BoatsWesterly 28

Westerly 28

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · 1967–1969

A John A. Butler-designed masthead sloop featuring a shallow 0.76m draft and a fin keel with a spade rudder

Designed by John A. Butler.

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draftDraws 0.76 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 24 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 24
CoastalBluewater

1.88 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.88
LightHeavy

293 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 293
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.6
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 39%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Draws less than ~98% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2176 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
38.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.6
Displacement / length
293.5
Comfort ratio
24.3
Capsize screening
1.88
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
707
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1967–1969
Units built
40
Designer
John A. Butler
Builder
Westerly Marine Ltd

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Catalina Yachts 278.18 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA masthead sloop with 6,662 hulls produced over two decades, serving as a staple of coastal cruising since 1971
Cascade Yachts 278.23 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, designed by Robert A. Smith for balanced coastal cruising
Islander Yachts 288.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop with over 400 built, favored by the designer himself for her balanced performance
Colvic Ltd. Sailor 268.21 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA twin-keeled masthead sloop with hulls molded by Colvic and finished by various yards, including Atlanta Marine
Ericson Yachts 278.15 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA Bruce King-designed masthead sloop with over 1,200 built, offering a stiff, stable platform for coastal cruising
Ranger Yachts 29 (Mull)8.71 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1970s masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder, offering a balanced 1.98 capsize screening for coastal cruising

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.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue