changing fc8 for newer sportsboat

Far better than an First class 8 , well in terms o speed , used to sail em occaisonaly as for fragile well dare I say there are no two exactly alike !!!, I sailed a fragile one - went like a rocket and a not so fragile (ie you could stand anywhere on it !) , went like a dog .

Gr8 boats if you buy the right one , but research very carefully and if you want fast fragility is way to go .

The boats I sailed were new at the time .

We also could pace just about anything up wind 35- 40 foot and beat melges downwind because sigma 8 has huge mast head kite . No Corks then to thrash tho !!

and when all went t*ts up bulb on keel would bring it back up without wet antics !! one VERY windy race at Nats proved this

yup Croatia !!!!

95 time flies

When they fell out of fashion you couldn't give one away , they now have regained value .

trust me some are more equal than others !!!, but when you get to know some "one designs" tis often the case !

As to how they have faired over time only a current Sig 8 sailor could tell , they have prob gained weight - got more flexible .

Some had extra lead fitted in bilge for better sportsboat rating .

If you mean - are they problems, the usual advice is to hire a marine surveyor. Although personally I didn't last time I bought a boat. I just spent a lot of time crawling over them looking for problems. 

If you mean - is it a quick one, you can only look at the racing record. That can be hard to disentangle from the skills or otherwise of previous owners. Funnily enough, the nationals winner is usually rumoured to have a "fast boat".

Rogers generally has a good reputation for build quality. Can't say any more than that on the W27.