Friendship 28 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Friendship 28 means weighing a sloop designed by Dick Koopmans Sr. that was built in volume from 1974 to 1984. Around 400 left the original line with nearly one finished per week, so examples on the brokerage market range from early self-build kits to later extended hulls with revised trunks and wet rooms.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 28 was offered in various lengths, draughts, interior plans, and superstructure styles, so no two brokerage boats are identical. Early hulls put the head forward between the saloon and the forepeak berth, with the galley later occupying that space; newer versions carry a separate wet room beside the companionway. A quarter berth tucks under the cockpit and stays open to the cabin. Later boats gained a 20 cm stern scoop and three cabin windows instead of one striped pane. CE category B and a 43 percent ballast fraction are typical of the design.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Commonly fitted gear on offered boats includes chartplotter, cabin heating, and autopilot, while a dodger and AIS are often seen. Among owner upgrades, solar and spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker rigs appear less often, as does a swim platform. For a buyer, the meaningful clusters are power and energy — heating and autopilot reduce passage load, with solar a useful but not standard addition — and canvas and sail handling, where a dodger and spinnaker gear speak to cruising intent rather than day sailing.
What to Inspect
The original large windows in aluminium frames frequently leaked until the yard fitted tight standard panes, so check any early trunk for staining or replaced glazing. Balsa sandwich decks can become soft from water ingress, and a springy sole is a red flag. On older shaft-drive boats the engine is a sore point; single-circuit cooled units with decades under their belt are nearing the end of their life. The baby stay is required by the rig and can foul tacking, so confirm its terminals. Early weatherliness is manageable, but the de Slinke rebuild moved the keel aft to cure it — worth noting on later hulls.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets are the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. When viewing, check the windows and deck core, budget for an engine refresh on older shafts, confirm which layout version you are boarding, and verify the rig's baby stay and any stern extension. A careful survey turns a high-freeboard, stiff Friendship 28 into a robust used-boat choice.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Friendship 28. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 10 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 6 | $13,835 | — |
| Oct 25 | 2 | $14,826 | +7.2% |
| Dec 25 | 1 | $13,864 | -6.5% |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $22,428 | +61.8% |
| Mar 26 | 3 | $13,398 | -40.3% |
| Apr 26 | 8 | $13,369 | -0.2% |
| May 26 | 2 | $8,738 | -34.6% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $10,208 | +16.8% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $10,194 | -0.1% |
| Aug 26 | 2 | $9,437 | -7.4% |
Where they're listed
Friendship 28 listings appear across 3 countries. Netherlands has the most listings with 19 (70.4%), followed by Germany and Italy.
Country view
27 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | $11,476 | 19 | 4 | 70.4% |
| Germany | $11,534 | 7 | 1 | 25.9% |
| Italy | $16,311 | 1 | 0 | 3.7% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship 28You are here | — | $ 11,534 | 29 | 5 |
| Colvic Countess 28 | 28' | $ 10,486 | 23 | 3 |
| Friendship 33 | 32.8' | $ 36,059 | 17 | 8 |
| Jeanneau First 28 | 28.21' | $ 26,593 | 12 | 3 |
| Nordship 28 | 28.71' | $ 22,735 | 10 | 2 |
| Great Dane Dane 28 | 28' | $ 12,314 | 7 | 3 |