Kells 28 (Outrider)
Description
The Kells 28 (also marketed as the Kells 28 Outrider) was designed by Aborn Smith Jr. (aka "Denny" Smith) and introduced in 1976 by Kells Corp., a small manufacturer in Tiverton, Rhode Island. It emerged during the mid-1970s sailing boom, when demand for budget fiberglass cruisers outpaced wooden boats. is a compact American coastal cruising sailboat designed as a family-oriented weekend vessel with a focus on affordability and ease of handling. Built primarily of fiberglass, it features a masthead sloop rig and a fin keel, providing balanced performance for day sailing or short passages in protected waters. As an adaptation of the earlier Trump 27, it offers a simple layout sleeping 4–5, with a U-shaped galley and enclosed head, making it suitable for beginners or small crews. Known for its moderate displacement and stability, the Kells 28 is praised as a "reasonably good performer" with a good righting moment if capsized, though its light ballast limits heavy-weather prowess. Approximately 50 units were produced.
Construction Details
| Designer | Aborn Smith Jr. |
|---|---|
| Builder | Kells Corp. |
| Length | 28.000 ft |
| LOA | 28.000 ft |
| LWL | 23.500 ft |
| Beam | 8.670 ft |
| Displacement | 6800 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 36.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 12.16 ft |
| p | 31 ft |
| e | 10 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.50 ft | 12.16 ft | 31 ft | 10 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 31 ft - (9449 mm) |
| Foot | * 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Leech | * 32.12 ft - (9790 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.95 ° |
| Diagonal | * 32.23 ft - (9824 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | 154.83 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 30.78 ft - (9382 mm) |
| Foot | * 16.22 ft - (4944 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.55 ft - (8092 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.98 ft - (4261 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 215.26 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 36.55 ft - (11140 mm) |
| Foot | * 19.73 ft - (6014 mm) |
| Leech | * 34.28 ft - (10449 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.24 ft - (5560 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 333.31 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 36.55 ft - (11140 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 21.89 ft - (6672 mm) |
| Foot | * 21.89 ft - (6672 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 680.07 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.