Design and Construction
The 28-2 is a 28-foot monohull of fiberglass construction with wood trim, a raked stem, and a plumb transom. It carries 3,200 pounds of ballast against a 7,000-pound displacement and draws 5.18 feet on the standard fin keel, with a beam of 9.75 feet and a 23.5-foot waterline. The fairly high ballast-to-displacement ratio and the round midship section speak to a hull built for a specific price point; Practical Sailor is blunt that the Newport 28 is a boat built to a price, and the same hull underlies the 28-2. Sweeping, attractive sheerlines characterize the styling, keeping the deckhouse profile low. The hull-to-deck joint, however, is a known weak spot, and owners commonly report leaks there.
Rig and Handling
The 28-2 wears a tall, high aspect ratio masthead sloop rig with a small mainsail and a large foretriangle, a typical C&C configuration. The deep-keel 28-II models are about six seconds per mile quicker than the original 4-foot-6-inch-draft version, and the newer boat's PHRF handicap averages 186 against the older boat's typical 192, a fair rating earned across enough measured sisters to be trusted. Owners report the boat is tender and that most find it very well balanced, though the small main and big foretriangle may require raking the mast aft slightly to introduce a little weather helm. A tiller is standard, and wheel steering was an option or retrofit on a fair number of boats, but the pedestal takes less room than the tiller only at the cost of forcing the helmsman to sit at the stern where he cannot reach the mainsheet or jib sheets, a serious shortcoming that makes the wheel hardly desirable on a boat this size.
Accommodations
Below, the 28-2 provides sleeping for five: a double V-berth forward, two straight settee berths in the main cabin, and an aft quarter berth. Headroom runs just over six feet on centerline but falls off quickly away from it because of the pronounced cabintop camber. Three interior arrangements appeared over the years on the Newport 28 lineage, but later models—including the 28-2—offer only the two aft-galley layouts, port or starboard. The starboard-aft galley is the only one with a stove oven, yet achieving a long enough starboard settee meant cutting away the starboard main bulkhead beneath the chainplates, a structural compromise buyers should note.
Known Issues
Owner reports cluster around finishing and structure. Mediocre woodwork fitting is a common complaint, as are undersized cockpit scuppers and plastic through-hull valves. Inadequate backing plates for deck hardware appear repeatedly. One hard-racing owner found a large crack in the hull molding aft of the primary sheet winches on a new boat, patched at the factory with auto body filler rather than properly repaired. The starboard bulkhead cut for the galley layout remains a built-in structural concession rather than a maintenance defect.
Refits and Ownership
Originally equipped with the Atomic Four gasoline inboard—far more power than she needs—the 28-2 made diesel optional from introduction, with factory Yanmar or Universal units ranging from 11 to 18 horsepower per owner reports. Newer models gained a flush engine hatch in the cockpit sole, improving service access that otherwise varies from awful to good by year. A shoal 4-foot keel was offered on the earlier Newport 28 and was less popular than the deep keel; the 28-2's standard 5.18-foot draft defines the desirable version.
The Verdict
The Newport 28-2 is a good entry-level cruiser-racer that balances accommodations and performance in a C&C-styled package, quicker and more modern than the original 28 it grew from. The tender motion and price-built detailing are real, but the fair PHRF rating, five-berth layout, and evolved keel make it a sensible first step into keelboat ownership.
Pros
- Updated keel and rudder make the 28-II more desirable and about six seconds per mile faster than the original
- Fair, competitive PHRF handicap supported by a large rated fleet
- Five-berth interior with optional oven galley and low, attractive sheerlines
Cons
- Tender handling and leaking hull-to-deck joints reported by owners
- Starboard bulkhead cut for galley berth is a structural compromise
- Wheel steering forces helmsman out of sheet reach; woodwork fit and cockpit drains draw complaints
