BoatsCompass 28

Compass 28

Masthead Sloop · Long Keel · 1970–1981

A long-keeled masthead sloop and Australian favourite, developed from the Northerner 28 with a Duncanson-designed deck

Designed by Gunter Heuchmer & Don Lees.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Compass 28, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Learning By Doing

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 28 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 28
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.70
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 300
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 13.0
TenderStiff

55% of her weight is ballast — very stiff, carrying full sail in a blow.

Ballast 55%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

What the fleet has seen

The Compass 28, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Compass 28 is a masthead sloop with a long keel, designed by Gunter Heuchmer and Don Lees, and built by Compass Yachts Ltd. from 1970 to 1981. It is a development of the earlier Northerner 28, with John Duncanson redesigning the deck and coach roof. The 8.6-meter sailboat has a beam of 2.5 meters, a draft of 1.3 meters, and displaces 3250 kg. The Compass 28 and its variant, the Compass 29, are among the most popular boats of their size in Australia.

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
54.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.0
Displacement / length
300.4
Comfort ratio
28.2
Capsize screening
1.70
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
643
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1970–1981
Units built
400
Designer
Gunter Heuchmer, Don Lees
Builder
Compass Yachts Ltd, NZ)

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.

Pearson Yachts-USA Triton8.63 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fibreglass cruising and saw international production.
Shadetree Sailboat Awning0:08from Atom Voyager
Nor'Sea Marine 278.23 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA masthead sloop with a versatile rig and ballast configuration, designed for trailerable offshore cruising
Problems in Paradise2:15from Garrett’s Adventure
Contessa 267.77 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA David Sadler-designed long-keel masthead sloop, built in both England and Canada with a 25-year production run
French canals Book0:55from Sailing Gently
Island Packet 278.08 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA Robert K. Johnson-designed cutter with a long keel, built for stability and comfort in a compact 8-meter package
$20,000 Condo in Virginia: Living on a Sailboat CHEAP Lady K Sailing0:45from Lady K Sailing
Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising
Diagnosis, Troubleshooting, and a mini shakedown in San Diego - Dana 24 - (Dec 2018)from keeldragger
Vindo 328.95 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA classic Carl Andersson-designed masthead sloop featuring a long keel and traditional build for stable, comfortable cruising
After a 4 YEAR REBUILD: full BOAT TOUR of our tiny floating home. [Vindö 32]0:04from Sailing Magic Carpet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Compass 29A long-keeled masthead sloop featuring increased freeboard and interior volume over its predecessorCompass Yachts 38A Claude Allen Smith-designed masthead sloop originally from New Zealand, built for offshore stability and comfortCompass 750A fractional swing-keel sloop designed for shoal water with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively performanceCompis 28A Bernt Andersson-designed masthead sloop with a stiff 43% ballast ratio, built for stable coastal cruisingSoutherly 28A John A. Bennett-designed masthead sloop with a swing keel, built between 1975 and 1984 for shoal-draft cruisingSouthern Cross 28A Thomas Gillmer design featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, built for steady offshore cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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