1984 Shannon 28

Somerledi, hull #52, was one of the last Shannon 28’s ever made. This incredibly tough boat will take care of you when conditions deteriorate. She’s the “offshore” layout: purpose-built to cross oceans short or even single-handed. In this layout, the quarterberth positions your head at the center of pitch for the boat, and so allows more comfortable sleeping while the boat is underway compared to the V-berth of the other layouts. The settees are comfortable, too, and are outfitted with lee cloths. Instead of the V-berth, the forward cabin has the head, a handy vice, and lots of storage space. Moving the head to the forward compartment opens up the cabin to make it feel very spacious. The head is configured to pump into a holding tank, which can be pumped out from the deck or out of a through-hull while offshore.

I’ve put her through all sorts of conditions sailing the entire east coast (see https://share.garmin.com/anlach) of the US. She had been sailed from the Gulf of Mexico to Nova Scotia even before I owned her, and she’s ready to keep going. The shape of the hull at the bow will split smoothly into a wave instead of slamming against it, which gives this boat an easy motion compared to some lighter boats. The rudder and propeller are protected by a deep skeg. This is a great relief when you’re sailing through fields of lobster buoys in Maine. Also, the encapsulated lead keel is strong - you don’t have to worry about rusty keel bolts giving way if you run aground because there aren’t any. The keel was layed up with the hull as part of the mold.

The original Yanmar 2GM is dependable and has been well-maintained. It’s easier to access than most other Shannons thanks to the well-installed, commercial grade Bomar hatch in the cockpit sole. I’ve replace the internal zincs twice, most recently in 2024. The main shaft seal was replaced in 2022, and the transmission seal to the prop shaft was just replaced in 2024. There are currently no oil leaks! Pretty good for a 40-year-old engine.

The boat is very easy to single-hand. The wind vane is as old as the boat and has full range of motion - no interference with the solar panels. This is the reason the solar array was designed as an “L” shape. There’s also an electronic auto-pilot for when the wind is too light and you’re motoring. The trim tab that the wind vane uses can be adjusted when the vane is disconnected to balance the helm when you’re heeled over. The two 100W solar panels are enough to recharge the battery every day and keep the fridge running around the clock. If you get a few cloudy days in a row, there are switches to easily swap the house and starter batteries to extend your time before you ever need to run the engine to recharge. For navigation, I’ve always used a couple Ipads with Navionics. They work very well with the Vesper AIS - just connect to the WiFi, make sure it’s enabled in the app, and you will see the other boats.

The first fifty one Shannon 28s must have given the builders plenty of practice because the interior woodwork is masterful. It feels super cozy to be surrounded by teak with the sun coming in through the bronze portlights, or with the little woodstove burning on colder evenings. The full galley has both a freshwater pump, which can draw from any of the three 20-gallon water tanks, and a separate pump hand-pump for getting water from a through-hull or pumping out the ice-box (controlled with a Y-valve). The Origo/Dometic alcohol burning stoves are safe and easy to use for cooking, and the refridgerator has a lot of space. People up to 6’2” in height can stand up fully in the cabin - much more room than other small boats.

On deck and in the cockpit, the diamond-pattern nonstick helps prevent slipping. The tiller steering is simple and works well with the transom-hung rudder. The 33lbs Rocna Vulcan anchor with all-chain rode lets you sleep easily. The main bow roller for the chain rode is mid-bowsprit. I have heard this can be an issue on other Shannons, but this one is reinforced by steel plates that are welded all the way around the sprit. This reinforcement is not standard on other S28s. I would still recommend to snub the chain using a nylon line run through a snatch block at the tip of the sprit. It works well, and I’ve left that snatch block on the boat. Twin forestays allow hoisting the high-clewed yankee jib even while the roller furling sail is bent on. The self-tacking staysail is truly wonderful if you have to fight against some chop upwind. New 3/8 thick stainless steel chainplates were fabricated and installed in 2019. When hauled out, the custom sunbrella cover keeps snow off and UV damage to a minimum, and is installed while the mast is in.

I have been living in Seattle for a couple years now, and after a final adventure in the Bahamas that just concluded this February, the time has come to sell the boat. It’s been a great six years, and I’d highly recommend this boat. It includes a lot of the expensive items you need for a safe, ocean-going vessel (VHF, EPIRB, AIS, etc. - see below for full list), and it shouldn’t last too long at this price!

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Accommodations

For solo sailing it’s perfect. Two is also good for longer trips. Three is okay for a few days, but it’s a little cramped. Technically, you can sleep two in the quarterberth, and with the two settees, that’s four as the max for overnights. I’ve had five on it for a daysail, but the cockpit gets pretty full. Mechanical Equipment

Ground tackle
    33 lbs Rocna Vulcan as main anchor on bow roller. There is about 140 ft of 5/16 galvanized chain rode in the bow and an additional 15ft in the stern.
    45 lbs Mantus stored below as a storm anchor
    Fortress Anchor mounted on stern rail
Wind vane self-steering uses the trim tab on the rudder and works well. The trim tab can also be adjusted to balance the helm when not using the vane.
Twin forestays allows use of the hanked on Yankee jib or the roller furling jib.
Sails
    Roller-furling jib - the newest working sail. Sun-protection is installed along foot and leech so the sail is well-covered when furled. Needs to be mostly furled in when tacking because of the staysail stay.
    Mainsail - two reefs and partial battens. Currently useable, but needs re-stitching because the threads are weakened by UV.
    Staysail - gets less use than the main, so still in pretty good shape.
    Yankee jib - still in pretty good shape, because the roller furling jib is easier to use
    Storm Trysail - New orange storm trysail. Raised it up once, but never used it.
    Drifter - 80s colors… Only tried it a couple times
    Incomplete Staysail - I was going to make a new staysail and mainsail as a project, but never quite finished the first one… still working though.

Galley Equipment

Adler Barbour Refrigeration 
Dual Origo alcohol-burning stoves for cooking

Deck and Hull Equipment

Solar Array - Two 100 W Renogy Rigid panels and an MPPT charge controller with a switch installed for the panels. A separate 50W panel can be used for float charging
Sunbrella Cover for mast-in storage
Sun covers for staysail, main, and tiller
Dodger - zips up in the center, so it's also useable when the dinghy is on board
Bronze Bell engraved “SOMERLEDI"

Navigation Systems

Vesper Marine AIS XB-8000 transponder with WiFi
Standard Horizon VHF in both cabin and cockpit  - the antenna is at the top of the mast
Furuno Radar
Electronic autopilot computer is a pypilot. It works well on rivers or flat, calm waters. (See mechanical equipment for wind vane)

Additional Equipment

Cubic Mini Cub wood stove. Above the Dickenson Marine deck fitting, an additional two feet of flue pipe with an exhaust cap is swapped for the rain cap when using the woodstove.
Fiorentino Para-Anchor and 300 feet of nylon rode for heaving-to at sea. See Lin & Larry Pardey's Storm Tactics.
2020 ACR EPIRB
Three fire extinguishers
New Orion flare gun with 4 flares
25 ft water hose
30amp shore power with 50 ft cable and splitter for 50amp hookups
Xantrex Prowatt SW 1000 Watt power inverter
Two group 27 marine batteries: one Everstart deep cycle and one West Marine Dual Purpose. There are two switches to choose which is the house battery and which is for starting.
Uninstalled Davis Vantage Pro Anemometer
Pomo hand-pump portable shower
Weems & Plath Barometer
Kidde Carbon Monoxide detector

Optional add-ons

Nesting, Rowing, & Sailing Dinghy - $1200. CLC Eastport Nesting pram
Katadyn Manual Water maker with repair seal kit and biocide tablets - $400