Design and Construction
The hull is a slightly heavier-than-average, solid fiberglass hand layup of mat and roving in polyester resin. Some roving print-through is visible, but there are no hard spots, and the gelcoat quality is excellent. The deck has a balsa core for stiffness, with plywood inserts at stress points such as winch mountings. The hull-to-deck joint consists of an inward flange, bedded in butyl and through-bolted on six-inch centers with stainless steel bolts; the joint continues across the transom. All deck hardware—including stanchions, pulpits, and cleats—is through-bolted and backed with thick aluminum plates to spread the load.
Inside, the fillet bonding is neat, there are no rough fiberglass areas, and exposed surfaces are gelcoated or painted. Secondary bonding and bulkhead attachment are almost always flawless. The external lead ballast keel is well faired to the hull, and its bolts are accessible in the bilge for periodic tightening.
Mast compression passes through a teak column in the main bulkhead. The shroud chainplates are heavily bolted to that bulkhead, which is solidly glassed to the hull. Overall, the boat’s strengths are its very solid construction and above-average finish.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The Sabre 28 is a masthead sloop with a deck-stepped aluminum mast built by Rig-Rite. The original rig had single upper and lower shrouds, but mast pumping was very bad and caused some premature rigging failures. A forward lower shroud was added in 1975, and all early boats should be retrofitted if it is missing. A ketch-rig option also appeared during the production run.
Standard rigging included internal halyards, an internal clew outhaul, a topping lift, and two-point jiffy reefing. In 1982, the mainsheet moved to the cabin top.
The main chainplates are set well inboard, giving the headsail a narrow sheeting base. Combined with a relatively small wetted surface and a big genoa, this makes the boat fast in light air. Owners report that she isn’t particularly stiff and is a little more tender than her robust appearance suggests, but they still consider her performance well above average.
The off-center solid propeller may make the boat faster on one tack than the other, so owners who race should experiment. The shoal keel’s less efficient lateral plane also compromises windward work.
Under power, owners consider the handling good. With her fin keel and spade rudder, the Sabre 28 turns in a tight circle.
Cockpit and Accommodation
The cockpit is large and comfortable, easily seating five with wheel steering. A 1976 redesign made room for the wheel without compromising the seating. Cockpit stowage includes a shallow locker beneath the port seat top, a deeper locker under the helmsman’s seat, and a deep starboard locker. The starboard locker is bulkheaded off so gear won’t migrate into the bilge; it also contains brackets for the drop board and emergency tiller, along with a shelf for lines. The companionway tapers sharply, so its boards need to be lifted only an inch before they can be removed.
Below, the Sabre 28 sleeps six in two cabins. Minimum headroom is 5′ 11″, increasing to 6′ beneath the main hatch. The forward cabin has V-berths with a filler that creates a double, plus a drawer and bin beneath each berth. The 30-gallon polyethylene water tank is also located beneath the berths.
The full-width head can be closed off from both cabins by doors. In the saloon, the port settee extends into a small double, while a fold-down table on the bulkhead seats four. The starboard galley occupies the after end of the saloon, opposite a port quarterberth. Some older boats used a four-berth layout to make room for a larger galley.
Galley stowage is good, with four drawers and lockers. The sink sits just off the centerline near the companionway, and a recessed two-burner Kenyon alcohol stove was standard.
Engines and Systems
Engine choices changed several times during production. The Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine was used through 1975, when a 10 hp Volvo was offered as an option. From 1978 through 1980, the 13 hp Volvo MD7A was standard; in 1981, the 13 hp Westerbeke took its place.
The propeller-shaft offset varies with engine rotation. It is to port with the right-hand Atomic 4, to starboard with left-hand Volvos, and on the centerline in the earliest boats. There is no oil sump beneath the engine.
Engine access on early Atomic 4 boats is poor, though Volvo-powered boats provide good access for routine work. The stuffing box is difficult to reach for annual repacking. The main electrical panel is beside the companionway, where spray can reach it.
Boats still fitted with an original Atomic 4 exhaust system will almost always need that system replaced. Early mild steel fuel tanks are also prone to corrosion.
Production Changes and Equipment
A foredeck anchor well was added in 1975–76. It holds adequate ground tackle, and bitter-end security was added in 1982. The water-tank vent is located in the anchor well.
The 1982 changes also included insulation for the icebox top and lids, completing its design. Boats built after 1982 gained solid teak drop boards and a smoked plexiglass hatch top.
Four opening ports were standard, and an additional main-cabin hatch was optional. The dorade over the head provided the only foul-weather ventilation.
Verdict
The Sabre 28-2 is a thoughtfully engineered small cruiser-racer with honest construction and a belowdecks plan that makes unusually good use of its 28-foot length. Its tender nature and early rigging caveats are manageable, while the voluminous lockers and practical cockpit reflect a builder attentive to how the boat would be used.
Among used Sabre 28-2, Tartan 27, Hunter 27, and Catalina 27 models, the Sabre comes across as the more finished and structurally considered choice.
Pros
- Solid hand-laid hull with excellent gelcoat and neat interior bonding
- Balsa-cored deck with plywood reinforcement at heavily loaded fittings
- Narrow sheeting base and low wetted surface make her quick in light air
- Six-berth layout with deep, segregated cockpit lockers
- Wheel or tiller steering, with an emergency tiller and good handling under power
Cons
- Tender rather than stiff as the wind rises
- Early rigging is prone to pumping without the forward lower shroud added in 1975
- Original Atomic 4 exhaust systems will almost always need replacement; early mild steel fuel tanks are prone to corrosion
- Poor stuffing-box access and an electrical panel exposed to companionway spray
