Soverel 28 Morc Information, Review, Specs

The Soverel 28 Morc was in production from 1963 to 1970. Soverel Marine, founded by Bill Soverel, a successful sailboat racer, established a reputation for building yachts that excelled in competition while offering a degree of bespoke craftsmanship. The company's ethos, which extended to models like the 28 Morc, was rooted in a deep understanding of sailing performance. During this era, Soverel Marine distinguished itself by offering semi-customization options to buyers, allowing modifications to aspects like hull layup (solid glass, foam, or balsa coring), interior configurations, deck construction, tankage, and rigging., 8, 10] This flexibility meant that over half of their vessels were customized to individual client needs.

The Soverel 28 Morc shared its hull with the standard Soverel 28, which was noted as a more cruising-oriented version featuring a smaller cockpit and an extended coachroof. Both versions were available with a yawl rig. This suggests a design philosophy aimed at offering a performance-capable hull platform that could be adapted for either pure racing or more comfortable weekend cruising.

Sailing Performance and Handling

The Soverel 28 Morc's design ratios suggest a lively and responsive boat, indicative of its racing heritage. With a Sail Area to Displacement (SA/D) ratio of approximately 17.57, she is well-powered for her size, promising good performance in light to moderate winds. Her Displacement to Length (D/L) ratio of around 206 confirms a relatively light displacement for her length overall, aligning with the "racer" aspect of her racer-cruiser designation.

A distinctive feature of the Soverel 28 Morc is her keel/centerboard configuration, which allows for a variable draft ranging from a shallow 2.83 feet with the board up to a deep 6.5 feet with the board fully extended. This stub-keel and centerboard setup provides significant operational flexibility, enabling access to shallow anchorages and marinas while offering enhanced upwind performance and stability when the board is deployed. While the ballast to displacement ratio of 19.4% is relatively low for a monohull, the stability is significantly augmented by the retractable centerboard and the hull's form stability. The boat is designed to achieve a theoretical hull speed of 6.59 knots. Anecdotal reports suggest that the Soverel 28 generally strikes a commendable balance between spirited performance and a comfortable motion.

Accommodations and Layout

Information regarding the specific interior layout and accommodations of the Soverel 28 Morc is scarce in readily available documentation. However, as a MORC racer-cruiser from its era, these vessels typically prioritized efficient use of space for sailing performance over lavish interior comforts. Given the note that the Soverel 28 (which shares the same hull) featured an "extended coachroof," it is reasonable to infer that the 28 Morc also sought to maximize interior volume within its compact footprint. Owners can generally expect a functional layout, likely comprising a forward V-berth, a compact salon with settees that may double as berths, and a basic galley and head. Interior finishes of the era often featured practical fiberglass surfaces combined with some wood trim. The limited headroom, typical for performance-oriented boats of this size and vintage, would likely necessitate some stooping for taller individuals.