Southern Cross 28 Buyer's Guide
The Southern Cross 28 is a Thomas C. Gillmer-designed cutter built by C. E. Ryder from 1978, with 66 factory boats and six Gilmer kit versions produced before the line ended. For a shopper in the used market, it presents as a 30-foot cruiser with a documented bluewater lineage and a compact, teak-trimmed interior. Most available boats will be found in the United States, where the marque was built and sold.
Layouts on the Used Market
Factory-finished boats generally show a bronze builder's medallion in the cockpit, distinguishing them from the Gilmer 28 owner-completed kits. Below, the layout is consistent: a port galley at the companionway foot with alcohol stove, a starboard icebox that also serves as a nav table, a forward head behind the V-berth with privacy doors, and main-cabin settees where the starboard side opens to a double. Headroom is just over six feet. The SC28 was built without a holding tank, so any head discharge is direct overboard—a point to weigh against current local rules.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, boats commonly carry a bimini, chartplotter, cabin heating, radar, and AIS, reflecting how owners have modernized these cruisers for extended travel. The original design was delivered with a minimal DC panel for nav and interior lights, so a buyer should view added electronics as welcome upgrades rather than factory spec. Factory sailing gear was modest—two halyard and two genoa winches, jiffy reefing, and a topping lift—with roller furling, boom vang, and spinnaker as options, so a cutter rig tuned for short-handed work is the baseline to inspect.
What to Inspect
The rubber hull-to-deck gasket can harden with cyclic loading and leak along the joint, a fault some owners report, so examine that flange carefully. The skeg-mounted rudder extends below the skeg and an owner on the Maine coast reports it is prone to catching lobster pot lines, meaning the rudder and lower bearing deserve close attention. Chainplates are through-bolted to glassed-in ribs and reachable inside, a good access point for corrosion checks.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Southern Cross 28 boats are typically found in the United States. For a buyer, the checklist is short: confirm factory versus Gilmer kit status via the cockpit medallion, test the hull-to-deck joint for staining, inspect the rudder and skeg for line damage, verify chainplate integrity, and assess any added navigation and comfort equipment against the minimal original electrical system.
- Factory medallion present (vs. Gilmer kit)
- Hull-to-deck joint dry and gasket supple
- Rudder and skeg free of pot-line damage
- Chainplates and bonded bulkheads sound
- Added electronics matched to DC panel capacity
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Southern Cross 28. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $16,000 | — |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $10,000 | -37.5% |
Where they're listed
Southern Cross 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 | $13,000 | 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
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colvic Countess 28 | 28' | $ 10,487 | 23 | 3 |
| Shannon 28 | 28' | $ 43,719 | 12 | 3 |
| Great Dane Dane 28 | 28' | $ 12,316 | 7 | 3 |
| Southern Cross 28You are here | — | $ 13,000 | 2 | 1 |