The Sabre 28 is a series of American sailboats, designed by

Roger Hewson Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

and first built in 1971.

Production

The boat was built in three versions by Sabre Yachts in the United States between 1971 and 1986, with a total of 588 built.

Design

The Sabre 28 was the first design for the newly-formed company. Its design goal was to build the finest 28-foot sailing yacht available, using the

state of the art The state of the art (sometimes cutting edge or leading edge) refers to the highest level of general development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field achieved at a particular time. However, in some contexts it can also refer to a level ...

materials and techniques available at the time and construct the boat on a modern assembly line basis, to realize good economy and production quality. The Sabre 28 is a small recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with extensive teak wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a raked stem, vertical

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

, skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a ship's wheel and a swept fixed fin keel.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 198-199. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. The accommodations include a double "V" berth in the forward cabin, single and double bunks in the main cabin, and a quarter berth. The forward cabin has a door for privacy. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

includes a hanging locker and a dorade vent. The main cabin has a folding table that stows against a bulkhead. The

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

features a recessed stove. The cockpit is over in length. The foredeck mounts an anchor locker. Other features include a foredeck hatch, four opening and four fixed ports, internal halyards for both the mainsail and the genoa, raised by a mast-mounted winch. The mainsheet traveler is mounted on the cabin roof and genoa tracks are provided. The genoa is controlled with dual two-speed winches, mounted on the cockpit coaming. All models have hull speeds of .

Variants

;Sabre 28-1 (serial numbers 1-211) :This model was introduced in 1971 and produced until 1976, with 199 built. Eight were built with ketch rigs. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel and with the optional shoal draft keel. Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . The shoal draft version has a PHRF racing average handicap of 201 with a high of 210 and low of 195. ;Sabre 28-2 (serial numbers 212-539) :This model was introduced in 1976 and produced until 1982, with 320 built. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of and displaces . The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 201 with a high of 205 and low of 198. It has a hull speed of . ;Sabre 28-3 (serial numbers 540-588) :This model was introduced in 1983 and produced until 1986. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of and displaces . The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 186 with a high of 189 and low of 183. It has a hull speed of .

American Sailboat Hall of Fame

The Sabre 28 was inducted into the now-defunct Sail America

American Sailboat Hall of Fame The American Sailboat Hall of Fame is a defunct hall of fame honoring 26 production sailboats built-in the United States. The hall of fame was established in 1994 by Sail America, a trade association for the U.S. sailing industry, to recognize ing ...

in 2003. In honoring the design, the hall cited, "If Roger Hewson and his associates at Sabre Yachts hadn’t hit a sweet spot with the 28 – bringing the look and feel of a yacht into the pocket-cruiser size range – they wouldn’t have had a 15-year production run, nor gone on to build close to 2000 larger sail and power boats. Perhaps the truest testimony to their success in crafting a boat of lasting quality is the price a 28 fetches on the used boat market today. Depending on maintenance and updates, prices can range from $15,000 to $30,000. As Hornor writes, “The Sabre 28 is rather high priced for its size and accommodations. However, the boat has proven to be a good investment due to its ability to attract buyers willing to pay a little more”"

References

External links