Design and Construction
Turner's Mk V is a recreational keelboat of solid fiberglass with wood trim, carrying a raked stem, an angled transom, and an internally mounted spade rudder worked by tiller. A wide, hollow keel cavity drops the cabin sole to gain standing headroom without inflating the deck profile. The "T" in the name is no marketing gloss—it denotes the trailerable nature, with that exact 8-foot beam keeping the boat within road-tow limits. The Mk V carries increased displacement and 2,600 pounds of ballast for improved stability over the earlier Lancer 28 models anchor.
Rig and Handling
Where the original Lancer 28 was offered in both masthead and fractional form, the Mk V settled on a fractional sloop rig with the mast stepped farther forward. That change lightened the helm and sharpened light-air response, and owners who have sailed both layouts praise the balance of the fractional rig for showing less weather helm than the masthead versions anchor. The forward bulkhead carries the rig loads in place of the masthead's central compression post, clearing the main cabin. A slightly deeper shoal-draft fin keel—max draft 3 feet—gives more bite than the sub-3-foot original, yet the shallow entry still limits upwind efficiency in chop, a trade inherited from the trailerable hull's priorities.
Accommodations
Below, the Mk V accommodates four to six crew on extended berths. The 1979 deletion of the forepeak berth in the Mark V line opened a sail-storage area forward, leaving the main cabin with a port settee and a starboard dinette that drops to form a berth, plus quarterberths tucked under both cockpit sides. A narrow head spans the beam just aft of the forward berth, and the galley splits across the aft end of the main cabin with a two-burner stove and lockers to port, sink and icebox to starboard. Headroom at the aft end of the main cabin reaches 6 feet 2 inches, drawn from the sole dropped a foot into the keel stub.
Known Issues
Practical Sailor's survey of the Lancer 28 series found owner complaints about structural flaws including leaking hull-to-deck joints and leaking ports anchor. Several owners in that survey also judged the mast tabernacle not strong enough, and reported gelcoat troubles ranging from blistering to crazing and stress cracks. A vinyl headliner complicates tracing deck leaks once they appear. The sliding companionway hatch is wide and not well sealed against boarding waves, and the light plywood dropboards lift free after only a few inches of travel because of the tapered opening.
Refits and Ownership
Most Lancer 28s sailed with outboards, and the stern well keeps the engine submerged even in rough conditions; inboard options over the production run included Petter, Renault, and Yanmar diesels, a 10-horsepower gas inboard, and an OMC saildrive, with the inboard tucked in a box under the companionway ladder. The fractional rig's use of the forward bulkhead for support simplifies any mast-step inspection compared with the masthead's central post. For a trailerable cruiser, the Mk V's legal beam and hollow-keel headroom scheme make launch and load-bearing checks straightforward owner work.
The Verdict
The Lancer 28 T Mk V is a thoughtfully updated trailerable cruiser that traded the original's forepeak for stowage and gained stability through added ballast and a forward-stepped fractional rig. It sails with a light helm and acceptable light-air pace, though the shoal fin still gives up windward bite in a chop. The known leak and gelcoat issues are typical of the series and manageable with routine inspection.
Pros
- Forward-stepped fractional rig with less weather helm than masthead predecessors
- Increased ballast and displacement improve stability over earlier Lancer 28s
- Legal 8-foot beam preserves road-trailerability
- Hollow keel cavity delivers 6-foot-2 headroom without a tall deck
Cons
- Shallow draft limits upwind efficiency in choppy water
- Owner-reported leaking hull-to-deck joints and ports
- Mast tabernacle reported by several owners as not strong enough
- Wide companionway hatch poorly sealed against boarding waves
