Islander 28
Built 1975–1985 by Islander Yachts
About the Islander 28
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1975–1985
- Builder
- Islander Yachts
- Designer
- Robert Perry
- Length
- 27.92 ft
- Waterline
- 23.08 ft
- Beam
- 9.83 ft
- Draft
- 5.25 ft
- Displacement
- 7,000 lb
- Ballast
- 3,300 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 20 gal
- Water
- 24 gal
- Number built
- 430
- Stern thruster
- none
- Steering
- tiller
Solid hand-laid hull, plywood-cored deck, inward-flange hull-deck joint under an aluminum toerail, external lead keel, built-in (no liner pan) interior. Early boats had a 5 ft keel with 3,000 lb ballast and were tender; later boats got 3,300 lb and 5.25 ft draft (Good Old Boat). 4 ft shoal keel optional. Sailboatdata notes a Bahama-style variant introduced in 1981 sold poorly before the standard model returned.
Known problems for this model
-
Plywood-cored deck deck
Deck and cabin top are plywood cored; sound around stanchions and other hardware for wet or rotted core.goodoldboat.com · sailboatdata.com
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Chainplate leaks at main bulkhead rigging
Check where chainplates attach to the plywood main bulkhead for water staining or delamination.goodoldboat.com
-
Very shallow bilge interior
The bilge is shallow, so modest water can wet the sole and rot the lower cabinetry, settee bases and bulkheads.goodoldboat.com
-
Exposed engine instrument panel electrical
The engine panel is mounted low inside the transom area where it is prone to damage.goodoldboat.com
-
Underpowered with the Volvo MD7A engine
The optional 13 hp Volvo leaves the boat marginally powered; the Atomic 4 is stronger and still has good parts support.goodoldboat.com
1 more
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Large companionway and small cockpit drains deck
The oversized companionway can let water below if the cockpit floods; keep the lower board in and consider larger drains.goodoldboat.com
Engines & parts
Universal Atomic 4 parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Universal Atomic 4”
Tens of thousands were built (sources say from 40,000 to 50,000). Despite being out of production for decades, the engine is well supported: Moyer Marine sells parts, rebuilt engines, fuel pump rebuilds and exhaust parts, and hosts an owners' forum; Old Lyme Marina and others also supply parts, and electronic ignition upgrades are available.
Parts sources: Moyer Marine
Common problems (3)
-
Raw-water cooling scale and corrosion cooling
Most Atomic 4s are raw-water cooled, so the block scales up and corrodes, especially in salt water; cranking without starting can also flood the engine with seawater through the exhaust.goodoldboat.com · moyermarineforum.com · keelindex.com
-
Gasoline vapor fire/explosion risk fuel
Gasoline vapor is heavier than air and settles in the bilge, so ventilation, blower use and shutting the fuel valve (a stuck carburetor float can overflow) matter.goodoldboat.com
-
Ignition and fuel system faults electrical
Points, condenser, cap and wires, plus gummed carburetors and contaminated fuel, are the most common reasons an Atomic 4 won't run well.keelindex.com · goodoldboat.com
Sources disagree on first year, last year, number built — left blank rather than guessed.
Model sources (2)
Other Islander models
- Islander 36 1971–?
- Islander Bahama 30 1973–1985
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.