Design and Construction
The Mirage 28 measures 27.5 feet overall, with a 22.33-foot waterline and a 9.18-foot beam. Displacement is roughly 5,500 pounds. Her solid-fiberglass hull has a fin keel and spade rudder, while a length-to-beam ratio of 2.99 gives her a compact but balanced footprint on the water.
Draft ranges from 4.99 to 5.29 feet depending on load, keeping her within the draft limits of most marina approaches. She carries 2,400 pounds of lead ballast against 5,500 pounds of displacement. That produces a ballast ratio of 43.6 percent—about 44 percent—a serious figure for a 28-footer that underpins her stiffness and behavior when pushed.
Wetted surface is about 236 square feet, a moderate area that suits her displacement-to-length ratio of 220. That figure places the Mirage 28 among moderate racers rather than pure cruisers.
Rig and Handling
The masthead-sloop rig carries 343 square feet of sail on the ISO 8666 reference plan, for a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.6. With a 135 percent genoa, SA/D rises to 21.1—a meaningful increase that points to greater responsiveness with the added forward sail area.
The standing and running rigging use predictable masthead dimensions. Mainsail, jib, and spinnaker halyards are each 23.4 meters long and 8 mm in diameter. Jib and genoa sheets are 8.4 meters, while the mainsheet is 21 meters; all are 10 mm in diameter. The 8 mm control lines include a 3-meter cunningham, a 6.1-meter kicking strap, and a 6.1-meter clew outhaul.
Her immersion rate is 715 pounds per inch, so crew and stores will settle her noticeably in the water. That matters when planning loads for extended stays.
Performance and Comfort
The Mirage 28’s theoretical displacement hull speed is 6.3 knots, typical for her waterline. Her lightness and ballast fraction imply that she’ll reach it readily in a breeze. The displacement-to-length ratio of 220 puts her in the moderate-racer band, while the rise in SA/D from 17.6 to 21.1 with a 135 percent genoa shows how much her pace depends on headsail choice.
A Motion Comfort Ratio of 18.4 is modest. It suggests a boat that communicates the sea state rather than isolating her crew from it. At the same time, her capsize screening value of 2.08 places her among reasonably steady coastal voyagers and indicates a hull form deemed safe for offshore-leaning coastal work by the standard metric.
Verdict
The Mirage 28 wears her racing-cruiser lineage in her numbers: a ballast ratio of about 44 percent, moderate wetted surface, and a sail plan that gains real vigor with a 135 percent genoa. In stability terms, she’s a small boat that behaves like a larger one, though her comfort ratio warns that she’ll keep the crew in touch with the sea.
For a sailor seeking a light, handy pocket cruiser with verifiable performance metrics, the Kelley-designed Mirage 28 is a coherent choice.
Pros
- High ballast ratio for her size—43.6 percent, or about 44 percent—with a 2.08 capsize screening value
- Masthead rig that responds well to a 135 percent genoa, raising SA/D to 21.1
- Draft under 5.3 feet permits broad marina access
Cons
- Motion Comfort Ratio of 18.4 indicates a firm, communicative ride
- Immersion rate of 715 lbs/inch makes her sensitive to added load
