Herreshoff H-28 Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

The Herreshoff H-28 stands as one of the most significant contributions to mid-century yachting, a design that transitioned the aesthetic of the "golden age" into the hands of the everyday sailor. Conceived by L. Francis Herreshoff in 1942, the H-28 was commissioned by The Rudder magazine specifically to be a vessel that a skilled amateur could build at home. Unlike the massive America’s Cup defenders produced by his father, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, L. Francis designed the H-28 with a focus on simplicity, a shallow draft for coastal exploration, and a ketch rig that prioritized ease of handling over raw power. Over the decades, the design has been executed in various materials, from the original cedar-on-oak planking to professional fiberglass production runs by builders like Far East Yachts and Walker Boat Works. Its enduring popularity is rooted in its "just right" proportions: a 28-foot length that is large enough for modest coastal cruising but small enough to be maintained by a single owner.