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Westsail 28

Built 1975–1979 by Westsail Corp.

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About the Westsail 28

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Illustration of a Westsail 28
Illustration, not a photo of this model. AI-generated illustration of a typical full-keel offshore cutter.
Built
1975–1979
Builder
Westsail Corp.
Designer
Herb David
Length
28.25 ft
Waterline
23.5 ft
Beam
9.58 ft
Draft
4.33 ft
Displacement
13,500 lb
Ballast
4,200 lb
Hull
fiberglass
Hull / keel
full keel
Rig
cutter
Propulsion
inboard
Fuel
36 gal
Water
79 gal
Number built
78
Stern thruster
none

Solid glass hull with plywood-cored sandwich deck; transom-hung rudder. Ballast and sail area increased after the first few boats and the rudder was later enlarged. Also sold as kits.

Known problems for this model

No well-sourced problem reports found yet.

Engines & parts

Volvo Penta D1 / D2 series (D1-13 to D2-75) parts: good

Factory standard engine — you entered “Volvo Penta MD11HD”

Current-generation small Volvo diesels (Perkins-derived per owners). Glow plugs, injectors and filters can be bought cheaper via Perkins and aftermarket sources; stainless replacement exhaust elbows are sold aftermarket.

Parts sources: MarineDustrie, AB Marine Service (exhaust elbow)

Common problems (3)
  • Exhaust elbow / manifold corrosion exhaust
    The cast elbow rots and has a narrow water passage, which lets water back into the manifold and corrode it through where the two meet; an aftermarket stainless elbow is the usual fix.
    sailnet.com · myhanse.com
  • Fuel pump controller failure fuel
    Contamination or failure of the fuel pump controller is listed as one of the most common D1 faults.
    marinedustrie.com
  • Overheating from corroded heat exchanger/manifold cooling
    Corrosion holes in the combined heat exchanger/manifold cause overheating on D1 and D2 engines.
    myhanse.com · facebook.com
Model sources (1)

sailboatdata.com

Other Westsail models

Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.