Design and Construction
The H-28’s proportions place her firmly in the tradition of the heavy, able cruiser rather than the lithe racer. Her 10,500 lb displacement on a 23-foot-1.5-inch waterline, paired with 2,800 lbs of ballast, gives her a low, steady profile that rewards patient sailing.
Herreshoff’s design number 80 was a masthead ketch from the outset. By dividing the sail area into manageable pieces, the rig suits a short crew.
A 1977 example named Gwylan was built by McKie (“Nick”) Roth in Westport, Maine. Roth constructed her almost entirely as designed, though he omitted the mizzen spreaders and the cedar bucket. Those modest departures show that the design can tolerate some variation without losing its character.
Rig and Handling
With a published sail area of 343 sq ft, the H-28’s masthead ketch rig favors divided sail control over raw driving power. One owner’s account describes a practical way to enlarge the rig: a bowsprit can be added. With the forestay secured by a removable turnbuckle, a good-sized genoa can be set and handled easily on the headstay—a blessing in light air.
The bowsprit also provides a wonderful place to hang the anchor: safe, out of the way, and easy to manage single-handed.
Accommodations and Period Fittings
The available record gives no interior arrangement beyond the omissions and fittings noted by owners. The cabin plan therefore has to be considered through what builders chose to leave out rather than through a documented list of additions.
The absence of a cedar bucket aboard Gwylan suggests that the original specification included one as standard period gear. The mizzen spreaders were likewise a designed feature that Roth elected to omit. The bowsprit’s value for anchoring and light-air genoa work implies a deck layout in which single-handed ground-tackle handling mattered to owners.
Refits and Ownership
The best-documented alteration is the addition of a bowsprit. An owner recommended it after finding that it transformed both light-air performance and anchor stowage.
Apart from that sprit, the omitted mizzen spreaders, and the missing cedar bucket, Gwylan was built almost entirely as designed. That coherent as-designed baseline means later owners can reproduce or adapt it with confidence. The Roth-built 1977 hull also demonstrates that the drawings remained buildable decades after the H-28’s 1942 debut.
The Verdict
The H-28 is a heavy, ballast-steady ketch with conservative length and generous beam. Its divided rig and optional bowsprit make it a forgiving cruiser for light-air and single-handed work. This isn’t a modern performance boat, but its documented build consistency across thirty-five years points to a design that knows exactly what it is.
Pros
- Substantial 10,500 lb displacement and 2,800 lb ballast provide steady, weatherly motion
- Masthead ketch rig divides the sail plan for short-handed handling
- Optional bowsprit improves light-air genoa use and anchor stowage
Cons
- Heavy displacement limits sparkle in calm conditions
- Original period fittings, such as the cedar bucket, may be absent from later builds
