Very true. My impression from afar is that the viability of the project to build Express 27s in New Zealand was undermined by Bush administration economic policies that led to the big drop in the value of the U.S. dollar against the New Zealand dollar. This increased the price of a new boat by around 50 percent, a good reason, among many others to vote for John Kerry!!! :-)

J24s built by Waterline in the U.S. are currently offered for sale in Port Sanilac, Michigan for $42,200 plus $1800 freight and $2,400 comissioning. J24s displace 3100 pounds--that's 600 more pounds of material than an Express 27. Allowing for a bit more labor in an Express 27 to meet the Schumacher/Alsberg specs and quality, somebody should be able to build and sell an Express 27 in the U.S. or Canada for under $50,000 instead of the $60+ figure from New Zealand. Everbody knows that an Express 27 sails incomparably better in all conditions than a J24!!!