Building an H28

Champagne! 

H28 Lyla is launched in Wellington

A number of H28s have been built by their owners. The degree of construction completed by the owner ranges from completing the interior of a hull and deck kitset to laying up the fiberglass hull.

No Leaks! Hirondelle is lowered into the water for the first time

The cost of building an H28 is estimated to be in the region of $80K to $120K. This sounds like a lot but the people who have recently built H28s think this cost is about right. This compares to a price of $40K for a good second hand H28. However in building your own H28 you will effectively have a brand new boat with none of the maintenance problems or costs associated with a second hand boat. It's also worth considering building if you are likely to want to make extensive modifications. The hull and deck can be built maybe for $30 to $40K but fitting the vessel out is the bit that costs the most. Things like rigging, tankage, engine, sails all add up. The time to build an H28 can range from one to seven years depending on how much of the work is done by owner.

Some of home built H28s are stunning and a real credit to their owners.

Note cost estimates are in New Zealand Dollars - 1 $NZ ~ 0.52 $US

Plans for most L. Francis Herreshoff designs are now kept by:

Ships Plans Division
Mystic Seaport
PO Box 6000
Mystic CT 06355-0990
Telephone: 860-572-0711 and ask for Ships' Plans Division, or try 860-572-5360