Sea Pearl 28 Buyer's Guide
The Sea Pearl 28 on the used market is a 27-foot 8-inch cat ketch from Marine Concepts, designed by Ron Johnson and aimed at sailors who want a genuinely trailerable shallow-draft cruiser rather than a general-purpose coastal boat. Built from 1990 onward, it draws 1 foot 7 inches board up and 5 feet 6 inches board down, sleeps four, and can be launched by one person with a standard vehicle. Shopping used Sea Pearl 28s means understanding its unusual rig, its space-saving interior, and the few inspection points below.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most boats follow the standard plan: four full-sized berths, a head under the V-berth, and a starboard sliding galley that stows under the cockpit seat and rolls out over the berth to free an 80-inch single berth and cockpit space. Headroom is 5 feet 1 inch with no staterooms or privacy. The keel/centerboard layout is the common trailerable configuration, while an ultra-shoal 9-inch draft version and water-ballast or positive-flotation variants exist as builder options. Custom interiors were available, so buyer should confirm berth count and galley position on any specific hull.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used fleet, a bimini and dodger are commonly fitted, and connecting panels between them can fully enclose the cockpit with screens and weather flaps for shelter. Beyond that, the most consequential buyer-side items are the rig and power details: the free-standing carbon fiber masts rotate 360 degrees and are raised by one person with a mechanical strut and winch, and the boat takes an outboard up to 15 horsepower. A 50-gallon fresh water system is standard, with optional pressure water and a two-burner stove in the sliding galley. Full-batten sails with lazy-jacks ease handling for short-handed crews.
What to Inspect
The mast tabernacle should be checked for lateral-support wear from repeated raising and lowering, since the rig is designed for frequent solo deployment. Each mast is a carbon fiber and "S" Glass spar weighing 37 pounds with an 11,000-pound breaking strength, so inspect for impact or delamination. The sliding galley's draining sink and three-door cabinet mechanism should operate smoothly, and the centerboard trunk and shoal-draft hull appendages deserve a close look for grounding wear given the ramp-launch ethos.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Sea Pearl 28 is typically found in the United States. For a shopper, the takeaway is straightforward: confirm the rig type (cat ketch, free-standing), verify board-up draft and centerboard function, check the sliding galley and berth layout, and validate outboard mount and 50-gallon water capacity. This is a niche trailerable cruiser—buy the layout and draft that match your ramp and cabin needs.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Sea Pearl 28. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $10,500 | — |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $3,500 | -66.7% |
| Sep 26 | 1 | $8,500 | +142.9% |
Where they're listed
Sea Pearl 28 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 2.
Country view
2 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $6,000 | 2 | 1 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance 28 | 28.71' | $ 165,000 | 38 | 8 |
| One-Off 28 | 28.18' | $ 39,254 | 12 | 1 |
| Mariner Pearl 28You are here | — | $ 6,000 | 2 | 1 |