Islander 28
Built 1975–1985 by Islander Yachts
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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
- Holding
- 20 gal
- Number built
- 430
- Stern thruster
- not fitted
- Steering
- tiller
Tank capacities — where the figures come from
-
Fuel 20 gal
“a 20-gallon aluminum tank” — review, goodoldboat.com · “fuel tank capacity of 76 liters” — search excerpt, sailcentral.comThe Good Old Boat review and spec databases agree; no builder document was found online.
-
Water unknown
“the 20-gallon water tank” — review, goodoldboat.com · “freshwater tank capacity of 91 liters” — search excerpt, sailcentral.com · “fresh water 20 gallons” — search excerpt (1976), boatsnetlocator.comGood Old Boat and a 1976 listing say 20 gal; spec databases, the source of our earlier figure, say 91 L (24 gal). No builder figure was found to settle it.
-
Holding 20 gal
“The 20-gallon holding tank” — review, goodoldboat.com · “holding 10” — search excerpt (1976), boatsnetlocator.comThe figure comes from one magazine review (Good Old Boat, 2006); a 1976 listing shows 10 gal for one boat.
-
Water heater unknown
Good Old Boat and Boat De Jour articles on the Islander 28 do not mention a water heater.
Tanks are often replaced or added on older boats — check the tank labels or a survey for yours.
Thrusters and steering — where this comes from
-
Bow thruster unknown
No source mentions a thruster on the Islander 28.
-
Stern thruster not fitted
Nothing was found either way; our earlier figure of none appears to be an assumption.
-
Steering tiller
“Tiller steering was standard, with wheel steering offered as an option.” — search excerpt, goodoldboat.comGood Old Boat agrees the tiller was standard and a wheel optional, and owners' forum threads about wheel-to-tiller conversions show wheel boats exist. The wheel hardware maker wasn't found.
Thrusters and steering are often replaced — check the units on your boat before ordering parts.
Sources disagree on water tank — left blank rather than guessed.
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.
Engines fitted
-
Atomic 4 (Universal) — 30 hp, gas, single
standard
Keel Index spec page (1975-85) lists a 30 hp Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine.Sources: keelindex.com
Generator
No source mentions a generator for the Islander 28.
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
-
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
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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 “Atomic 4 (Universal)”
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)
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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
Maker’s service schedule (9)
| Engine oil & filter change | 50 hrs | “3. FIFTY HOUR CHECK a. Using sump pump, remove all oil from crankcase. Refill with a good grade oil as specified in Tabl” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Fuel filters & water separator | 50 hrs | “e. Clean fuel pump strainer.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Heat exchanger & oil cooler cleaning | 50 hrs | “b. Inspect oil cooler and remove any accumulation of grit or dirt.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Clean flame arrestor | 100 hrs | “b. Inspect flame arrestor to be sure air passages are clean and free from oil. If dirty remove and wash with kerosene.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Check clutch (reverse gear) adjustment | 100 hrs | “4. ONE HUNDRED HOUR CHECK ... c. Check adjustment of clutch.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Valve clearance check / adjust | 150 hrs or 1 yr | “5. ONE HUNDRED FIFTY HOUR CHECK a. Check valve tappet adjustment.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Spark plugs inspect / replace | 150 hrs | “b. Remove, clean, and reset spark plugs.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Transmission fluid change Universal V-drive unit (V-drive installations only; the standard reverse gear shares engine oil) | 500 hrs | “(2) After the first 50 hours of operation, drain unit and refill ... (3) Change lubricant every 500 hours of operation.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Complete overhaul | 3,000 hrs | “At the end of three thousand hours of operation the engine should be completely overhauled.” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
Service part numbers (8)
| Oil filter optional add-on oil filter (not standard equipment) |
Universal 276236 | “2 Element or Cartridge 1 276236 (Oil Group, Oil Filter, Not Standard Equipment)” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Raw-water impeller Oberdorfer N202M-03 / N202M-07 replacement raw-water pump (Universal pump 295625) |
Oberdorfer 6593 | “5 Impeller 6593 6593 6593 6593 6593 1 (N202M, N202M-03, N202M-07 parts list)” — manufacturer, pumpsandpartsonline.com · “Impeller : Catalog # 6593, Impeller” — dealer, pumpagents.com |
| Raw-water pump kit Oberdorfer N202M-03 / N202M-07 raw-water pump |
Oberdorfer 10725 | “REPAIR KIT N202M N202M-03 N202M-07 10725” — manufacturer, pumpsandpartsonline.com · “Catalog # 10725, Repair Kit, includes O-Ring, Snap Ring, Impeller, 2 x Lip Seal” — dealer, pumpagents.com |
| Drive belt alternator belt (Prestolite and Motorola alternators) |
Universal 239387 | “19 Belt 1 239387 (12 Volt - Motorola 51 Amp Alternator)” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Spark plug | Universal 273276 × 4 | “8 Spark plugs, champion 4 273276” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Thermostat late style, from 1967 / serial #79476 (Holley 145 F, on cylinder head) |
Universal 200206 | “12 Thermostat Kit 1 200206 consists of 262278 and 261601” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Thermostat Dole type, before serial #79476 (on manifold) |
Universal 200207 | “13 Kit, Thermostat (consists of 275965 & 261144) 1 200207” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
| Zinc / anode fresh-water-cooled engines only (Universal heat-exchanger kit) |
Universal 299760 | “23 zinc pencil 1 299760 (Cooling, Fresh Water System, after serial #79476)” — manufacturer, westerbeke.com |
From the engine maker’s parts lists, or two independent parts dealers. Numbers change with serial number and get superseded — check yours before ordering.
Sources disagree on first year, last year, number built — left blank rather than guessed.
Model sources (3)
Own a Islander 28? Add her to your boats, then share a photo — names, numbers and faces are blurred before it appears.
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.