Formula 28
Hunter · Stephen Jones · 1984
Updated
The Formula 28 is a 8.29 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Stephen Jones and built by Hunter, first launched in 1984. It races in Class C.
Length
8.29 m
27′ 2″
Beam
2.80 m
Draft
1.66 m
Displacement
1.8 t
Sail area
40 m²
On the podium
Where a Formula 28 finishes when she goes racing.
0
Wins
0
Seconds
0
Thirds
7
Starts
Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.
Read from 7 starts by 1 boat between 2023 and 2025, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Formula 28 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Κυπελλο Χριστουγεννων"2025- "Αγ. Νικολαου 2025"2025
- "Κυπελλο Αμφιθεας 2025"2025
- "Φιλιας 2025"2025
- "Κυπελλο Αμφιθεας 2024"2024
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
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Not enough data yet: 1 race of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 6 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Formula 28 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
J/80 (5 meetings), IMX 38 (5 meetings), X-362 (5 meetings), J/24 (4 meetings), First 40 (4 meetings), Platu 25 (7 meetings), Dehler 30 OD (5 meetings), X-35 (4 meetings), First 27.7 (3 meetings), First 36 (3 meetings), X-119 (3 meetings), Bh 36 (3 meetings), Jv 44 (3 meetings), Moody 39 (2 meetings), First 34.7 (2 meetings), Xp 44 (2 meetings), Bavaria Match 35 (2 meetings), Nek 26 (2 meetings), J/11 (2 meetings), First 35 (Farr) (2 meetings), Dehler 38 (Stadt) (2 meetings), Sun Fast 3200 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) (2 meetings), Mount Gay 30 (2 meetings), Bavaria Cruiser 40 S (2 meetings), IMX 40 (2 meetings), X-40 (1 meeting), Farr 40 (1 meeting), J/105 (1 meeting), X-99 (1 meeting), First 36.7 (1 meeting), Caribbean 40 (1 meeting), First 211 (1 meeting), X-43 (1 meeting), JPK 960 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 37 (Design) (1 meeting), Dehler 35 (Voogd) (1 meeting)
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.58
37°
Beam reach
7.40
90°
Broad reach
8.27
135°
Downwind VMG
7.08
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the beat as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off once the breeze fills, giving away time it never gets back.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Formula 28
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.36 | 4.36 | 4.54 | 4.58 |
| 52° | 5.04 | 5.99 | 6.21 | 6.31 |
| 60° | 5.24 | 6.12 | 6.37 | 6.52 |
| 75° | 5.35 | 6.22 | 6.62 | 6.96 |
| 90° | 5.26 | 6.29 | 6.79 | 7.40 |
| 110° | 5.17 | 6.36 | 7.14 | 7.83 |
| 120° | 4.98 | 6.27 | 7.11 | 8.24 |
| 135° | 4.46 | 6.00 | 6.79 | 8.27 |
| 150° | 3.79 | 5.61 | 6.45 | 7.72 |
| Run VMG | 3.28 | 4.92 | 5.99 | 7.08 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 420 kg.
Rigging
Formula 28 rig and sail dimensions
A Formula 28 carries 9.89 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.88 m boom, a forestay 9.51 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails