The Great Dane 28
Sailboat

The heavy displacement, long keeled Great Dane 28 cruising boat was designed by Aage Utzon in conjunction with Klaus Baess, and built in Denmark.

A Great Dane 28 long-keeled cruising yacht at anchor

Published Specification for the Great Dane 28

Hull Type: Long keel with transom-hung rudder

Hull Material: GRP (fibreglass)

Length Overall: 28' 0" / 8.5m

Waterline Length: 21' 4" / 6.5m

Beam: 8' 2" / 2.5m

Draft: 4' 6" / 1.4m

Rig Type: Masthead Sloop (bit this one is rigged with an inner forestay)

Displacement: 8,500lb / 3,856kg

Designer: Aage Utzon/Klaus Baess

Builder: Klauss Baess, Copenhagen (Denmark)

Year First Built: 1965

Year Last Built: 1989

Number Built: 300

Owners Association: Great Dane 28 Owners' Club

Many thanks to Dan Tisoskey for submitting the photograph.

Published Design Ratios for the Great Dane 28

Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 13.8

Less than 16 would be considered under-powered;
16 to 20 would indicate reasonably good performance;
Over 20 suggests relatively high performance.

Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 46.7

Under 40: less stiff, less powerful
Over 40: stiffer, more powerful

Displacement/Length Ratio: 391

Under 100: Ultralight
100 to 200: Light
200 to 275: Moderate
275 to 350: Heavy
Over 350: Ultraheavy

Comfort Ratio: 34.3

Under 20 indicates a lightweight racing boat
20 to 30 indicates a coastal cruiser
30 to 40 indicates a moderate offshore cruising boat
40 to 50 indicates a heavy offshore boat
Over 50 indicates an extremely heavy offshore boat

Capsize Screening Formula: 1.6

Under 2.0 (the lower the better): Better suited for ocean passages
Over 2.0: Less suited for ocean passages

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Summary Analysis of Published Design Ratios for the Great Dane 28

She's considered under-powered when under sail;
She's stiffer than most other similar vessels in her class;
She's in the ultraheavy category;
Crew comfort in a seaway is commensurate with that of a moderate offshore cruising boat;
She's better suited for ocean passages than most other similar vessels in her class.

Sailboats designed by Aage Utzon include:

Great Dane 28

Sagitta 30

Scan 22

Danish by nationality, Aage Utzon was educated as a naval engineer in Newcastle (UK) following which he was offered the position of works engineer at Aalborg Shipyard in Denmark. Here he gained an excellent reputation as a designer of seaworthy sailboats.