Martin 29 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Martin 29 means looking at a Don Martin-designed International Offshore Rule Half Ton racer-cruiser first built in 1972 by Cooper Enterprises in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. The boat is a fibreglass monohull with wood trim, a 28.58-foot overall length, 9.25-foot beam, and a fixed fin keel drawing 4.75 feet, carrying 2,500 pounds of ballast in a 6,200-pound hull. She is out of production following the builder's 1990 closure, so any purchase is a used boat supported by the active Half Ton Class rather than a manufacturer.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Martin 29 was built to a single masthead sloop configuration with a Bermuda rig, an internally mounted spade rudder, and a raked stem. The accommodations follow the racer-cruiser brief: a 24-U.S.-gallon fresh water tank and 12-U.S.-gallon fuel tank show the boat was planned for regatta weekends and coastal sails, not long-term liveaboard use. A Volvo MD6A 12-horsepower diesel handles docking and manoeuvring only. Buyers will find the same layout across available boats, as the design was not offered in multiple factory layouts in the record.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Two systems appear commonly fitted on boats offered for sale: an autopilot and a chartplotter. For a buyer, these mean the helm can be left briefly during a shorthanded race or passage and that modern electronic navigation replaces the period paper charts the original 1972 design anticipated. Beyond those two, the brief names no other standard or upgraded equipment tiers, so a shopper should judge canvas, sails, and ground tackle on the individual hull rather than expect a common package. The 12 hp Volvo MD6A remains the auxiliary, and its small 12-gallon tank argues against treating the boat as a motor-sailer.
What to Inspect
The single most consequential item is the 12-horsepower Volvo MD6A diesel: confirm it starts cleanly and that the 12-U.S.-gallon fuel system is free of water and sludge, since the engine is the boat's only means of docking and manoeuvring. Inspect the fibreglass hull and wood trim junction for delamination or rot at the trim line, as the wood trim is the one non-fibreglass element in an otherwise solid-glass hull. Verify the spade rudder's internal mounting and the fin keel attachment for impact damage, and confirm the 24-gallon water tank is sound.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Martin 29s typically appear on the used market in the Netherlands and United States. For a buyer, the takeaway is a compact Half Ton racer-cruiser with limited tankage and a class community behind it.
- Confirm the Volvo MD6A starts and the fuel is clean
- Check wood trim-to-fibreglass joints for rot
- Inspect keel and rudder attachments for impact
- Verify the 24-gallon water tank integrity
- Join or contact the Half Ton Class before purchase
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Martin 29. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | 1 | $8,500 | — |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $2,940 | -65.4% |
| May 26 | 1 | $2,913 | -0.9% |
Where they're listed
Martin 29 listings appear across 1 country. Netherlands has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | $2,940 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BENETEAU First 29 | 29.67' | $ 21,990 | 34 | 4 |
| Martin 29You are here | — | $ 2,926 | 2 | 0 |