Harvey, There's nothing wrong with the boat you're describing, but it wouldn't be an E-27. As soon as you start adding weight to the picture you depart from the vision of Carl S. and Terry A. and you wind up with a boat that is less responsive, less quick to accelerate, needs bigger sails, etc. There are certainly times when I wish I had a light-weight inboard, but frankly, from about March to the end of October, I never put the motor on anyway; it's so easy to sail in and out I don't bother. As for the jib boom and single line reefing, you really don't need them. I am a not-at-all athletic 50 and I singlehand the boat all the time with no problems. I've singlehanded in up to 30 knots, double in up to 45, with no reefs, and we were fine, while some much bigger and heavier boats were clearly struggling. I'm not saying we weren't busy, or that the adrenalin wasn't flowing, but we really had no problems. With the tiller pilot, I've flown the kite solo in 18 knots; not easy, but doable and a blast to boot. There's a custom Schumacher 28, After Math, on the bay that has some of the features you describe, minus the inboard. Very pretty boat, almost as pretty as an E-27! I also admire the AE28, although it's awfully expensive and all that teak would take more attention than I would like. The market success of the Alerion suggests that indeed there is a demand for a heavier, still elegant and responsive boat, even at $85,000. Remarkable. But I think that the Express27 as originally designed represents a unique alchemy that cannot be easily modified without losing the attributes that make the boat so special. Even Carl never really equalled the E27 in any of his later designs, wonderful though many of them were. And given the long saga of finding a new builder, it's clear that Terry Alberg's contributions--innovative and exceptional construction--are not easily duplicated either. As for wetsailing, it's only a problem for fanatics. Many of the original boats in Santa Cruz were wetsailed, and a wetsailed boat out of Alameda won the nationals a couple of years ago. I think about doing it myself sometimes, but then I look at the smooth original gelcoat on my boat's bottom, and consider the cost of annual bottom jobs, divers, etc. and I keep on drysailing. Get a ride on an Express, get a ride on an Alerion and decide which you like better. They're both great, but more different than you'd think just looking at the numbers. Larry Fisher Express 27 # 69 "Gwendolyn"

::
:: Why limit the thrill of sailing a thoroughbred to E-27
:: racers? Let's figure to configure the boat so it is more
:: suited to day-cruising light-handed on SF Bay and
:: beyond. Start by adding a torpedo-bulb to the keel.
:: According to Carl S. via Steve Seal, 500# would equal
:: two

:: hardies on the rail. Next fit a Hoyte Boom for a
:: non-overlapping jib with slab-reefing. While we're at
:: it, installing a SailDrive would certainly eliminate the
:: reported hassels with conventional out-boards. For those
:: who sail often, wet-sail the boat and expect that there
:: will be a market for a not-raced heavier boat. If, over
:: time, enough of these E's emerged, a sub-class (no
:: value-judgement intended) might organize. I believe
:: Alerion Express owners have started a class with very
:: few boats. Am anxious to receive feed-back re: the above
:: crazy-talk.

:: Cheers,

:: Harvey

:: 925-943-1707