BoatsSouthern Cross 28

Southern Cross 28

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1978

A Thomas Gillmer design featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, built for steady offshore cruising

Designed by Thomas Gillmer, built by C. E. Ryder.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

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 33 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 33
CoastalBluewater

At 1.67 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.67
LightHeavy

462 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 462
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.0
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

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

  • Narrower than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2586 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
40.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.0
Displacement / length
462.4
Comfort ratio
32.7
Capsize screening
1.67
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
613
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1978
Designer
Thomas Gillmer
Builder
C. E. Ryder

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.

Spirit 329.48 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
Dufour Yachts 319.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973 masthead sloop featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a comfortable, stable design for coastal cruising
Islander Yachts 309.02 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA raised-deck masthead sloop with a shallow 1.12-metre draft, produced briefly as a distinct variant of the Islander 29
Dufour Arpege 309.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA record-breaking production of over 1500 units, this MORC-compliant racer-cruiser defined a new standard for the 30-foot class
Contest 319.50 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA U. van Essen-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for stability and comfort in a compact hull
Cal Boats 309.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthOffered with an optional tall rig, this masthead sloop served as the predecessor to the 2-30 series

The family

Boats like this

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

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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

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