Southern Cross 28 (Gillmer 28)

Description

The Southern Cross 28 (also known as the Gillmer 28) is a classic American double-ended cutter designed by Thomas C. Gillmer as a capable bluewater-capable pocket cruiser. It was first built in 1978 by C. E. Ryder Corporation (Bristol, Rhode Island), with production running primarily through the early 1980s (factory-finished boats and kits). Approximately 66 Southern Cross 28s were built, along with about 6 Gilmer 28s (the kit version name used in the 1980s to distinguish from completed boats), for a total of roughly 70–72 hulls; many were sold as bare hulls or partial kits for owner completion. The boat features heavy fiberglass construction (thick laminate with foam core in the hull and balsa in the deck), a cutaway forefoot with encapsulated lead ballast, a skeg-hung rudder, and a traditional salty appearance with a long bowsprit, pronounced sheer, and pleasing lines—making it a rugged, seaworthy vessel popular with voyagers despite its modest speed. Key features include a masthead cutter rig (with twin forestays and a self-tending staysail on a boom in some setups), basic but functional accommodations for 4, and a reputation for solid offshore performance (including at least one circumnavigation).