Design and Construction
The hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass built for durability and low maintenance, with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder arrangement that the original review credited with balanced handling and protection. Kelt offered the design with several keel alternatives: a fixed fin and a drop (lifting) keel, both of iron rather than lead in those variants. The fin-keel version draws about 5.3 to 5.6 feet depending on load, while the drop-keel configuration lifts to roughly 2.1 to 2.4 feet, letting the boat settle into shallow marinas. With a ballast ratio near 46 percent and a length-to-beam ratio of 2.79, the hull is beamy for its length yet carries enough low-end weight to stand up to its rig.
Rig and Handling
The Feeling 29 carries a fractional sloop rig with an I of 34.8 feet, J of 10.3 feet, P of 33.5 feet, and E of 9.9 feet, and period assessments praised it as quick and close-winded while remaining light and responsive. The design balances performance — excellent in light air — with comfort for coastal and family cruising or short offshore passages, though its light displacement can slow it in serious seas. Sail-area-to-displacement runs 14.7 on the ISO reference sail and 17.4 with a 135 percent genoa, and the capsize screening value sits at 2.09 with a relative speed performance figure of 66. The wetted surface is about 290 square feet, and the immersion rate is near 1,000 pounds per inch.
Accommodations
Below, the boat offers a spacious interior for its size with sleeping for up to six across three areas: double forward and aft cabins plus saloon settees, served by a galley and a head. The volume is unusual for a 28-foot hull and supports the boat's stated role as a family coastal cruiser without feeling cramped on a weekend.
Known Issues
The only caution inherent to the design is the light-displacement behavior in heavy seas noted by reviewers, which is a handling characteristic rather than a defect.
Refits and Ownership
Surviving examples are still sailed and listed in Europe — the UK and France among them — as affordable classics, and the simple solid-GRP hull makes ownership approachable. The multiple keel options mean a buyer should confirm which variant a given hull carries, since draft and grounding behavior differ sharply between the lifting and fixed versions.
The Verdict
The Feeling 29 is a well-considered small cruiser that trades a little offshore heft for light-air sparkle and a roomy cabin, backed by a production run large enough to keep spares and knowledge in circulation.
Pros
- Quick, close-winded handling with light responsiveness in light air
- Roomy three-area accommodation for up to six
- Shallow-draft lifting-keel variant for marina access
- Solid fiberglass hull for low-maintenance ownership
Cons
- Light displacement can slow the boat in serious seas
- Iron keel variants invite galvanic attention versus lead-ballast siblings
