Design and Construction
The Cumulus 28 is built with a solid fiberglass hull and a fin keel, a straightforward late-seventies Scandinavian cruiser configuration. What distinguishes her on paper is her weight profile: the DL-ratio of 282 places her firmly among "heavy cruisers," while a ballast ratio of 40% and an l/b ratio of 3.04 describe a beamy, deeply ballasted hull rather than a light coastal skimmer. The immersion rate of about 128 kg/cm (720 lbs/inch) and a wetted surface near 23 m² (247 ft²) reinforce the picture of a volume-carrying hull that settles predictably under load. Her draft runs about 1.62 to 1.72 meter (5.31 to 5.61 ft) dependent on load, which keeps her within the draft limits of most marinas without claiming shoal-water ability.
Rig and Sail Plan
The boat carries a fractional rig, and the documented sail area for mainsail plus jib is 33.7 m² (362.5 ft²). The SA/D figures tell the more nuanced story: 15.8 with the ISO 8666 reference sail, rising to 18.7 with a 135% genoa. Against her peer group, the Cumulus 28 has more rig than 54% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly overrigged for her size. The halyard and sheet estimates are consistent with that fractional configuration — mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards all spec at 28.1 m (92.0 ft) with 8 mm (5/16 inch) diameter, while the working sheets run 8.6 m (28.1 ft) for jib and genoa and 21.4 m (70.2 ft) for the mainsheet, all at 200 mm (3/8 inch). Those are practical cruising dimensions, not grand-prix tweaks.
Performance Envelope
As a displacement hull, her theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.3 knots, while the calculated max speed under the optional inboard diesel is about 4.6 knots. The capsize screening value of 1.93 is a flat documented figure for the design. None of this paints a sprint boat; the heavy-cruiser categorization and the overrigged-but-modest sail-area numbers suggest a vessel built to carry load and weather comfortably rather than to win weeknight races.
Accommodations and Equipment
The available record is thin on interior specifics, but the equipment baseline is clear: the Cumulus 28 may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 12 hp (8 kW), a modest auxiliary suited to the 4.6-knot calculated max under power. The absence of documented interior layout detail means we cannot characterize berths or galley beyond what the dimensions imply about volume.
Known Issues and Ownership Notes
No documented structural defects, recurring failures, or owner-reported problem areas appear in the available record for the Cumulus 28. The principal ownership considerations are therefore drawn from her spec profile: the heavy displacement and 40% ballast ratio demand respect for loaded draft, and the 12 hp Yanmar defines a slow, deliberate motoring mode. Prospective owners should verify the as-built rigging lengths against the estimated halyard and sheet dimensions when re-rigging, since those figures are estimates rather than measured boat-specific values.
The Verdict
The Albin Cumulus 28 is a Norlin-designed, Albin-built late-seventies cruiser that leans into weight and stability over speed. She is a sensible, marina-friendly coastal boat with a slightly overrigged fractional rig and a modest diesel auxiliary, best understood as a small heavy cruiser rather than a performance sloop.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with fin keel and 40% ballast ratio for a stable cruising platform
- Draft of 1.62–1.72 m keeps her accessible to most marinas
- Fractional rig slightly overrigged versus peers, offering sail-power margin
- Designed by Peter Norlin, built by Albin Marin AB with several hundred produced
Cons
- Heavy-cruiser DL-ratio of 282 limits light-air acceleration
- Only 12 hp diesel for ~4.6-knot max under power
- Rigging dimensions are estimates, not measured per-boat values
- Sparse documented record on interior layout and known defects
