Design and Construction
Soverel Marine built the 28 as a solid-glass monohull with a centerboard and a spade rudder, the latter a modern choice for the early 1960s that aids low-speed turning. The estimated 2,778 pounds of lead ballast in a 7,000-pound hull yields a ballast-displacement ratio of roughly 39.7 percent, while a displacement-length ratio of about 241 places her firmly in the heavy, seakindly camp rather than the featherweight racer end of the spectrum. A capsize screening value of 1.74 and a comfort ratio of 25.69 reinforce the picture of a small boat with offshore-leaning stability numbers. The centerboard gives a board-up draft of 2.67 feet and a board-down draft of 4.5 feet, letting the boat dry out or gunkhole yet stand up to sail when the plate is lowered.
Rig and Sail Plan
The standard Soverel 28 carries a masthead sloop rig with an I of 33.6 feet and J of 11.8 feet, a P of 30.6 feet and E of 12.2 feet; the mainsail works out to about 187 square feet, with a racing cut adding ten percent to roughly 206 square feet sail area calculation table. A 155 percent genoa covers about 327 square feet and a 135 percent genoa about 285, while a 100 percent jib is near 198 square feet. The fore triangle closes to a 94 percent jib to fill it, and the spinnaker envelope runs from 503 to 611 square feet, with a square spinnaker around 719 and an asymmetrical around 599. A separate database entry lists a SOVEREL 28 with a 34.3-foot I, 11.2-foot J, 30.9-foot P, and 13.2-foot E on a 23.3-foot waterline and 3-foot draft at 7,000 pounds, and the MORC variant shows a 24.16-foot waterline, 6.5-foot draft, and 6,500-pound displacement — sources differ on the exact dimensions across these sub-variants rather than a single fixed specification.
Accommodations
The 8.33-foot beam and 28.5-foot length put her at the roomy end of the MORC-class envelope. The centerboard trunk necessarily claims floor space amidships in a way a fixed-keel boat avoids.
Known Issues
The centerboard trunk and its pivot, the spade rudder stock and bearing, and the chainplate landings are the usual long-service wear points on a 1960s solid-glass centerboarder. The spade rudder aids low-speed turning yet remains a wear item after decades of service spade rudder construction.
Refits and Ownership
With 90 boats built across a nine-year run, the Soverel 28 is a small class. The Palmer gasoline engine noted in the builder record is a period inline unit, and any surviving example will almost certainly have been re-powered or at minimum rewired over six decades. The centerboard trunk and spade rudder are the components most likely to have seen repair or modification, and a buyer should treat any undocumented structural work as a negotiation point rather than a defect.
The Verdict
The Soverel 28 is a quietly capable small centerboard sloop whose stability numbers and draft flexibility outclass her modest length. A purchaser leans on a surveyor more than on a known class profile.
Pros
- Centerboard gives 2.67-foot board-up draft for trailering and shoal access, 4.5-foot board-down for sailing.
- Ballast ratio near 40 percent and comfort ratio of 25.69 suggest a stiff, settled small boat.
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck, spade rudder, masthead sloop rig with a well-developed downwind sail range.
Cons
- Only 90 built; class support and spare parts are thin.
- Sources differ on dimensions across sub-variants, complicating expectations.
- Accommodation and systems detail is sparse; every example is a personal-history research project.
