Design and Construction
The First 28 is a light-displacement monohull, with a displacement-to-length ratio of 186 marking her clearly as a lightweight racer-cruiser rather than a heavy voyager. She carries 2,205 pounds of iron ballast in a cast-iron fin keel, giving a ballast-displacement ratio of 37 percent, and steers with a spade rudder. The standard keel draws 5.64 feet; a shallow-draft version at 4.27 feet was also offered, along with a swing-keel variant, though the shoaler boat trades away some performance and stability. Solid fiberglass forms both hull and deck. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.5 and 338 square feet of canvas, she is built to accelerate in modest air rather than lug gear through a seaway.
Rig and Handling
Her masthead sloop rig spreads 338 square feet of sail—a 139-square-foot mainsail and a genoa of roughly 200 square feet—and the boat is easy to manage because the control lines are led aft to the cockpit, with a self-tacking jib available as an option. That layout lets a single sailor or a small crew handle her, and she proves fast and entertaining in light to moderate winds, able to sail on all points but needing an early reef in stronger conditions to keep heeling and weather helm in check. The hull speed is about 8 knots, and she can pass that mark downwind under a spinnaker. Load her with too much heavy cruising equipment, though, and the lively performance fades dramatically.
Accommodations
Below, the First 28 sleeps six across two double berths and two singles: a double in the forepeak, another double aft, and saloon settees that convert to singles. The interior is spacious and comfortable for the length, with 1.8 meters of headroom, a galley fitted with sink, stove, and icebox, a chart table with its own seat, and a head with marine toilet and washbasin. A 100-liter water tank and 40-liter holding tank support coastal use, and the 6.6-gallon diesel with either 10 or 18 horsepower backs up the sail plan. The arrangement suits weekend coastal cruising more than offshore living.
Known Issues
The cautions that appear are inherent to the design's numbers rather than faults in a specific hull. Her Ted Brewer comfort ratio of 17.2 puts the motion in the realm of a lightweight racing boat, and upwind she is tender and slams hard enough to be unpleasant for cruising crews. A capsize screening formula of 2.2 places her outside the envelope considered prudent for ocean passage-making, with the associated risk of capsize in strong winds and heavy seas. The shallow-draft version compounds that by compromising stability. These are characteristics to respect, not repairs to schedule.
The Verdict
The First 28 is a Finot-designed expression of early-1980s First philosophy: light, quick, and cheerful in coastal conditions, with a roomy six-berth interior that punches above its 28 feet. She rewards a crew that sails her lightly loaded and within her coastal remit, and punishes those who ask her to cross oceans or carry a heavy cruising inventory.
Pros
- Light-displacement hull with a 16.5 sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively performance in light air
- Cockpit-led lines and optional self-tacking jib make short-handed sailing practical
- Six-berth layout with two doubles, converting settees, and 1.8 m headroom feels generous for the size
- Fin keel and spade rudder give a good 8-knot hull speed, exceedable downwind under spinnaker
Cons
- Comfort ratio of 17.2 means a lively, slamming motion upwind that many cruisers dislike
- Capsize screening formula of 2.2 rules her out for ocean passage-making
- Shallow-draft version trades away performance and stability
- Heavy cruising gear dramatically degrades her otherwise sparkling performance
