rudders. They have strong aluminum heads and double lower pintles. To be beachable, a catamaran must have kick-up rudders; these kick-up systems often refuse to work when you need them most. However, the Stilettos rudders worked smoothly and positively on the boats we test sailed.

Trailerability

One of the Classics selling points is its trailerability. But while it is light enough to be pulled by a vehicle with a tow capacity of 3,500 pounds (stripped-down racing 27s may get away with only 2,000 pound capacity, but wed err on the side of caution), rigging and launching the Stiletto is not a simple chore. Owners say it takes several people (two to four) several hours (three or four). To shrink the beamy (13 feet, 10 inches) Stiletto down to legal highway trailering width (8 feet typically), both the Stilettos crossbeams and the trailer collapse. The compression tube that spans the bows must be removed for trailering, as must the dolphin striker beneath the mast step and the 125-pound bridgedeck.

To raise and lower the mast, the headstay is shackled to a short, pivoting gin pole mounted just aft of the trailer winch. The winch is used to pull the gin pole, which in turn provides leverage to hoist the heavy mast. Owners say that lifting the bridgedeck and manhandling the spar is next to impossible with just a couple. As long as you have the muscle, this clever system does work.

The Stiletto is a performance catamaran. In a breeze, owners report, she is as fast or faster than a Hobie 16. Most have been upgraded with genoas, drifter/reachers, and spinnakers. Many also sport deep reefs and storm jibs, required to keep the boat manageable in a blow.

According to owners, the Stiletto does not have some of the bad heavy-air habits of smaller catamarans. It is relatively dry to sail up to about 12 knots, does not hike up and fly a hull too easily, has no tendency to pitchpole, and does not get light as it comes off a big wave sailing upwind.

Like most cats, the Stiletto has a fully battened mainsail. The advantage is that it can have a much larger roach, and because the battens dampen luffing, the sail will last longer.

The Stiletto also has a rotating mast. The older masts have only athwartships diamond shrouds; the later 27s have an added third diamond extended forward to control fore-and-aft bend in a strong breeze. This three-diamond system is strongly welded together and a real plus for heavy-weather sailing.

Deck Layout

The Stiletto has a solid bridgedeck stretched between the two hulls aft of the mast, and a polypropylene mesh trampoline forward of the mast. You’ll find varying trampoline setups; some are laced with a series of hooks and others have bolt rope edges that slide into tracks on the hull and crossbeams.

The bridgedeck, which is where crew spends the most time, has no proper seats, but it does have molded-in benches running the length of each side of the bridgedeck. These are not the most comfortable for seating underway, but some owners have reported that using marinized beanbags for lounging is a practical option. Bridgedeck cushions were standard on the Special Edition, and many owners have added them over the years-some also have added a backrest for the helmsman.

A wire stretched between the bows forward of the headstay acts as a traveler for the optional reacher/drifter. Many owners have added roller-furling headsails and main halyard winches; headsail winches were standard on the Championship Edition but were an extra-cost option on the other models as sheet loads on such a light boat are not that high.

The Stiletto has a ball-bearing mainsheet traveler, but the original mainsheet setup had only a 6-to-1 purchase, which owners say is insufficient in a breeze; an 8-to-1 setup is recommended. The tiller extension passes behind the mainsheet, and the tiller crossbar is adjustable so you can align the two rudders. The jibsheets are led to ratchet blocks (Harken brand on our test boat) to make trimming easier.

The outboard engine bracket is hung off the aft crossbeam. Engines up to 18 horsepower are common on the 27s, giving motoring speeds of 12 to 14 knots, but a 6-horsepower outboard is adequate and more popular with racers.

The Standard Stiletto version is nothing but an empty shell below. The Special Editions original interior was completely covered-ceilings, overhead and sole-with marine carpeting. No doubt, most owners have removed the carpet by now, or at least replaced it.

The Stiletto has the narrow hulls of a fast catamaran, which means that its berths are only 31 inches wide (twin size) but are extra long (14 feet), with one in each hull. There is stowage space under the berths.

Stilettos were offered with an optional mosquito-tight bridgedeck tent. Owners have reported that the tent was bulky and cumbersome, so most have ditched it in favor of popup tents set up on the trampoline or DIY boom tents over an air mattress on the bridgedeck.

The Special Edition had a self-contained head under one berth and a small galley with a sink, a hand-pump faucet, and a two-gallon water tank. There was no standard mounted stove, but many owners keep a portable stove onboard, which is more practical for this boat in our opinion. The Special Edition was also the only model with standard running and interior lights.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Stiletto is its conical, jet-fighter-looking companionway hatches. The canopies are vacuum-formed polycarbonate. These canopies can’t be cracked open like a conventional hatch, so it can get stuffy down below when its raining.

Conclusions

There is probably no production hull built in the U.S. with a better strength-to-weight ratio than the Stiletto. And although the design is 40 years old, the Nomex honeycomb fabrication is still impressive.

The Stiletto seems to appeal to the catamaran sailor hooked on fast performance, but who wants a boat that be taken places-either sailed to nearby weekend destinations or trailered out of state for a race or getaway. There are other options with more creature comforts for the multihull sailor who wants to weekend cruise, but few in this size and price range can offer the same speed performance and trailerability.

As PS contributor and former Stiletto 27 owner Drew Frye put it, How many $10,000, 40-year-old designs can top 20 knots with just Dad and a 10-year-old for crew, and then pull up to the beach so you can look for crabs with your kid?

If you’re considering a used 27, the ones in ready-to-sail shape run $15,000 to $25,000, but they hold their resale value. Replacement parts can still be bought from Stiletto Catamarans, and there is a very active and knowledgable owners group online.

The Stiletto 27 is certainly a niche boat-somewhere between beachcat and performance cruiser-but it serves that niche well, as its 40-year history can attest.

Thanks to its Nomex core and slick design, the Stiletto 27 is much lighter than most multihulls in its size range.

• Stiletto Catamarans
• Stiletto Manufacturing
• Stiletto Owners Group
• Stiletto Foiler on Horizon

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

I had a 27′ Stiletto. Took it to the nationals and trailered it everywhere. I would do it again, if my wife would let me

Get another wife!

I worked for Hawaiian Tropic and sailed the 23 and 27 for 9 years loved both . Sucks I had 2 stroke’s recently and have been looking in my area for one. Should get back pay soon watch out!

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Hobie Cat Rentals

Get on the water and sail on a Hobie Cat. There’s nothing quite like the salt air breezes across your face as you sail on the ocean. Adventurous and relaxing, all at the same time. Rent a Hobie Cat at Downwind today!

HOBIE 16 With its legendary design and induction into the Sailing Hall of Fame, the Hobie 16 is truly in a class of its own. Thirty years of racing and going stronger than ever.

Powerful enough to challenge veteran sailors yet easy enough for beginners, the Hobie 16 is the perfect all around cat. Asymmetrical hulls eliminate the need for dagger boards. This makes for easy launching and beaching.

Standard Features:

• White Asymmetrical Hulls Eliminate Daggerboards for Easy Beaching
• Kick-Up Rudders Allow Easy Beaching
• Colored, Race-Ready Dacron Sails
• Raised Trampoline for Dry, Comfortable Sailing and Easy Trapezing
• Double Trapeze System
• Harken Blocks
• Comptip Mast for Safety and Better High Wind Performance
• Black Anodized Aluminum

HOBIE WAVE 14 Sail solo or with a friend and discover the Wave’s remarkable quickness and agility. Bring the whole family and experience the Wave’s great carrying capacity and stability.

The Wave is quick to assemble, fast, and exciting to sail. Hobie’s roto-molded polyethylene manufacturing process makes the 13-foot catamaran lightweight, yet durable. Also available as the Wave Club Edition with a three-piece trampoline.

• Super Durable, Impact-Resistant Polyethylene Roto-Molded Hulls
• Special Keel Shape Eliminates Daggerboards for Easy Beaching
• New EZ Loc Rudder System (Patent Pending) for Easy Beaching
• Fully Battented, Multi-Colored Dacron Main Sail with Safety View Window
• Easy-Attach One Piece Colored Mesh Trampoline with Built-In Drink Holders
• Hobie Bob” Mast Float Helps Prevent Turtling if Capsized
• Comptip Mast for Safety
• Padded Seat Cushions for Added Comfort
• Innovative Design for Easy Transport and Storage

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JP Cat for the Win!!! My first boat ride since moving to the Tampa Bay 3 years ago. Rolled the dice and JP Cat was the choice. And a great one at that. My bestie was visiting from Ohio and I chose the Sunset Cruise for us. Although it was a little cold, it ended up being an amazing ride. 2 hours very well spent. I totally recommend JP Cat for a fun ride in the Bay. Take your friends who are visiting. Your family. Or even a nice romantic ride with your honey. You will totally enjoy yourself. And.... the crew is amazing.

See all photos from Roxanne D. for JP Cat

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Business Owner

Jun 7, 2021

Roxanne, we're so glad you could spend a day with us full of exploration and the beautiful St. Petersburg sights! We're so lucky to have such a wonderful crew on our side. See you next time!

Loved the sunset cruise . I'm going to schedule another cruise soon , unforgettable , thank you Captain and crew

What a spectacular evening! JP CAT hosted our group of 54 people for a Champagne Sunset Cruise! We were well taken care of by Captain Chuck, Nick and Grace for two hours of beautiful cruising in this lovely new catamaran. Calm seas, great crew and Mother Nature did not disappoint. Highly recommended!

Clouds at sunset.

Beautiful Florida sunset.

Jun 8, 2021

Though it's been a few years since we hosted your group, Matt, I'm delighted you all had a great time. We can't wait to have you join us again sometime in the future for another beautiful evening.

Pay attention to the address on confirmation email! They have moved. You get on from St. Pete now. They were nice to wait for us because we went to old location.

Great point! We're glad you had a wonderful time, and we can't wait to have you back on the water soon!

We had a great time on our 2 hour sunset cruise. The catamaran was very clean & staff was friendly. $49 adults/$30 kids under 12. Our ticket included a drink. They had water & soda also for the kids. They had cheese n crackers & veggies down by the bar but I'm not sure everyone knew. Maybe I missed their announcement because I was chatting. They do have 2 restrooms on board. I know they will cancel going out if they don't have enough people but I'm not sure what the count has to be. I would highly recommend doing this sunset cruise with a big group. I hope more people go & experience this so they can continue to go out.

What an awesome experience!!! Look no further and book with JP Cat! They crew / staff was amazing. We did the day time tour from 1-3 Pm and it was a perfect afternoon activity. The boat is very clean, spacious, and drinks on board. You get one alcoholic drink included then drinks to buy from there. Drinks / soda included. The staff would make sure we were ok on drinks, let us get involve with raising the sail, and helped us capture the moment as well. Great for locals visitors! We had such a great time, thank you!!

Number to call!

Thanks for coming by for some fun, Marissa! It's been a while since you wrote this for us, so we hope you'll make it back out our way again soon.

Chuck, Nick and Grace are the best!!! My parents came to visit and we took the two hour sunset cruise! Highly recommended, beer and wine on board!

It's been a while since you wrote this, Chelsea, but we sure appreciate your kind words! Thanks for being a fan -- hope you'll make it back out again soon.

If I could leave a zero star review I would. Nick the supposed captain for JP Cat set a time and date for a sunset cruise through my GF 5 days before the agreed departure. We showed up to the st. Pete marina location on time but found no one here. Called multiple times to their 727 310 7883 number but received no answer. Finally calling a number listed on the marina did we get an alternate number for Nick and found that he possibly had called us 2 hours before set sail but needed to cancel secondary to lack of interest. We had no vm or missed call. Both of us are professionals and took the afternoon off for this activity. Poor business and poor customer service all around. Be better nick.

We live in the area and have tried out several sunset cruises with visitors from small private boats to the larger ships including dinner. This was one of the best sunset cruises as the views were endless due to this being a catamaran, the sailing and experience were great, and the staff were safe and a lot of fun. This sunset cruise has only been open about 5 months, and we were impressed with Cody (Captain), Nick (Manager), and Tommy (Chef/Bartender). The price included one drink, and they came around to serve when they could and allowed you to run a tab (much easier than managing cash when you want a drink and an experience). The catamaran is good for someone wanting a full sailing experience, and I would caution anyone with mobility issues that this cruise is not for you (they also clarified this with us when we booked - great businesses don't want your $, they want your business). They reviewed the inclement weather policy with us too! We had an overcast night, and it was funny that no one remembered we missed sunset on the way back as we had a great sailing experience including seeing dolphins. If we have guests in town or want a cruise, we will be back! They mentioned they are going to be adding a sail and swim, and I look forward to trying it!

I did a private charter for my 30th birthday party and it was everything I had hoped it would be. The staff was incredible and very accommodating. Everything was clean and there was plenty of space for everyone's stuff. I had 37 people on the cruise and everyone of them had the best time. Would recommend to anyone looking for a great way to celebrate.

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More From Forbes

Gunboat 57 charter catamaran will spoil you with speed.

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Gunboat 57 Vai Vai is not your average charter cat.

One of the many perks of my job as a yachting writer is that I get to sail aboard a wide variety of boats. I especially love ripping off speed runs aboard some the world’s largest (and fastest) offshore race boats . Now, the truth is, the only reason I’m allowed aboard is because I’m just a humble journalist. But the blistering speeds those boats are capable of is addictive.

And as someone who’s been lucky enough to sail more than my fair share of charter catamarans in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, French Polynesia and other bucket list destinations, I can say every charter cat I’ve ever been on has been a fantastic platform for living large in the tropics. They’re not particularly exciting to sail.

Gunboat 57 Vai Vai speeds in front of Newport's The Claiborne Pell Bridge

I’m also grateful to say that I’ve sailed on a few high-performance sailing catamarans like the Gunboat 57 Vai Vai . One of the many cool things about Vai Vai is that she’s capable of blow-your-hair-back speeds AND providing just the right amount living space and cruising comforts. But I never knew it was possible to charter something as fast and fun-to-sail as a Gunboat 57—in Newport, Rhode Island in the summer and Caribbean in the winter—until now.

Jeff Hager's Gunboat 57 will appeal to sailors who appreciate high performance sailing and stylishly ... [+] comfortable accommodations on a charter boat.

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After spending a little time with the VaiVai’s owner Jeff Hager earlier this summer, all I can say is Vai Vai ’s speed potential makes it possible to cover way, way more ground than a more conventional charter boat. And since everyone (even the helmsman and sail trimmer can hang out in main bridgedeck area, and the catamaran never heels more than a few degrees) more speed doesn’t mean less comfort.

The Gunboat 57 is a powerful sailing catamaran with stylishly comfortable accommodations and an ... [+] indoor helm station

In fact, the indoor/outdoor living aboard Vai Vai is next level. The wrap-around windows provide protection from the high winds and spray such a fast boat produces. The 360-degree view is amazing while the massive roof provides essential sun protection. And the sheer size of the bridgedeck is soooo much bigger than what you’d find on a 57-foot monohull. And the nice thing about having the galley and living cabins in the hulls is that each cabin is particularly private.

But, let’s fact it. This boat will not appeal to anyone who rates a charter boat based on how over-the-top-“luxurious” the accommodations are. This is a high-performance sailor’s catamaran for people who don’t want to give up the sheer thrill of sailing on a charter.

The boat that will bring oysters and other raw bar staples out to your boat at anchor is one of the ... [+] many reasons to stop in Cuttyhunk on a charter aboard Vai Vai.

And if you’re lucky enough to book a week aboard VaiVai before she heads south in the fall, be sure to stop for oysters on the tiny island of Cuttyhunk. I guarantee you’ll beat every other sailing charter boat in Newport’s fleet.

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