ETAP 28i Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 28i’s defining trait is her double-shell solid fiberglass hull and deck with closed-cell foam injected between the skins, laid up by hand and using NPG resins early in production. That sandwich is what renders her unsinkable, a claim period testers treated as central to the boat’s character rather than marketing. At 8.6 metres long and a full 3.13 metres wide, she carries a length-to-width ratio of 2.75 — beamy for her length, which YACHT’s test noted lets her churn through short coastal chop “quite undisturbed.” A deep forefoot with a slightly sloping stem allows her to pitch good-naturedly in those short waves. The standard fin keel draws 1.15 metres, with alternatives at 0.90 metres (a tandem-keel version the tester credited with better windward behavior) and 1.60 metres; a lifting-keel option drops draft to 0.90 metres raised.

Rig and Handling

She carries a 7/8 fractional sloop rig on Seldén spars, with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.1 and a displacement-length ratio of 205 supporting her “very sporty” reputation among peers. The deep forefoot and raked stem give her a predictable motion, but the tiller takes up a lot of space during manoeuvres, and a stop on both sides of the tiller is a nuisance then — essential, testers noted, because without it the rudder blade would strike the hull. The spade rudder’s sensitivity under power is implied by that mechanical limit rather than documented as a defect.

Accommodations

Below, the 28i sleeps six across two cabins. The bow holds a double V-berth suited to smaller children; the main saloon has a U-shaped settee, just under 1.80 metres of headroom, two straight settee quarter berths, and one additional berth open to the saloon that is quite narrow — two adults would need to be on good terms. To port sits a genuinely large aft double cabin; to starboard, a surprisingly spacious wet room. The galley is small but complete with cupboard space, sink, refrigerator, and cooker (the test boat carried a spirit stove). Headroom is low throughout, a documented trade-off of the hull’s proportions.

Known Issues and Equipment Notes

Two construction-era caveats appear in the period test. Motors are single-circuit cooled, a simpler arrangement that owners should factor into maintenance planning. On deck, the TBS anti-slip deck covering is available as a prefabricated spare part, useful since the original wears. A line from the forepeak lockers runs into the wet cell; secured in its clam cleat, it prevents the locker lids from being opened from outside. Diesel level reads off a length of hose, and the aft-locker tank has an inspection hatch the tester called exemplary. A bathing platform is fitted.

Refits and Ownership Context

The lifting keel, where fitted, is raised and lowered by a manual winch in the cockpit connected to a stainless cable through the keel trunk to the cast-iron blade, and can be set at any depth between raised and lowered. ETAP Yachting built the 28i in Belgium until 1997; the firm later went bankrupt in 2009, was taken over by Dehler, and the brand was discontinued, so spares now come through residual stock or the prefabricated TBS parts rather than an active builder. The 28s successor, styled by automotive designer Bertone, is a different generation.

The Verdict

The ETAP 28i is a thoughtful small cruiser: unsinkable by construction, beamy and stable for her size, and sporty enough to amuse. Her accommodations are clever for six but tight for adults in the saloon berth, and the tiller stop and single-circuit cooling are the practical warts. For a couple or family coastal cruiser who prizes safety and a dry hull, she remains a reasoned choice.

Pros