Bente 28 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Bente 28 is built from a GRP sandwich using E-glass and a foam core, with a wide, flat stern and a full, buoyant bow that test sailors credited with driving her to windward at over six knots under a beamy hull generating large amounts of power anchor. Her twin-rudder, double-Jefa layout with a single tiller and a 31 percent ballast ratio on the standard cast-iron torpedo keel give her stable upwind performance and exceptional maneuverability at sea and in port anchor. A performance lead keel is offered as an option, and an optional T-keel draws 1.95 meters against the standard 1.60 meter draught. The flush deck and wide sidedecks, clear apart from the lower shrouds and framed by moulded bulwarks, make foredeck work straightforward, while the deep cockpit with high coamings tucked behind the coachroof arch feels secure.

Rig and Handling

The fractional sloop carries a square-top main on a mast seated well aft and a boom reaching the transom, with a standard 72-square-meter gennaker and a retractable carbon bowsprit for an asymmetric flown from a top-down furler. The rig has no backstay, and all halyards and sheets lead back to the cockpit, making her comfortable for single- or short-handed sailing. A second single-line reefing line is fitted, and a traveller extends across the stern. Testers noted that without a backstay the forestay can sag to leeward when overcanvased in gusts, and that wide chines begin to lift the keel when heeled beyond 30 degrees, so feathering the main keeps her planted. The 16 hp Vetus with folding two-blade prop pushed the test boat at five knots at 2,200 rpm.

Accommodations

Below, the Bente 28 is effectively a deck saloon thanks to a transparent Perspex coachroof and large windows that flood the open plan with daylight; the absence of a closed wall in the bow creates a loft-apartment feel. Headroom reaches 1.98 meters in the main spaces and 2 meters at the companionway, with 200 centimeters in the galley and heads and 185 centimeters at the aft end of the saloon table. There are two cabins, a saloon, a galley with top-opening fridge and single sink, and a heads with generous lockers and a hanging rail for wet gear. The forward vee-berth measures 200 by 197 centimeters, while a long double berth in the port quarter suits two children or cozy adults. Abaft the keel frames there is no cabin sole; one stands on the foam-covered inner hull. A fold-up panel below the keyhole companionway maintains 40 centimeters of freeboard above the cockpit sole to prevent downflooding per RCD Category B anchor.

Known Issues

Practical Boat Owner observed that the glass deckhouse can make the interior hot in Mediterranean conditions. On the test boat, engine access after lifting the steps was adequate for the alternator but poor for the water strainer, primary fuel filter, and saildrive; the strainer aft of the engine could only be checked by feel, and the fuel tank with primary filter sits in a separate compartment under the cockpit sole reached by emptying and climbing into the locker. The anchor locker, though deep, lacked a bow roller on the evaluated boat.

Refits and Ownership

Buyers choose between a Volvo Penta D1-13 with saildrive and folding prop in the basic package or an electric Torqeedo pod motor, and the builder offers custom colours for the dodger and waterline. The standard 60-litre water and fuel capacities are modest; a deck shower and telescopic transom ladder are fitted. The open, bright interior with oak trim and a standing chart table aft of the saloon rewards careful upkeep of the glazed coachroof and the separated engine compartments.

The Verdict

The Bente 28 packs the volume and weather sense of a bigger yacht into a trailerable-length hull, with a rig tuned for short-handed offshore work and an interior that feels like a sunlit loft. She demands attention to engine-compartment access and solar heat below, but her construction and handling are thoroughly modern.

Pros