Irwin 28 Mk III Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Irwin 28 Mk III was built in an era when Irwin Yachts still laid up solid glass hulls by hand. The hull is a one-piece molded fiberglass unit using alternate layers of hand-laid mat and 24-ounce woven roving, and chopper guns and blown glass were not used in the hulls anchor. Additional laminate was used in high stress areas, and floor timbers were hand glassed into all keel models. The deck is a one-piece molded fiberglass unit with a plywood core for stiffening and insulation. The fin keel version carries pre-cast lead ballast through-bolted with stainless steel bolts torqued to a reinforced keel boss, and the rudder is supported on a partial skeg. The Mk III was offered with different keel alternatives, including a fin keel drawing about 4.5 feet and a stub/centreboard keel drawing roughly 3 feet dependent on load anchor. Early boats in the broader 28 series were mostly shallow draft full keelers with centerboards, while later boats seem to be fixed fin keel variants.

Rig and Handling

The Irwin 28 has always been sloop rigged, with anodized aluminum mast and boom and standard 1x19 stainless steel wire standing rigging carrying single upper and lower shrouds. The shroud chainplates are mounted midway between the coachhouse wall and the toerail, and they are relatively large heavy-duty steel strips extending through the deck and bolted solidly to the hull grid. Test sailors found her favorite point of sail is close hauled, and she tracks well enough but needs precise sail trim to balance the tiller, with weather helm easily controllable by adjusting the mainsheet traveler mounted on the companionway threshold anchor. She handles moderate seas and wind quite nicely, being controlled and manageable in winds up to about 25 knots and Lake Michigan seas to five or six feet. Backing up is something she does not do well; in reverse she prop walks badly to starboard and renders steering almost totally ineffective. Under auxiliary power from a gasoline Volvo or Universal, she will motor along at just over 6 knots when pushed.

Accommodations

Moving aft from the bow, the cabin lays out as a roomy v-berth, a hanging wet locker to starboard, an enclosed head with sink and vanity to port, adult-length settees to both sides in the salon, a bulkhead-hinged table, an L-shaped galley to starboard, and a quarter-berth to port. Storage is plentiful but not necessarily convenient, with most of it recessed below the berths and settees. The galley features a roomy ice box, alcohol stove, and flip-up countertop extension, and some boats feature a slide-out nav table above the quarter berth. The best feature of the cabin is the large bulkhead table that stores neatly tucked away when not in use. The rope and chain locker in the bow is only accessible through the v-berth, not from the deck, which complicates ground-tackle handling.

Known Issues

The chainplate setup, while a strong point structurally, is prone to deck leaks because the heavy steel strips pass through the deck. Several owners have noted leaks in the deck-to-hull joint as well, a consequence of the overlapping flange construction typical of the period. The proper remedy is removing and resealing the perforated aluminum toerail along its entire length. On the foredeck, the boat lacks a midships cleat and lacks an anchoring platform or even an anchor roller, which one reviewer called one of the biggest drawbacks for the I28 as a cruiser. Engine access isn't the best, though oil and plug changes can be accomplished from the front of the engine by removing the companionway steps, with a small port access panel in the quarterberth and starboard access through the cockpit lazerette.

Refits and Ownership

The Irwin 28 was offered with both tiller and pedestal wheel steering, and bow and stern cleats are nicely oversized for a 28-footer. The exhaust is routed through a waterlift muffler. The two gasoline auxiliary options — a Volvo MB10A putting out 15 peak horsepower or a Universal — mean any buyer should plan for gasoline-system diligence. The boat is a fine coastal cruiser for those on a modest budget, and the construction substance underneath the cosmetics makes a reasoned refit a sound investment rather than a money pit.

The Verdict

The Irwin 28 Mk III is a genuinely well-built small cruiser whose hand-laid hull and through-bolted lead ballast belie her price point. She sails best close hauled, demands tidy sail trim, and is a handful in reverse, but she is manageable and confident in moderate coastal conditions. The weaknesses are concentrated in deck hardware and anchoring provision, not structure.

Pros