Design and Construction
The hull and deck are solid fiberglass, and the boat sits on a fin keel with a spade rudder. Her proportions tell the story of a stable, narrow coastal hull: the length-to-beam ratio is 3.19, making her slimmer than 66% of comparable sailboat designs, while the ballast-to-displacement ratio of 44.44% is higher than 69% of similar boats. That ballast, quoted at 3,527 lbs against 7,937 lbs displacement, gives a 44% ratio that underpins the reference assessment of a very stable and stiff hull with excellent righting capability if capsized anchor. The displacement-to-length ratio of 268.89 places her among moderate racers, and with a capsize screening value near 1.75–1.78 she is squarely a coastal cruiser rather than an offshore expedition boat.
Rig and Handling
She is a masthead sloop carrying a 100% sail area of 283.09 sq.ft, with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio reported at 11.42 from one source and 12.99 from another. The reference data calls her under powered on 10 hp from a single Farymann diesel, and the record notes she may be fitted with an inboard engine driving a saildrive. Sheet estimates are practical and uniform: jib and genoa sheets about 28.2 ft at 3/8 inch, mainsheet 70.5 ft, spinnaker sheet 62.1 ft, all 10 mm. Her theoretical hull speed is 6.51 knots, with an immersion rate of about 729 lbs per inch. The Motion Comfort Ratio of 27.54 means she is more comfortable than 79% of similar designs, and the wetted surface of roughly 215 sq.ft keeps drag modest for a 28-footer.
Accommodations
The boat is equipped with five berths and a fresh water capacity of 40 gallons (150 liters), which one reference describes as a short water supply range for cruising. One spec extract lists zero cabins and heads against the five-berths figure; the berth count from the yachtdatabase review stands as the accommodation load.
Performance Profile
Her stability numbers are the strongest part of the available material. She is very stable and stiff, with an excellent righting capability if capsized, and the high ballast ratio paired with the slim beam explains the comfort advantage over most peer designs. The DL-ratio of 269 and the under-powered 10 hp plant frame her as a moderate-weight coastal cruiser best suited to sheltered water and short hops rather than sustained passage work.
The Verdict
The Fellowship 28 is a narrowly proportioned, heavily ballasted Dutch coastal sloop whose chief virtues are stiffness, comfort, and righting ability in a 28-foot package. She is lightly powered and water-limited, which confines her to coastal use, but her numbers suggest a forgiving and steadyhanded boat for that role.
Pros
- Very stable and stiff hull with excellent capsize righting anchor
- More comfortable than 79% of similar designs by Motion Comfort Ratio
- High 44% ballast ratio, slim 3.19 length-to-beam proportion
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck, fin keel with spade rudder
Cons
- Under powered at 10 hp total engine output anchor
- Short water supply range at 40 gallons
- Best suited as coastal cruiser, not an offshore boat
