MINOR OFFSHORE 28
BUILT 2011 PRICE £132,000
Finland has some of the most glorious boating regions in the world. Huge archipelagos stretch for miles between hundreds of small wooded islands dotted with summer houses. The Finnish boating season is short but glorious, and Finns take to the water in droves.
The boats they build reflect this – fast, capable commuters that can extend their range and their season. If you’re searching for an all-weather boat, Finland is a great place to look.
Sarin Marine is a small, family owned builder that taps into this zeitgeist with its Minor range
– now known as Sargo.
INTERIOR Designed for travelling rather than camping, the Minor Offshore 28 nonetheless has two small cabins, one at each end. Splitting them is an upright practical wheelhouse with two bucket seats at the helm and a U-shaped dinette aft (you lift a corner of this to access that aft cabin). The windscreen is reverse sheer like a pilot boat, a sliding door either side grants access and there’s a sliding roof overhead.
EXTERIOR The Minor 28 is easy to stroll around, with stepless, foot-wide decks protected by high bulwarks. Other than seats built into the cabin bulkheads, decks are uncluttered. Gates open out onto a large bathing platform where further evidence of the boat’s practical nature can be found underfoot – a lifting teak tread gives easy access to a tilted outdrive should the propeller ever need clearing.
PERFORMANCE A big, unstressed single engine is another Finnish trait, rather than two small motors. In this instance it’s a Volvo Penta D6-370, which should give speeds into the high 30 knots region with surprisingly economical running at 20 knots.
SEAKEEPING Slide the roof and doors shut, crank up the heating and you’re set to go boating, almost irrespective of sea and weather conditions. The planing hull can run at surprisingly low speeds without dropping off the plane, and the outdrive makes for sharp handling as well as efficient running.
LOA 28ft 10in (8.8m) Beam 9ft 8in (3.0m) Draught 3ft 1in (1.0m) Displacement 4.2 tonnes Fuel capacity 375 litres Engine Volvo Penta D6 370 370hp diesel