She’s a straightforward fiberglass cruiser-racer of her time: a fin-keel sloop with an iron ballast keel, a modest diesel option, and accommodations intended for weekends and short coastal cruises rather than bluewater passages.
Design and Construction
The Compis 28 measures 28 feet overall, with a 23.3-foot waterline and a beam just over nine feet. Her length-to-beam ratio of 3.01 makes her moderately beamy without sacrificing the slenderness suited to a fin keel.
The solid fiberglass hull displaces roughly 6,834 pounds and carries 2,976 pounds of iron ballast in the fin keel. That gives her a 44 percent ballast ratio, toward the upper end for a boat of this size, and helps explain her steady, predictable behavior when heeled.
With a displacement-length ratio of 241, she’s no lightweight racer but a properly weighted coastal cruiser. Her 21.7 Motion Comfort Ratio suggests a settled rather than lively motion in a seaway. A capsize screening value of 1.96 places her firmly in the coastal-cruiser band rather than the offshore-survival category.
One important production detail is that some Compis 28s were sold as home-completed kits. Finished quality can therefore vary from hull to hull, so buyers should assess each example on its own merits rather than assume yard-standard uniformity.
Rig and Handling
The Compis 28 has a masthead sloop rig with a reference sail area of about 344 square feet. This produces a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.0 with the standard reference sail and 18.1 with a 135 percent genoa. Her sail plan is relatively generous for the type: she carries more sail than 46 percent of comparable sailboats. A relative speed performance figure of 54 reflects a design that moves willingly for its size.
Wetted surface is about 247 square feet, and the theoretical hull speed of 6.5 knots is within reach under sail in a fresh breeze. The standing and running rigging follow period norms. Main, genoa, and spinnaker halyards are each about 78 feet long and 5/16-inch in diameter. The sheets are 3/8-inch, with jib and genoa sheets measuring just over 28 feet and the mainsheet 70 feet.
A transom-hung rudder works with the fin keel. Draft ranges from roughly 4.95 to 5.25 feet depending on load—shallow enough for most marinas, yet deep enough for the boat to hold her own to windward.
Accommodations
Below deck, the Compis 28 has five berths, a galley, and a toilet facility. The layout is practical rather than expansive and suits a small family or two couples making a coastal hop.
Fresh-water capacity is 65 liters, also given as 17 gallons. A separate 100-liter waste-water capacity is a thoughtful feature on a boat of this size and eases holding-tank logistics in visited harbors. The modest water supply and stowage suit her weekender role rather than long-range cruising.
Power and Propulsion
Specified auxiliary power comes from an inboard 8-horsepower Yanmar YSE diesel driving a shaft. Under power, the boat makes a steady 6.0 knots.
Fuel capacity is only 22 liters, so the engine is best treated as an auxiliary for harbor approaches and calm days rather than the main means of travel. Both the small tank and modest horsepower reflect a boat intended primarily for sail-driven coastal passages.
Verdict
The Compis 28 is a well-balanced small coastal sloop from the late-1960s Swedish school. She’s beamy enough for comfort, heavily ballasted for steadiness, and generously rigged for her size. Her home-completion history is the main caveat and calls for careful inspection of individual boats, but the underlying design is coherent and seaworthy within its coastal brief.
Pros
- High 44 percent ballast ratio and iron fin keel contribute to predictable handling
- Generous sail plan relative to peers, with more sail than 46 percent of similar boats
- Separate 100-liter waste-water capacity is unusual in this size class
- Draft is shallow enough for most marinas
Cons
- Home-completed examples can vary in build quality
- Minimal 22-liter fuel capacity limits auxiliary range
- Capsize screening value of 1.96 falls in the coastal-cruiser band rather than the offshore category
