Built as a solid-glassfibre monohull with wood trim, the Evasion 28 occupies an unusual niche: a coastal and passage-capable cruiser, with comfort and practicality taking priority over race-derived minimalism. Beneteau described it as powerful, stiff, and a genuinely excellent sailer in both a breeze and light air.
Design and Construction
The Evasion 28 has a solid fibreglass hull, a balsa-cored deck, and a fixed long keel with a keel-mounted rudder. The 27.89-foot hull displaces 9,480 lb and carries 3,086 lb of cast-iron ballast. Draft is 4.10 feet, giving the boat a relatively shoal profile consistent with its intended use in protected waters and along the coast.
Beneteau’s heritage material describes the boat as powerful, stiff, and stable on its journey. The same source praises its upwind ability and performance in light winds. Those claims are consistent with its 32.55 ballast-displacement ratio and a long-keel hull form intended more for steadiness than quick turns.
Overall, the construction and layout emphasize safety and practicality rather than racing-style simplicity.
Rig and Handling
The Evasion 28 carries a fractional sloop rig on a deck-stepped mast, with one set of unswept spreaders, aluminium spars, and continuous stainless-steel wire standing rigging.
Its dual steering arrangement was unusual for the era. A wheel in the wheelhouse provides a sheltered helm in foul weather, while a tiller in the cockpit offers an open-air steering position when conditions allow.
The long keel and attached rudder favor directional stability over quick pivoting. Combined with a 6.24-knot hull speed and a comfort-oriented 31.05 comfort ratio, this gives the boat the character of a steady, forgiving coastal cruiser. Period and builder assessments agree that it is known for stability and stiffness and performs well both upwind and in light winds. It should therefore suit sailors who value predictable handling more than lively performance.
Accommodations
The interior is arranged for extended cruising rather than weekend racing and provides four berths. The main saloon has a double berth and a single berth, while an aft quarter berth lies to starboard.
The galley is on the port side of the wheelhouse and includes a two-burner stove and sink. A navigation station faces it across the cabin. The head is forward in the bow, and cabin headroom is a generous 72 inches for a 28-foot boat.
With its wheelhouse galley and navigation station, forward head, and quarter berth, the layout supports the boat’s emphasis on comfort during extended cruises. It also reflects the motorsailer brief: combining familiar sailing-yacht arrangements with the ease of a motor cruiser.
Engine, Tankage, and Equipment
A Volvo MD11C diesel powers the Evasion 28 under engine. Fuel capacity is 23.8 US gallons, and fresh-water capacity is 52.8 gallons.
The wheelhouse and dual steering stations make the auxiliary engine central to the design. This is a boat intended to motor through calms or confined passages, then sail when the wind cooperates. Tankage is modest but adequate for a boat of this size and its coastal-passage remit. The balsa-cored deck also helps temper auxiliary-engine noise in the cabin.
Verdict
The Evasion 28 is a small, limited-production French motorsailer that fits substantial cabin comfort and genuinely good sailing ability into a 123-boat production run. Its shoal-draft long keel trades agility for steadiness, while the wheelhouse wheel and cockpit tiller provide unusual flexibility at the helm.
For sailors looking for a stable, easy-going cruiser with four berths and a sheltered steering position, it has plenty to offer. It won’t suit anyone seeking sparkling performance or easy slipway haulouts from a fin-keeled hull.
Pros
- Stiff, stable, and effective upwind and in light air, according to the builder
- Wheelhouse wheel and cockpit tiller provide sheltered and open-air steering
- Comfortable four-berth interior with a bow head and 72-inch headroom
- Long keel and 4.10-foot draft suit cautious coastal cruising and longer passages
Cons
- Only 123 were built, limiting familiarity within spares networks
- Fixed long keel restricts maneuverability compared with fin-keel contemporaries
- Balsa-cored deck requires moisture vigilance that the solid hull does not
