Design and Construction
Olsen gave the hull a short fin keel with a skeg-hung rudder, a combination that the period test in YACHT identified as central to the boat’s directional steadiness. The same review praised the craftsmanship as very good and solid, and called solidity and course stability the yacht’s outstanding characteristics.
Construction is conventional beneath the fiberglass skin, with a solid fiberglass hull and deck. The boat displaces 7,937 pounds and carries about 3,527 pounds of lead ballast, giving a 44.4 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio that explains much of the steadiness sailors describe. With a 9.2-foot beam and 23.6 feet of waterline, she is compact without feeling pinched.
Rig and Handling
Under sail, the Bandholm 28 earned rare threefold praise from YACHT as a well-sailing, very stiff and course-stable yacht with outstanding seaworthiness. In a 28-footer, that stiffness means she resists heeling and recovers without drama. Her course stability helps her hold a heading through gusts and waves that might send a lighter boat wandering.
The masthead sloop rig carries 377 square feet of sail. Its modest 15.16 sail-area-to-displacement ratio suits the boat’s cruising purpose better than a regatta brief. A single Farymann diesel provides auxiliary power; the available facts identify the make but not the horsepower.
Accommodations
Inside, the furnishing concept meets the requirements of a cruising yacht without pretense. The layout is functional for the boat’s length, shaped around the needs of a couple or small family spending weekends and holidays aboard rather than preparing for a race start.
A 36-gallon water tank supports short coastal passages rather than long, independent voyages.
Verdict
The Bandholm 28 is a small, serious cruiser from a designer who understood what a sailing couple needs. She won’t be the fastest boat in the anchorage, but she is more likely to arrive upright and unhurried. For sailors who value steadiness and build integrity over speed, she remains a sensible used-boat choice.
Pros
- Outstanding course stability and stiffness under sail
- Very good, solid craftsmanship
- Purpose-built cruising layout
- Strong seaworthiness for her size
Cons
- Modest sail-area-to-displacement ratio limits light-air pace
- No published engine horsepower figure
