Compact but surprisingly quick, the Heard 28 was built in small numbers—fewer than 200—and finished to no single standard.
Design and Construction
Despite its traditional outline, the Heard 28 is no lightweight replica. The GRP hull is heavily laid up, with 15 ounces per square foot of glass on the topsides and 24 ounces on the keel, stem, and stern regions.
Five tons of steel punching ballast is encapsulated along the full length of the long keel. This gives the advertised ballast figure of 10,000 pounds and a ballast ratio near 59 percent. The deck is three-quarter-inch plywood, glued and fastened to the beams, then sheathed in GRP.
Displacement is around 18,000 pounds on a 27-foot waterline. Yachtdatabase gives a DL-ratio of 407, placing the Heard 28 firmly among ultra-heavy cruisers. A Motion Comfort Ratio of 45.0 and an immersion rate of roughly 924 pounds per inch point to a stiff, slow-to-react hull that rides quietly in a seaway.
Rig and Handling
The Heard 28 carries a gaff cutter rig with a long, down-curved bowsprit. The bowsprit can be retracted to shorten the boat for berthing, while some examples can steve the bowsprit upward as an alternative.
Although heavy, these yachts carry plenty of sail on that long bowsprit and are surprisingly fast. The sail plan centers on about 630 square feet, while an SA/D ratio of 15.88 supports the period claim of lively performance for the tonnage.
The mast and spars are Columbian pine. Most boats are keel-stepped, but the illustrated yacht had a deck-stepped mast in a hinged tabernacle, allowing it to be lowered. Sheet diameters are modest: 10 mm for the jib, genoa, and mainsheet, with leads of 28 and 70 feet respectively. Those dimensions are consistent with a hand-led cruising rig rather than a winch-dominated racer.
Accommodations
Almost every Heard 28 is slightly different because these are not standard production boats. The most common short coachroof encloses an owner-designed interior with a saloon and forecabin.
Headroom is six feet aft, reducing to 5 feet 11 inches farther forward in the saloon, heads, and forecabin. The forecabin contains two 6-foot-3 crossover berths. In the saloon, there’s a single 6-foot-3 settee to port and a U-shaped settee with a drop-down table that converts into a 6-foot-3 by 4-foot-6 double.
A removable timber frame beside the galley can support a canvas pipe cot above the double, providing an occasional extra berth. The heads are to starboard, and the maximum berth count is six.
Engines, Equipment, and Ownership
Because no two boats are alike, ownership depends as much on the individual example as on the underlying design. Engines are listed simply as “various,” with diesel installations ranging from 20 to 35 horsepower. The illustrated boat also had a Taylors paraffin heater, with an insulated flue running through to the forecabin.
The archive names Gaffers & Luggers of Tregatreath, Cornwall, as the builder. Although the hull is GRP, the long keel and traditional rig mean routine upkeep follows wooden-boat-adjacent practice.
The Verdict
The Heard 28 is a characterful, heavily built cruiser for sailors who value traditional Falmouth lines and owner-finished individuality over production uniformity. She’s slow to accelerate but steady, with a surprising turn of speed under her gaff cutter rig and a hull that inspires confidence in a blow.
The trade-off is that every boat has a bespoke interior, making broad judgments difficult. Her long keel and bowspritted footprint also call for traditional handling.
Pros
- Heavily laid-up GRP hull with full-length encapsulated steel ballast
- Traditional gaff cutter performance that belies the tonnage
- Retractable bowsprit eases berthing despite the 41-foot overall length
- Owner-designed interiors provide flexible accommodation for up to six
Cons
- Non-standard construction makes class-wide judgment impossible
- Ultra-heavy displacement limits light-air progress to hull speed
- Plywood-cored deck sheathed in GRP requires traditional upkeep
