Islander Yachts 28

BoatsIslander Yachts 28

See her sail

The Islander Yachts 28, on the water

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

Footage from Be The Captain

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 21 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 21

CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 2.06

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 254

EasygoingPowered-up

15.8 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.8

TenderStiff

43% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 43%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Islander 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 Islander Yachts 28 is a Robert H. Perry-designed masthead sloop, built by Islander Yachts from 1975 to 1985, with over 400 units sold. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, measures 8.5 meters LOA, 3.0 meters beam, and draws 1.5 meters, displacing 3175 kg. Perry considers it one of his favorite designs. Aboard Be The Captain, James Evenson sailed an Islander 28 engineless for over a year, praising its ability to develop seamanship skills.9:11 Evenson recommends the Islander 28 as a suitable boat for aspiring sailors due to its simple, dry, and good sailing characteristics, contrasting it with IOR-influenced designs like the Kalik 33, which can be tender and perform poorly in confused seas.8:54

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

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

42.9%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

15.8

Displacement / length

254.2

Comfort ratio

21.0

Capsize screening

2.06

Hull speed

6.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

811

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/spade rudder

Construction

FG solid hull/plywood deck

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1975–1985

Units built

430

Designer

Robert H. Perry

Builder

Islander Yachts, Tradewind 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 family0.3 m shorterA masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder, offered in rare pilot house and keel-centerboard configurations

Bahamas for $5000? The Watkins 27 foot Sailboat0:47 from Practical Sailor

Hunter Marine 278.28 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA John Cherubini-designed masthead sloop built for a decade, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal-draft options

What Happened to Hunter Sailboats? The History Most People Don't Know.from All About Sailing

Catalina Yachts 278.18 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA masthead sloop with 6,662 hulls produced over two decades, serving as a staple of coastal cruising since 1971

Patrick Childress - A FINAL FAREWELL - (Sailing Brick House #68)6:06 from Sailing Brick House, SV Osprey, RVing and More!

Newport 27S8.23 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 1974 masthead sloop with a 1.3-meter draft, offering a stable fin-keel platform for shoal-water coastal cruising

Live On A Cheap and Small Sailboat! The Newport 27 from Practical Sailor

Colvic Ltd. Sailor 268.21 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA twin-keeled masthead sloop with hulls molded by Colvic and finished by various yards, including Atlanta Marine

Boat Tour of a Free Sailboat before Refurbishment - Prequel - DIY Free Sailboat Refit from Sailing Puffin

Pearson Yachts 27 (Triton 27)8.23 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Doug Peterson-influenced masthead sloop built from US Yachts molds, offering a light-displacement cruiser profile

Replacing Cloudy Dodger Windows for Under $200:01 from Atom Voyager

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.

Islander Yachts Bahama 28A masthead sloop featuring a modified interior layout compared to its predecessor, built for coastal cruising Islander Yachts 26A Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel, built for two years as a nimble coastal cruiser Islander Yachts 32-2A Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop also sold as the Yachtcraft 32, available in both shoal keel and tall rig versions Islander Yachts Bahama 26A Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop with a shallow 1.19m draft and wide 3.05m beam for coastal cruising comfort Islander 27A 1969 A.S. Pendell design, this masthead sloop pairs a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio with a nimble fin keel

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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