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SUNBEAM 28.1vsTartan 27

Tartan 27 is 1.1 ft wider than SUNBEAM 28.1 (13%). Tartan 27 is the heaviest at 7,500 lb, 48% more than SUNBEAM 28.1. SUNBEAM 28.1 carries the most sail for its weight (SA/D 25.7, Racing); Tartan 27 the least (18.4, Cruiser).

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Key differences

Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.

At a glance

Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.

Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.

Model
Yachten-Sunbeam-28-1-subhero

Sunbeam Yachts

SUNBEAM 28.1
T27_EXT_Underway1280b

Tartan Yachts

Tartan 27
Overview
BrandSunbeam YachtsTartan Yachts
ModelSUNBEAM 28.1Tartan 27
GenerationUnknownUnknown
Hull typeSailing MonohullSailing Monohull
PropulsionSailSail
Production statusDiscontinuedAnnounced
Production start yearUnknownUnknown
Production end yearUnknownUnknown
DesignerUnknownUnknown
Dimensions
LOA27.9 ft27.8 ft
Hull length27.9 ftUnknown
Beam8.2 ft9.3 ft
Draft5.2 ft5.2 ft
Displacement5,071 lb7,500 lb
Accommodation
CabinsUnknown1
HeadsUnknown1
BerthsUnknown6
Performance & Rig
Main sail291 ft²Unknown
JibUnknownUnknown
GenoaUnknownUnknown
Upwind sail area474 ft²440 ft²
Downwind sail areaUnknown535 ft²
Engine powerUnknown18 hp
Engine countUnknown1
Materials
Hull materialUnknownUnknown
Deck materialUnknownUnknown
Mast materialUnknownUnknown
Keel typeUnknownUnknown
Rudder typeUnknownUnknown
Sources

Figures read fromsunbeam-yachts.com/en/yachts/sunbeam-28-1/· technical Detailsread 9/14/2026

Figures read fromtartanyachts.com/models/tartan-27/· Dimensions / Accommodations / Tankage / Sail Arearead 9/18/2026

Size, to scale

Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.

From above — length × beam
0 ft10 ft20 ftTartan 27: 27.8 ft × 9.3 ftSUNBEAM 28.1: 27.9 ft × 8.2 ftSUNBEAM 28.127.9 ft × 8.2 ftTartan 2727.8 ft × 9.3 ft

Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.

From the side — height above and depth below the water
WaterlinePerson, 5.9 ftSUNBEAM 28.1: air draft not published / 5.2 ftair draft not published5.2 ftSUNBEAM 28.1Tartan 27: air draft not published / 5.2 ftair draft not published5.2 ftTartan 27

Drawings side by side

Each boat's layouts, profiles and sail plans as its builder published them. Step through each column to line up the drawings you want to compare.

Speed, power & tanks

What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.

Tanks

One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.

  • SUNBEAM 28.1

    Fuelnot published
    Waternot published

  • Tartan 27

    Fuel22 gal
    Water30 gal

    5 gal of water per berth

How they sail, in numbers

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024SUNBEAM 28.1: 25.7Tartan 27: 18.4
  • SUNBEAM 28.125.7· Racing
  • Tartan 2718.4· Cruiser
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

SUNBEAM 28.1: published upwind sail area

Tartan 27: published upwind sail area

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350SUNBEAM 28.1: 131Tartan 27: 285
  • SUNBEAM 28.1131· Light
  • Tartan 27285· Heavy
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040Tartan 27: 37
  • SUNBEAM 28.1not published: ballast
  • Tartan 2737· Moderate
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050SUNBEAM 28.1: 17.9Tartan 27: 24.5
  • SUNBEAM 28.117.9· Light
  • Tartan 2724.5· Coastal
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2SUNBEAM 28.1: 1.90Tartan 27: 1.89
  • SUNBEAM 28.11.90· Below 2
  • Tartan 271.89· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • SUNBEAM 28.16.8 kn
  • Tartan 276.4 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Worth adding to this comparison

The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.

SUNBEAM 28.1 vs Tartan 27: specifications compared | YachtCodex