Tartan 28 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a used Tartan 28 means looking at a Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop from the mid-1980s, built by Tartan Marine, Ltd. with fewer than 200 hulls produced. These are compact fiberglass fin-keel boats of moderate-racer character, and the used fleet tends to reflect owner care more than factory option packages.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Tartan 28 is a 28-foot fin-keel monohull with a load-dependent draft near 4.9 to 5.2 feet and a beam just under 10 feet. Her moderate displacement and 43 percent ballast ratio produce a stability profile suited to coastal cruising. Because the design is a small-production run, most boats you encounter will share the same hull and rig geometry; differences among listings are driven by equipment rather than layout branches.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, autopilots, radar, and chartplotters are commonly fitted, forming the modern navigation core of most boats. Inverters and hot water are often seen, along with spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker packages that extend her light-air sail plan beyond the reference 17.1 sail-area-to-displacement ratio. Solar panels, electric winches, and swim platforms appear as less common owner upgrades. For a buyer, the presence of a chartplotter and radar reduces navigation-refit cost, while an existing spinnaker setup adds a documented light-air capability.
What to Inspect
The rigging specification is the owner's best inspection checklist. The mainsail halyard runs 87.8 feet at 5/16 inch, and the same length and diameter apply to the jib/genoa and spinnaker halyards; sheets range from 28.2-foot jib and genoa sheets to a 70.5-foot mainsheet. Confirm that existing running rigging matches these lengths, as shortened or oversized lines point to improvised deck hardware. The hull is solid fiberglass, and the fin keel should be checked for uniform attachment across the stated 4.89 to 5.19 foot draft range.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for the Tartan 28 is the United States. A short buyer's checklist: verify the Yanmar 2GM auxiliary if fitted, confirm rigging dimensions, and prioritize boats with commonly fitted navigation gear and an existing spinnaker package.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Tartan 28. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | 1 | $19,500 | — |
| Aug 25 | 1 | $9,500 | -51.3% |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $15,000 | +57.9% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $29,500 | +96.7% |
| Jan 26 | 3 | $26,500 | -10.2% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $26,500 | 0.0% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $26,500 | 0.0% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $13,999 | -47.2% |
Where they're listed
Tartan 28 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 12.
Country view
12 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $23,250 | 12 | 2 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina 28 | 28.5' | $ 25,000 | 38 | 7 |
| Sabre 28-2 | 28.42' | $ 14,500 | 15 | 7 |
| Tartan 31 | 31.33' | $ 34,000 | 14 | 5 |
| Tartan 28You are here | — | $ 23,250 | 12 | 2 |
| Shannon 28 | 28' | $ 43,710 | 12 | 3 |