Design and Construction
Wall’s hand shows in the Quanta 28’s exterior, where the kickup over the window and the overall proportion echo his previous boats without copying them. The hull and deck are solid fiberglass, and the moderate displacement — 6,900 pounds with a 44.6 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio — leaves room for the gear a coastal cruiser needs without bloating the hull. A 9-foot 9-inch beam and 5-foot 6-inch draft place her firmly in the modern fin-and-spade camp, and the 22.6-foot waterline supports a theoretical hull speed near 6.4 knots.
Rig and Handling
The Quanta 28 is rigged as a masthead sloop with a sizable 409-square-foot sail plan, deliberately proportioned to move her on the light-air evenings typical of coastal sailing anchor. The 28-foot 5-inch sail length and that area give a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18, which is healthy for a boat of her weight but not extreme. With a spade rudder and fin keel, she is built to be handled easily in a breeze that would leave heavier boats rolling.
Accommodations
Below, the Quanta 28 keeps to a conventional coastal layout. The forward V berth is the standard arrangement and is set off from the athwartships head by a bi-fold door for a measure of privacy. To port runs the real sleeper — a seven-foot berth that pulls out to a double, generous for the length. Opposite, the starboard settee berth is meant for sitting and the occasional night, with the occupant’s feet tucking under the galley. Aft on the port side sits a chart table where some buyers would rather have found a quarterberth; it is a marketing gamble that trades sleeping capacity for a navigator’s workspace.
The Verdict
The Quanta 28 is a small, limited-production coastal cruiser with a clean Wall-styled hull and a sail plan tuned for light air. The interior is honest and usable, if compromised aft by the chart-table choice. With only twelve built, she is a rare find, but the fundamentals — solid glass construction, sensible ballast, and a drivable rig — are sound.
Pros
- Styling consistent with Wall’s earlier, well-proportioned designs
- Sizable sail plan for light-air coastal sailing
- Seven-foot port berth converts to a double
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck with lead ballast
Cons
- Chart table aft replaces a wanted quarterberth
- Only twelve built, limiting fleet support and parts commonality
