Contessa 28 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The Contessa 28's interior layout is essentially fixed across the production run — a forward V-berth cabin, a central saloon with settees to port and starboard, a starboard galley, a port navigation station with a quarter berth behind it, and a head compartment between the saloon and forecabin. The configuration has never varied significantly, so what changes boat to boat is condition and fit-out rather than fundamental arrangement. Potential buyers should know going in that the interior is honest but compact; Yachting Monthly's original test noted a clumsy fold-down chart table arrangement and described the interior as awkward, and little has changed structurally. The saloon settees double as sea berths, and the layout works well enough for a cruising couple, though the sleeping capacity of five or six people is more theoretical than comfortable on an extended passage.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

The boats that have survived in active use have typically received meaningful equipment upgrades over their lifetimes. AIS transponders, autopilots, and chartplotters are now commonly fitted across the fleet — near-standard on any boat that has seen bluewater or coastal passage use. These additions reflect how owners have modernised the basic offshore toolkit rather than any factory provision.

Heating systems appear often enough to suggest the boat's primary market has always been the UK and Northern European sailing grounds, where the seasons demand it. Spinnaker equipment — poles, bags, and the associated running rigging — is frequently carried, a nod to the boat's cruiser-racer origins and the enthusiasm owners bring to her downwind performance. Swim platforms have been added on a number of examples, improving the otherwise awkward stern access. Short-handed sailing setups, including in-cockpit line organisation and additional clutches, are a common practical modification that speaks to the reality of sailing this boat as a couple or single-handed.

The standard of original equipment was noted as good at launch, including self-tailing winches, so many boats retain functional hardware that has simply aged rather than been replaced wholesale.

What to Inspect

The hull is hand-laid fiberglass with woven rovings and chopped strand mat — solid construction for the era, but now old enough to warrant close attention. The deck uses a balsa core for stiffness and insulation, and balsa-cored decks from this period are a known area of concern. Moisture intrusion through poorly bedded deck fittings can cause delamination and core rot; any candidate boat should have a full moisture survey, and every deck fitting should be probed for softness around its base.

The hull-to-deck join is an inward flange bolted and bonded with sealant — another area where age brings the risk of seeping seams and stress cracks, particularly near chainplates and high-load attachment points. Chainplates on boats of this era often pass through the deck or are attached to interior structures in ways that trap moisture; inspect carefully for rust staining, sealant failures, and any signs of movement.

The cast iron fin keel is bolted to the hull with stainless steel bolts. Keel-to-hull integrity is critical on any boat of this age. Rust weeping around the keel sump, any wobble in the keel, and the condition of the keel bolts (which may need to be extracted and inspected on older examples) are all priority survey items. The spade rudder has a stainless steel stock; stainless rudder stocks can suffer from crevice corrosion in areas that are difficult to inspect without removing the rudder entirely.

Yachting Monthly noted slightly heavy steering as a characteristic of the design — if steering feels unusually stiff or vague, investigate the rudder bearings and stock condition before attributing it purely to design character.

The engine — commonly a Lister Petter diesel — is a slow-revving, reliable unit where it has been maintained, but parts availability is increasingly limited and many boats have had the original engine replaced. Establish definitively whether the original engine is present or has been substituted, and survey whichever engine is fitted accordingly.

Standing rigging should be regarded as suspect on any boat that has not had a documented replacement within a reasonable number of seasons. The single-spreader masthead rig is straightforward, but swage terminals in particular age invisibly. If the rigging history is unknown, budget for replacement.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Contessa 28's heartland is the United Kingdom, where the majority of the fleet was sold and where most examples can be found. Occasionally examples turn up in other Atlantic markets, but a buyer in North America or the Mediterranean should expect a thinner selection. The boat's devoted following means that well-maintained examples are held onto, and truly neglected boats can be distinguished from tired-but-sound ones only by a thorough survey.

Before committing, work through this checklist:

• Commission a full moisture survey with particular attention to the balsa-cored deck
• Inspect all deck fittings and their bedding for softness and delamination
• Examine chainplates for rust staining, sealant failure, and structural movement
• Assess keel-to-hull integrity: keel sump condition, bolt weeping, and any keel movement
• Remove or probe the rudder for crevice corrosion on the stainless stock
• Establish engine identity and service history; price in replacement if the original is fitted and history is thin
• Verify standing rigging age and terminal condition; plan for replacement if undocumented
• Check that the quarter berth and navigation station area are free of moisture and mould
• Confirm AIS, autopilot, and any electronic upgrades are functioning and wired cleanly
• Test the tiller and steering system for play and heaviness beyond normal design character