Sirius 28 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Sirius 28 means looking at a 28-foot Canadian cruiser-racer with just 120 hulls built between 1982 and 1987, so every example on the brokerage market is part of a limited run. The boat's two-keel option and cockpit-led rig make her a practical used buy for a couple, but the thin production means patience is part of the search.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Sirius 28 was offered with a standard fin keel of four feet four inches or a later winged keel drawn by John Hemingway that holds the same 2,600-pound lead ballast and center of effort while dropping draft to three and a half feet. Below, the plan is fixed: V-berth forward with full headroom, port settee and starboard convertible dinette around a post-mounted table, a starboard aft galley with alcohol stove and icebox, and a port aft enclosed head. A teak and holly sole was an option over the standard carpet. The chief used-market variable is keel choice, which changes where you can anchor more than how the boat lives inside.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Factory equipment worth checking includes the deck-stepped Cinkel mast with internal halyards and slab reefing led to the cockpit, a traveler across the cockpit just forward of the wheel, and a stainless ladder in the stern pulpit. Below, the alcohol galley stove could be swapped for propane, and a foot-pumped 20-gallon water system serves the head and sink. The engine range runs from the nine-hp single-cylinder Yanmar to the 18-hp two-cylinder that drives her at 5 1/2 knots, with a water-lift muffler standard. Buyers should confirm which engine is fitted, since the larger unit changes auxiliary performance noticeably.
What to Inspect
The self-bailing cockpit has no bridge deck but a high sill, so check the sill and coaming seals for wear that could let water toward the companionway. Pulpits and stanchions are through-bolted to solid glass in the foam-cored deck — inspect those bolts for deck-core compression or staining. The slim molded toe rail is a small section and worth a look for crazing or delamination at its base. Engine access is through the companionway steps and the port cockpit locker, so verify both paths are clear and the muffler mounting is sound.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Sirius 28 is typically found in the United States. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm keel type and draft, verify engine model and access, inspect deck-bolted pulpits and stanchions, and check the cockpit sill drainage. A clean example with the winged keel broadens gunkholing range, while the fin-keel boat remains the standard configuration.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Sirius 28. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26 | 1 | $5,000 | — |
Where they're listed
Sirius 28 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Dane Dane 28 | 28' | $ 12,228 | 7 | 4 |
| Vandestadt & McGruer 28You are here | — | $ 5,000 | 1 | 1 |