Overview
The Caliber 28 was the first production boat from Caliber Yachts in Clearwater, Florida, designed by Michael McCreary and first built in 1981. Good Old Boat describes the McCreary brothers building the first one before moving into a plant.
Design and Construction
The hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass and the deck is cored with plywood, with no interior liners. A shallow fin keel is bolted to the hull and the rectangular rudder, fiberglass over a stainless steel shaft, hangs behind a small skeg. sailboatdata.com lists 27.5 ft overall on a 24.33 ft waterline, 10.83 ft of beam and 3.92 ft of draft, with 3,100 lb of ballast in a 7,200 lb displacement and about 428 sq ft of sail. Deck penetrations are through solid fiberglass, the chainplates are through-bolted to a substantial bulkhead and to the deck, and the hull-deck joint is secured by a through-bolted aluminum toerail; owners have not reported problems with it. This is the only Caliber with a bolted keel; later models encapsulate the ballast. About 48 were built. Caliber used no interior liners or pans on the 28. Instead its Multi-Bulkhead Bonding System tapes and tabs every bulkhead to the hull and deck, and Good Old Boat’s Tom Wells found no sign of movement or deterioration in the tabbing on the boat he sailed.
Under Sail
Good Old Boat’s reviewer found it does not feel like a 28-footer, tracks well, and looked unlikely to pound in a seaway. Their verdict: you may not win many races, but you will arrive in comfort. She points to about 40 degrees apparent, and walks to port when backing under power.
Buyers Notes
Its capsize screen value of 2.25 is above the usual offshore guideline, and it is best treated as a coastal and near-offshore boat. The reviewers noted some helm vibration and a short mainsheet traveler.
Wells measured 6 feet 1 inch of standing headroom below, reached by high companionway steps that accommodate the bridge deck, which he calls a rare feature in a boat this size. Two interior layouts were offered, a two-cabin and a three-cabin, and the V-berth is 6 feet 6 inches long and more than 6 feet wide aft. Power was an 18-hp Yanmar 2GM 20F with a 22-gallon fuel tank. PHRF New England rated her at 186, against 183 for the Catalina 28 and Hunter 28.5.
