Sealine S28, opinions and what to look for?

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madabouttheboat

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Thinking of buying a Sealine S28, probably an early one with twin AD31s 150hp.

Anyone got any hints, tips and things to look out for when viewing?

Also any comments from S28 owners past or present on what they are like to handle, manoeuvre and how they deal with les sthan perfect sea conditions.

Cheers all.
 
It is the one Sealine I really don't like.
Not a great sea boat, hard, wet ride and I would guess it will be rather underpowered with twin 150's(?).

I am not a fan of the S23 / S25 either, but I will happily pick one of those over an S28 if they were lined up next to each other.
 
I have had my 2005 S28 for about a year now, we upgraded from a Glastron.
IMHO it is absolutley brilliant, the engines in ours are kad 32's which I am led to believe are an excellent engine, it may be worth searching around to find a boat with these engines.
The canopies fold away within the radar arch which is really handy and the different permatations of what you can do them is also really handy.
MPG is around the 2ish mark which is quite good, apparently!!!
I am based in Conwy and there are a few S28 owners in where we compare stories and tips. I am sure we cant all be wrong in the buying of our 28's!
As a sea handling boat it fares well, although we try not to be out in more than a force five wind, just in case it hits a six!
As with all things in life you cant please all the people all the time, so why not please yourself and buy what you want, you will not be disappointed with a 28.
If you are up my neck of the woods give me a shout at weekends, give me a shout and I will gladly give you a guided tour, or PM your email address and I will send some pics.
 
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The prices on some of the later S28's with the more modern engines (kad32's) and more modern blue trim, windows and dash seem to be very expensive. Some we have seen advertised are more than the early S29's (soft tops versions).

The 150hp engines may be, as said above, a little underpowered for the job. Make sure you have a good sea trial in one before commiting to a purchase.
 
Hello, as Bammy says above you cant please all of the people all the time, and i also second his opinion in that the S28 is a good boat.
I have an S28, 1997 model, twin Ad31's as you are considering. She is a clean, tidy boat, with everything fitted, with the exception of some stainless steel on the radar arch (just had to mention that before someone tries to brings it up)
having it altered for a search light.
This has been my first boat, and one that i have found, manageble, comfortable and easy to maintain. The engines are easy to work on and although some may say a little noisey, i cant complain. She powers along comforably at 25 knots and gets up on the plane easily, fuel consumption is about 2 mpg. Remember you want a boat to be comfortable and enjoyable, how often are you going to go out slammin the thing in 5's and 6's or worse?
For 2 people the boat is a great size, if you are taking a couple of kids with you every weekend than you may think about an S34, but for me there is no need to
push a second cabin around.
Some people say the older Sealines are better made, the fibreglass and gel coats are thicker, heavier and less prone to stress cracking. The only stress cracks mine has are in the tops of the radar arch, which are evident on every S28 / S34 i have looked at.
The main things to consider between new and older models is the engines, and the cosmetic differences( upholstery and colour of dash board) The Kad32 engines are basically AD31's but with an added supercharger. Helps them on the hump a little quicker.
As i said above, im happy with mine, and everyone who sees her says she looks a lot younger than her years. The boat is looks great to ;-)
p.s. some photos of her relaunch in Feb this year on my page
 
I looked at an S28 before buying an S34. I thought it was excellent. We didnt take it out in anything too demanding, but the ride was excellent considering its size. Great internal design too. Its built to give max space for your money. This can compromise the ride in rough seas but thats the call you make.

Not sure about the engine/boat size ratio, but I did used to own a Senator 240 with a single AD31 150hp (they also did them in 130hp). Great engine and pretty bullet proof. As long as you dont expect to cruise at >22 knots they should be fine.
 
We've put 500hrs+ on ours, and it suits us well.

It's been to Normandy, Paris, Holland etc. although most of the time is spent buzzing around the Solent.

A fuller bow than a Fairline Targa 30 means a more spacious forward cabin, but a firmer upwind ride. The best engines to have are KAD32's, which will give 34kts flat out, and an 18-24kt fast cruise, depending on sea state.
 
It is the one Sealine I really don't like.
Not a great sea boat, hard, wet ride and I would guess it will be rather underpowered with twin 150's(?).
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I must say I have to disagree - I think the S28 is a cracking little boat and ideally suited to the twin KAD 32 package. I would however consider it to be a bit underpowered on the older 150's.

I have sea trialled loads of S28's (never the 150 option though) as well as taught on them and have nothing but praise for them.

I am not a fan of the S23 / S25 either, but I will happily pick one of those over an S28 if they were lined up next to each other.
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Ugh! How can you say that? The S23/25 is a tippy little boat that bears no resemblance to an S28.
 
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Considered an s28 when upgrading from an s240, it's a classic from sealine, from the research we did there doesn't seem to be many problems associated with them and all the owners we spoke to had nothing but praise for it.

I have to say however that the Ad31's would be marginal, especially for more than a couple onboard, however for light cruising it should be fine, keeping the hull clean and not overdoing the toys would help, bear this in mind when sea trialing a very lightly laden boat.

Only downside to the older AD31 engined boats is they are now getting on a bit, probably to the extent of requiring some quite costly items.

Interiors can be done for around £2.5K, a canopy will be £1.8k, servicing will be around £2k (drives and engines) so before you decide a newer one is just out of your budget it might be worth considering if you need to update an older one, you even get the newer engines as a bonus.

Another boat to consider would be it's direct rival, the Fairline Targa 28 (or 29), although the interiors are a little more basic (light wood and acres of Grp mouldings compared to the sealine) the quality of finish is superb and its lines are timeless.

The enclosed anchor system of the sealine and the fact that sealine themselves moved away from the dolphin nose concept has really started to make the models with these features look dated and I think the Bur effect surfaces and cabinetry don't hold well against the minimalist and contemporary styling of the Fairline but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if you like these features then go for it.
 
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Have to agrea with most of the comments so far. We've only owned our 2005 model S28 since July (upgraded from Regal 2465) but due to the lovely North Wales weather we've only managed 2 trips out both in approx F5 ish wind. Have to say she handled very competently, didn't feel scary when broadside on to waves. Have spent a week on board at Conwy and found her plenty roomy enough. Most w/e we have 3 staying onboard and don't feel cramped. According to SWMBO the electric toilet is the dogs whatsits! We're very pleased with ours, great cockpit for entertaining, beer fridge brilliant, didn't have cockpit fridge before. The general consensus seems to be that the 150hp engines could be a little under powered but can get up onto the plane quicker with different props and more streemlined radar arch (see gwalia).
Have no bow thruster fitted but find manouvering very easy with twin engines (so far anyway). Personally I think the S28 still look good with canopies up or down.
 
gazzogs said:
According to SWMBO the electric toilet is the dogs whatsits!

You are a very cruel man old gazzogs, you know Mrs B will read this, knocking bet it is going to cost me cos you know we dont have an electric loo. :mad::mad::mad:


[QUOTE= The general consensus seems to be that the 150hp engines could be a little under powered but can get up onto the plane quicker with different props and more streemlined radar arch (see gwalia).


Now you are having a pop at poor gwalia, its very easy to make a mistake and buy the wrong props!!
Its also very easy to mis-read a tape measure whilst up a ladder, at night in the dark, I thinks, whilst measuring a stainless steel radar arch!!!:D:D:D

Like your style though, two pops at your ex friends in one go!!!:D:D:D
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Newsailer, don't let these new S28 owners put you off an older one.
if its going to be your 1st boat and like me just want something that can be enjoyed and also used as a test bed for your future enjoyment in boating, you won't go far wrong with an S28.

Just make sure the boat has a good history, and get it looked over by a surveyor, or a reliable mechanic.

I feel the last few comments by others, don’t help your choice, the points regarding my stainless steel bracket, is I have had it altered and the lads carrying out the job, got it wrong, i've seen the drawings today and they have agreed to correct it at no cost. The props are the correct props for the AD31's, the previous owner had put on the wrong ones. I took the advise of various knowledgeable men and purchased the current set from Paul at Coastal Rides, Devon (great, reliable & knowledgeable outfit) At first I thought the engines revved to high, but I was making the mistake of thinking it should perform the same as KAD32's. it performs as per the Sealine guide lines now and handles fine.

If this is going to be your 1st boat, what ever the make and model you decide on, make sure you enjoy it. You learn more about the does and don'ts on your first boat than you will on subsequent ones. You will make mistakes, but buying an S28 should not be one of them.
 
Thanks for the answers everyone. I'm a bit confused about the 150's being underpowered. Brochure metions 30 knots, which should provide a comfortable cruise in the low 20's and that's perfectly enough for me.

Also, didn't they used to put a pair of these AD31's in the 305/310 flybridge? Sometimes in the 130hp format. Surely that boat has got to weigh a good ton or so more.

This is actually going to be our second boat, as we are moving up from a single diesel 24 footer. Wonder if I can swap the KAD32 out of that :D
 
I've not been in one with AD31 150hp's, but I would expect it to be slower onto the plane and cruise rpm would be a bit higher than one with KAD32's. A KAD32 powered S28 leaps onto the plane. With a clean hull, and moderately loaded, it would probably be fine. If your hull looks like the "Black Pearl" and your usual crew consists of 5 rugby players and their luggage who all insist on sitting at the stern, it might take a while to get going.
 
Newsailer said:
Thanks for the answers everyone. I'm a bit confused about the 150's being underpowered. Brochure metions 30 knots, which should provide a comfortable cruise in the low 20's and that's perfectly enough for me.

Also, didn't they used to put a pair of these AD31's in the 305/310 flybridge? Sometimes in the 130hp format. Surely that boat has got to weigh a good ton or so more.

This is actually going to be our second boat, as we are moving up from a single diesel 24 footer. Wonder if I can swap the KAD32 out of that :D
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If you have a 24fter with a KAD32 then you should by now have found out that the 170hp can at times be marginal depending on your load. If heavily loaded our S23 can take a while to climb onto the plane but once going maintains a good cruising speed of between 25 and 28 knots.

If you think about it logically then a boat that weighs more than twice as much but has less than twice the power is going to struggle onto the plane at times.
 
Solitaire said:
Ugh! How can you say that? The S23/25 is a tippy little boat that bears no resemblance to an S28.
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PMSL!

I completely agree about that, 100%, totally and without doubt. Nasty thing.
But, I do prefer it to the hard, wet ride and sloppy low speed handling of it's big sister.
That's how bad I think the S28 is.
 
Nautibusiness said:
PMSL!

I completely agree about that, 100%, totally and without doubt. Nasty thing.
But, I do prefer it to the hard, wet ride and sloppy low speed handling of it's big sister.
That's how bad I think the S28 is.
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LOL - just goes to show how perceptions differ. I think the S28 is a first class little boat, hard ride? I think we must drive different boats! Or else we drive it differently! Sloppy slow speed handling? Never ever had a problem - now the S23/25 on the the other hand get the wind on the bow and feel/watch it goes side ways in reverse!
 
"now the S23/25 on the the other hand get the wind on the bow and feel/watch it goes side ways in reverse!"

Not if you drive it right:D
 
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