BoatsCatalina Yachts 28

Catalina Yachts 28

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1991

A 1991 masthead sloop featuring a 38% ballast ratio and multiple configurations including wing keel and tall rig options

Designed by Gerry Douglas.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The Catalina Yachts 28, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Sailing Solé

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a beamy beam gives 23 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 23
CoastalBluewater

2.01 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.01
LightHeavy

274 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 274
EasygoingPowered-up

14.2 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.2
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

What the fleet has seen

The Catalina Yachts 28, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Catalina Yachts 28 is a Masthead Sloop designed by Gerry Douglas and built by Catalina Yachts from 1991 to the present, featuring a fin keel with a spade rudder. It measures 8.7 meters LOA, with a 3.1-meter beam, a 1.6-meter draft, and displaces 3764 kg. Catalina offered the 28 in multiple configurations, including a winged keel version and a tall mast version, with the MKII introduced in 1995. The winged keel variant has a displacement of 8600 lbs, 3500 lbs of ballast, and a draft of 3.83 feet. The tall mast version features an I dimension of 39.50 feet, a J of 10.80 feet, a P of 34.00 feet, and an E of 10.75 feet.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
38.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.2
Displacement / length
273.8
Comfort ratio
23.1
Capsize screening
2.01
Hull speed
6.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
866
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1991
Units built
620
Designer
Gerry Douglas
Builder
Catalina Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Watkins Yachts 278.23 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder, offered in rare pilot house and keel-centerboard configurations
Cal Boats 309.14 mSame hull family0.5 m longerOffered with an optional tall rig, this masthead sloop served as the predecessor to the 2-30 series
Dufour Arpege 309.14 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA record-breaking production of over 1500 units, this MORC-compliant racer-cruiser defined a new standard for the 30-foot class
Islander Yachts 288.51 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop with over 400 built, favored by the designer himself for her balanced performance
Granada Yachts 309.18 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA 30-foot fractional sloop with a 1.65-meter draft, designed for balanced, performance-oriented cruising
Catalina Yachts 309.12 mSame hull family0.4 m longerOne of the most successful production yachts in history, with over 6,000 hulls built during a 32-year run

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

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The fleet has more to say

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