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Costs to buy an H28
You have decided to buy an H28 yacht… Congratulations
The H28 yacht is a very popular boat. They represent great value for money with a layout that tends to provide plenty of space for the money when compared to other boats of a similar age.

A quick look on Trade Me normally reveals a few H28 for sale.

Find H28 Yachts on TradeMe
The price of an H28 tends to vary between around $10,000 and $35,000. This is quite a spread, so let’s take a look at some of the costs you can anticipate. The cheaper the boat, often the more costs will be incurred. Of course, there’s always bargains to be had, but often if it’s too good to be true, then it is!

Like the purchase of any used asset, one essentially has the choice of paying a top price for a boat in very good condition, where minimal other expenditure is needed to enjoy a reliable good H28, or paying a lower price for an H28 needing some upgrade work to bring it up to that “enjoyable/reliable” state.

Unlike a motor car on the road, when something goes wrong on your H28 and you are out on the water, it’s not always a simple task to get assistance quickly. The reliability of your H28 yacht and its equipment is just as important (if not more important in many circumstances) as the reliability you aim for with your motor car. Peace of mind and reliability has a cost.

So is spending $35,000 for a top-condition, supposedly reliable H28 a better bet than buying one for $20,000 and spending some extra to bring it up to your preferred level of enjoyment and reliability?

Below is listed some typical H28 maintenance and upgrade costs, based on 2012/2013 costs using new gear and boat maintenance contractors for the labour where specific trade skills are desirable. Some may be able to lower these costs by finding “used” items and by using their own labour.

Maintenance or Upgrade Work Description as of 2022
Approx Cost ($)
Boat haul-out, clean, 5-days hardstanding and antifouling (by self)
.
Antifouling & polishing (by self)
$300
Antifouling & polishing (by self)
$300
Hull scraped back to gel-coat / any marks treated-filled / hull re-priming and new antifouling applied (including haul-out costs)
$5,500
Replace mast-rigging, halyards & the in-mast electrics
.
Remove mast, replace all SS rigging & re-step mast
$3,000
Replace all halyards & in-mast electrical wiring / lights etc.
$1,000
New mainsail and genoa
.
Mainsail (Dacron fully battened 2-reefs)
$3,000
Genoa (150% OL)
$4,000
Replace canvas covers
.
Dodger
$800
Mainsail cover
$400
Cockpit Lee cloths
$400
Full engine service check (without replacing any major parts)
$400
Replacement of the engine with a new 20 /22 hp engine & gearbox
.
Purchase engine
$12,000
Installation work
$6,000
Replace prop-shaft, stern-tube & shaft bearings and fit a drip-less stern-gland / seal (assuming boat on hardstand for other works)
$2000
Change hanked headsail to a furled headsail system
.
Furler purchase and fitting with new forestay
$3,500
Modify genoa for furling
$600
Modify other headsails (each)
$500
Fit an anchor-winch system (operation from cockpit)
.
Purchase of anchor winch
$2,500
New bow-roller, anchor chain and warp
$1,000
Boat building work to fit
$2,000
Electrical fitting
$1,500
Replace VHF radio (including fitting)
$500
Install a chart-plotter / fish-finder / depth-sounder unit (fitting work by yourself)
$1,200
Purchase 2 inflatable life jackets and a flares pack
$300
Fitting a heads holding tank & discharge pump etc (installation by yourself)
$700
Replace dinghy / tender
.
Replace dinghy / tender
$2,500
New 2 hp outboard motor
$700
New batteries
.
Engine cranking battery
$200
House battery (105 A-hr)
$350
Freezer system not working / convert to electric refrigerator system
.
Purchase refrigeration compressor unit & cold-plate
$1,200
Fitting work into existing freezer chest (by self)
$200
Cost to transport an H28 from say Wellington to Auckland
$3,500
You won’t do all of this but you will undoubtedly do some of it.
If you choose to purchase a very low-cost H28 (less than $20,000) with the aim of spending extra to achieve better reliability or comfort, it’s easy to see that your total end cost could quickly exceed $30,000 or $35,000 … unless you’re a total “do it yourself” person, with the skills to deliver reliably.

Most likely, even if you spend $30,000 to buy an H28, you will end up spending more for some additional “nice to haves” … so that you get maximum enjoyment from your boating investment.

All this indicates that the popular H28 yacht is really undervalued in the market place. Good quality, well fitted out H28 should probably be on the market at $35,000 to $45,000. If there’s competition in the market however, from the number of H28 for sale or from the many other 30-ft yacht types available … then it does force selling prices down.

For more information, take a look at POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING AN H28

Thanks to Bob Gordon [S/Y Sandbourne] for the above research.

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