Shannon 28; offshore anyone?

[Gravey]

I’m looking for actual offshore experience in a Shannon 28 or other 28-33 offshore designs. I’ve read all the posts and websites on what people think, usually reiteration of manufacturers or magazines reviews, the latter usually void of fully testing the vessel in all manor of weather a cruising hull is designed for.

Does anyone out there have first had experience to validate the claims?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Gravey.

[Fore and Aft]

This family of four just crossed the Atlantic in a 28 footer. Mums pretty casual about the trip judging by her Facebook comments.
Cheers
https://schourup.net/2019/06/19/the-atlantic-crossing/

[sanibel sailor]

That boat is a Great Dane 28.
No personal experience on the Shannon 28, but was on my short list at one point. Small interior for the money.
I bought a Bristol Channel Cutter instead. Same length on deck, wider beam, longer waterline, more displacement, bigger rig and interior. BCC lived up to her reputation and was fast when not hard on the wind. Same ballpark price and similar build quality. Much more visually appealing to my eye. Some features like full keel and bowsprit have drawbacks that are readily apparent.

I have offshore experience in a Cape Dory 26 and the BCC. While only 2 feet bigger, the displacement is what really counts. I got battered at times in the CD, BCC was a smooth ride. The CD did not heave to as well with a cutaway forefoot. The Shannon may do better in that regard with a bite out behind the keel. I could sail the BCC in weather that had me stopped in the CD.

[Breaking Waves]

The Shannon is a quite good bluewater boat . . . for a 28'er.

Back 'in the day' that was a quite common sized cruising boat (for a couple), and the Shannon was viewed as one of the better designs. It was well made and sailed well (relatively for its size).

Today it is typically viewed as on the 'too small' side of things. But if you want to go simple, it is a quite good choice.

They are getting long in the tooth these days. So you need to dig in and figure out what needs refreshing. And I would comment that Shannon's build quality varied over the years, and you want to get one built in good economy years and not in rescission years nor in time just before their several ownership changes.

The BBC is a rather larger boat - not really a direct comparison to the Shannon (Like 55% bigger - 9klbs vs 14k lbs displacement). It is more like a 35'er just with a plumb bow which shortens the LOA.

[Whosails]

I actually know someone who took his Shannon 28 to the Caribbean. From the St Lawrence. Offshore all the he way.

[Gravey]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

I have offshore experience in a Cape Dory 26 and the BCC...

I currently have a Pearson Ariel, which seems to have a very similar hull to the CD26. I was considering the BCC, even had a discussion with the builder, not that can afford to have a new sailboat. What is your impression of the BCC undersail; strengths/weakness? Why did you sell it?

[roverhi]

Sailed to most of the inhabited islands in Hawaii in a Columbia 26 Mark II. The channels in Hawaii going the wrong way were the worst conditions experienced in more than 10,000 miles of open ocean sailing. Would I recommend it especially in a C26, no because you need a cast iron stomach to handle the uncomfortable conditions. The boat survived and I had a great time.

A boat like a Shannon 28 is a go anywhere blue water cruiser compared to the Columbia way way better built and hopefully better sailing manners. Properly equipped wouldn't have a qualm about taking a Shannon 28 anywhere in the world I wanted to go. Going to take some compromises to do long passages and extended cruising but that's in your mentality not the boat's ability.

Recently delivered my new to me Sabre 28 from SF to Oceanside, CA. First day got the crap kicked out of us. Did have some problems the result of an old boat that had been not been maintained. Ducked into Monterey and spent a day and no money correcting the problems and was off again. Unfortunately the wind had died so ended up powering all the way from Monterey to Oceanside. Would take the Sabre 28 anywhere now that I've updated the maintenance. Sailed our Westsail 32 to SoPac and back and lived on it for 3 years. You asked for up to 33' but the W32 is not a fair comparable as it's an unsanforised 40' boat.

[jjernigan1972]

If the boat is in good condition, I'd happily sail a Shannon 28 offshore. For comparison I sail an Alberg 30, which actually is a smaller boat than the Shannon. (shorter water line and narrower beam). I sailed my Alberg 30 home from Brunswick, GA to the Chesapeake bay last May

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfnRX3Phz1I&t=193s

700 miles offshore in 7 days. I'm happy with her ability offshore, I'm heading out for a series of long offshore passages starting this fall.

Boats this size used to be the norm for long distance cruisers. Now most people needs to bring their creature comforts from their homes and the average boat size has grown to accomodate more stuff. If you can live comfortably with fewer things, you will spend less time fixing stuff and more time sailing, then a small boat like this is plenty capable of sailing just about anywhere in the world.

[Gravey]

I’ve sailed a few alberg designs and know them to be well suited for heavy conditions. But between the Shannon and the Alberg hulls Is a significantly different design.

I’ve read a lot about the Shannon, and comments mostly side on an inefficient hull/keel design. Bob Perry has even dismissed the Shannon designs, just as an example. I am aware, having worked as a rigger for some time, many boat owners, even with new sails and a properly setup rig can’t sail a boat efficiently. So I only use these accounts as one point of reference.

I see aspects of the Shannon design ( I infact use alberg’s design as a criteria for comparison as I have a reasonable amount of experience in his sailboats) that are typical of inefficient hulls, but I also know there is much more than I know involved. My primary concerns are the behavior of a Shannon 28 in a seaway; in larger waves; hove to, or in other words standing up to foul weather.

The build quality of the Shannon 28 based on my inspection is top quality- this is not the question. It is fitted out for offshore use, no question.

I’m not a racer, but I live to sail a rig well. I respect the experience of others so i’m Interested and grateful to be reading these accounts of offshore sailing! Thank you all and I would love to see this discourse of first hand offshore experience expand.

[Breaking Waves]

Originally Posted by Gravey

Bob Perry has even dismissed the Shannon designs,

Bob is a bit of a curmudgeon. He has in the past dismissed Steve dashew designs also.

Walt Shultz (the Shannon 'designer') did draw some dogs near the end of his career as he was trying to keep Shannon afloat - the Shoalsailer, for example, was a joke. But the earlier boats - 28 and 38 and 50 were all terrific seaboats.

My primary concerns are the behavior of a Shannon 28 in a seaway; in larger waves; hove to, or in other words standing up to foul weather.

I have quite a bit of experience with the 38 and 37 - RTW on a 37. They are extremely well behaved offshore cruising boats.

No, they do NOT sail upwind like modern fin keel spade rudder fractional sloops, nor do they easily surf downwind.

But they cross oceans at a quite nice steady pace, and will stand up to pretty much any sea conditions and keep the crew safe, and not bite you if you make a mistake. They heave-to perfectly, they run down big waves with great balance. They take getting knocked hard on the beam with just a little shake and bounce right back on the job.

They would not be my first pick if you had to do a lot of upwind work (like say going north up the Chilean channels, or if your favorite activity was short tacking into tiny harbors in Scotland) but otherwise they are super well mannered and not slow.

Breaking waves

[Greg K]

I own a 1983 Shannon 28, hull #54, one of the last built. Bought her in Med Spain a couple seasons ago and cruise her with my wife to the Balearics in the summers for a week or two at a time. It is an 80 nm offshore jump to Ibiza for us. Not ocean crossing distances, but more than enough to get a feel for the boat's characteristics in various conditions, I would say.

My previous two boats, an Alberg 30 and a Cape Dory 36 ( which I singlehanded across the Atlantic in 2001) were both Alberg designs, so an evaluation of our current boat is inevitably always a comparison.

From the perspective of finish and build quality, the Shannon 28 is heads and tails above the Whitby built Alberg as well as the CD36 which itself is already a few notches better than the your average production boat. Simply put, the quality of the Shannon 28 is stunning, even at 36 years of age.

Aside from the quality issue, compared to our former Alberg 30, although about the same displacement, the Shannon feels like a bigger boat. A much more solid and secure offshore platform. Higher toerails, keel stepped mast, cutter rig, longer waterline, more beam, higher topsides, deeper cockpit and higher cockpit combings. She is much stiffer than the A30, and makes considerably less leeway in a blow. Importantly, unlike the long overhangs Alberg designs, she does not hobby horse in a sloppy sea. The Shannon 28 also has a fairly tall rig, so she is happy in light winds, though she does need to be reefed early. One notable characteristic I have not seen on my previous boats is that the Shannon has an uncanny ability to steer herself for long periods of time once the sails are balanced.

Ours is a B cruising model (open interior). The V berth once extended is bigger than what we had on the CD36, so very comfortable for two adults. Settees are long enough for me ( I'm 6ft.) but a bit narrow even after pulling out wider. With Lee cloths though, one can get a fairly comfortable sleep off watch. Galley size and functionality is excellent. Head location at the foot of the companion way is well thought out and the space is adequate, but just so.

All in all, I'm much impressed with the Shannon 28, though to be fair after only two seasons, I'm still learning the boat. From my previous offshore sailing experience, I would have no issues with taking this boat across the Atlantic, though she would need some additional gear such as a windvane, liferaft etc.

Hope this helps.

Greg

[Bella Sera]

I owned Shannon 28 hull 18 for almost 20 years and had her offshore several times (singlehanded) going to/from the Bahamas from Chesapeake Bay. Longest single leg 305 miles, 52 hours. Only point of sail I found uncomfortable was quartering seas with short period; otherwise she was as comfortable and seaworthy as the Shannon 37 I have now. Would not hesitate to take one anywhere.

[ArmySailor]

I own a 1979 Shannon 28, hull #9. I’ve only owned her for 2 years, mostly sailing in the Chesapeake but have ventured out into the Atlantic twice, just to say I did it. Each time, overnight. Just to see the stars and get out of sight of land.



Echoing what Greg K said – it’s a small boat but feels big and safe compared to any others I’ve been on in the 30-foot range. The interior, however, is quite cramped. It’s due to A) the dark vibe of all the woodwork. (I love that though.) And B) the numerous storage areas that are built into the hull, and handholds that are everywhere. It’s a lot built into a very small area. But it’s ingenious.



The layout up on deck allows for secure footing and hand holds, big toe rail, excellent cockpit drainage design and high combing, etc. It’s only 9300 lbs, but she feels heavy. The deck feels much more like a 30 foot boat. The interior feels like a 25 footer. All you want to do down below is sleep, cook, etc. I removed the sorry excuse for a fold out table because it was more in the way than anything. All my time is spent in the cockpit. The two settee berths are very comfortable, though and actually slight "out" (amidships) about 6 additional inches, like a pullout couch so the average sized person doesn't have one arm falling off the mattress constantly. The V berth is ample, but of course not fit for sleeping if offshore.



In light airs she actually moves well – I can slide along in 5-7 knots wind and claim "a great day sailing" . Around 10 knots, it’s just great to sail. At 15-19, start paying attention because she WILL show her tenderness and heel too much, if your sails aren’t trimmed, depending on your point of sail. (By “too much” I mean getting into inefficient returns of wind vs fwd power - not too scary, unless you ask my girlfriend The cutter rig is key because the staysail and main keep the center of gravity low and center – it’s quite good. Though honestly, the first thing I did when I bought the boat was toss the staysail boom. It’s worthless, unless you want a shin replacement. The boat is just too small on deck to have a sweeper like that up there. Besides, you only use the staysail about 30% of the time.
Getting to your question, Gravey. My first offshore jaunt had large waves, but rolling and kind. It was an absolute blast. There was no hobby horsing or other undesirable behavior, and I was in complete control. The second expedition out had smaller waves, but much more confused / crashy. I got to experience being pooped that time – which for one second was heart stopping. Then just hilarious. (I was alone, so…things scare you at first when you’ve ever had the experience!) I’ve never been offshore in any other boat…but I will say that based on a lot of Chesapeake cruising and the atlantic twice (for 2 days each) I wouldn’t hesitate to sail WAY OUT with her. In fact, I plan to when I retire in 23 months. But who is counting.


Like Greg said, she tracks well, once balanced. Offshore you’d be using a vane or autopilot anyway though. She’s a pig to back up. I do a circle if I miss a turn in the marina due to traffic – she just can’t maneuver like boats with fin keels.



Overall, a very solid boat. It is my "forever boat". Every time I get on another boat I realize how much more I love my own, for quantitative reasons. Not just blind lust. If you're looking at one, snag it. Obviously, they are getting old. Bought mine and immediately completely overhauled the stern tube (it was bronze, and corroded – now it’s fiberglass and perfect!) Had to rebed some stuff, new engine mounts, revamped the bilge, pulled the water tanks, etc, etc. Typical old boat stuff. But if she’s on your short list, you know what you’re getting in to I’m sure. Drop me a line if you want more specifics.

[Greg K]

Originally Posted by Gravey

I see aspects of the Shannon design ( I infact use alberg’s design as a criteria for comparison as I have a reasonable amount of experience in his sailboats) that are typical of inefficient hulls....

Gravey, I, too, am very interested in the sailing characteristics of boats, so am curious to hear what specifically you are referring to in your comments re the Shannon 28 being typical of an "inefficient" hull? (Compared to Alberg designs such as the A30, for example).

For what it's worth, I tend to share Breaking Waves's sentiments about Bob Perry, especially when he makes comments on boats he has never personally sailed, such as the Shannon 28, 37 and 38. I have read his comments re Shannons on Sailing Anarchy as well as Evans Starzinger's responses, and my money is on Evans.