Etap 28i Opinions

[kluson]

Hi Everone.

My wife and I are keen to get back on the water.
We have a seen a tidy little ETAP 28i and would like to know everyones opinion of this boat. This will be our first boat purchase. We have both completed and passed our Day Skipper theory and comp crew practical. We are in no rush to buy and are happy to wait for the right boat.
The Etap is 1989 and in great condition with a good survey report. Our other choice would perhaps be a Bavaria 30 or 31

many thanks

 

[johnalison]

A friend of ours had one once when we had a Sadler29. My memory of it is that the open plan interior was not very comfortable or private and seemed quite flimsy beside our Sadler. I had one short sail in her but apart from being ok in the light conditions I didn't get much chance to assess her.

We used to sail in company with them quite often and invariably left them astern, though another one we sailed with seemed much of a muchness. The Etap has a very shallow forefoot and is not very relaxing to sail in anything of a sea, and needs much more tweaking than the Sadler. I would regard the Etap as more of a coastal sailor than the others you mention, where you would be getting a much more substantial boat

 

[Sans Bateau]

We owned a an Etap 28i after a Sadler 26 which suffered from cracking around the bases of the stanchions apart from that Sadlers are pretty good boats. A well sailed Etap28i is quick and seaworthy. We did our first channel crossing in ours, tying up in Cherbourg ahead of the Gibsea 33 and Maxi 33 (?) we were sailing in company with. Our return trip was in the top of a F5 -F6 SW with no drama. The interior is as you will have seen open plan, for two of you this is fine, although we often had guests aboard with no problem. Two major benefits of the Etap above many other boats, wide panoramic window provides loads of light and the foam core double skin will help provide insulation for heat, cold and sound apart from the obvious benefit.

We now sail an Etap 35i which we have owned for 9 years. You will often hear disparaging comment about Etaps from people who have little or no knowledge of them. If you would like, send me your real email address via PM and I will send you a copy of the original test sail reports.

Edit: Just seen your other post. If you have the budget, the advice of Photodog, the Bav 31 would be the choice. If budget is only £20-25K, then the Etap.

 

[kluson]

We owned a an Etap 28i after a Sadler 26 which suffered from cracking around the bases of the stanchions apart from that Sadlers are pretty good boats. A well sailed Etap28i is quick and seaworthy. We did our first channel crossing in ours, tying up in Cherbourg ahead of the Gibsea 33 and Maxi 33 (?) we were sailing in company with. Our return trip was in the top of a F5 -F6 SW with no drama. The interior is as you will have seen open plan, for two of you this is fine, although we often had guests aboard with no problem. Two major benefits of the Etap above many other boats, wide panoramic window provides loads of light and the foam core double skin will help provide insulation for heat, cold and sound apart from the obvious benefit.

We now sail an Etap 35i which we have owned for 9 years. You will often hear disparaging comment about Etaps from people who have little or no knowledge of them. If you would like, send me your real email address via PM and I will send you a copy of the original test sail reports.

Edit: Just seen your other post. If you have the budget, the advice of Photodog, the Bav 31 would be the choice. If budget is only £20-25K, then the Etap.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Jim Pask]

Hi - this a long shot as the thread is a few years old ! - Ive just acquired an Etap 28i , there don't seem to be any reviews on the web and I noticed you mentioned a review from the past - if you still have it a copy would be very much appreciated . Im particularly interested to hear about her sea keeping in a blow offshore . The etap design has always appealed and the unique fittings and obvious attributes made the choice for me, my other boats ( Sonata + Sigma 8m) have been fractonal rigs and have sailed well upwind and the backstay was a useful tool to de-power the rig , I'm hoping the 28 will do the same - it looks like it should sail well .
Any opinions/views/experience greatly appreciated !.

 

[Tranona]

PBO did a full test on the boat when it was current. Expect you can still order a copy from the copy department.

 

[Jim Pask]

Hi , thanks , I did look for a review on-line , but it seems they no longer sell them unfortunately .

 

[underdog]

You can buy copies of reviews of boats from the National Maritime museum. They have several of the Etap28i.

https://nmmc.co.uk/explore/databases/

Over the years yachting magazines have carried reviews of new yacht and boat designs. Some of these have gone on to become classics, others have not. The volunteers in the Bartlett Maritime Research Centre have trawled through eighteen different titles from as far back as 1891, and have extracted over 14,000 articles about individual boat designs. We don’t pretend that this is a comprehensive list because we do not have every copy of every yachting magazine over that period, but we think we have found most of them. If you want to find details of a design then use the search facility below to check if we have what you’re looking for. If we have, then you can either access the magazine by visiting the Bartlett Centre in person or alternatively we can send you a copy of the article via email but please note that there will be a handling/post and packing charge of £5 per request, plus 50p per page (scanned or photocopied). To request an article then email us at library@nmmc.co.uk quoting as much information as possible. Please note that copies are provided for personal reference only and normal copyright rules apply.

 

[Jim Pask]

Thanks very much, I didnt know about the Maritime museum, I will order the articles tomorrow.