Peggie Hall wrote in message ...
William Jamieson wrote:
I'm considering the purchase of a 1976-78 Trojan F-28 Sedan Bridge (28'
fiberglass, twin inboard 318 Chryslers, flybridge). If anyone has any
experience with or
has owned this model, I would appreciate any information you can share.

Trojans of this vintage have wood skeletons encapsulated with
fiberglass, and therefore can be prone to stringer rot and other
problems if they've been neglected. So make any offer "subject to
survey"...hire the best surveyor you can find, and be sure to specify a
full pre-purchase survey, not just the "condition and value" survey
required by lenders and insurance companies.

Chrysler 318s are arguably the best marine gas engines ever made...it's
just about impossible to kill one, and not at all uncommon to find
20-30 yr old 318s with 2000+ hours still running fine. Nevertheless,
you'd be wise to get a compression test and a good going over by a
qualified marine mechanic who knows the eccentricities of Chrysler engines.

Trojans of this vintage are beamy, which gives 'em a lot of liveability
for their size, but weren't built for speed, but for comfortable
economic cruising. With those engines, the top speed is around 28k...if
you want to go faster, look for a different boat, 'cuz that's about all
the hull is designed to do. Nor does the hull design of older Trojans
make a good offshore boat...they don't handle well in seas over 3-4'.

If what you're looking for a nice lake, river or bay family cruiser, and
if you find an F28--or better yet, an F32--that doesn't have any
structural problems, I don't think you can beat an older Trojan for the
money. I owned an F32--purchased as a "project boat" that I
restored...and loved it.

Peggie
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Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327

http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html

My wife and I have owned a Trojan F28 for four terrific seasons. We
boat exclusively on Lake Superior. The twin 50 gal tanks are a bit
small. The 318's are great. We travel all over the lake and are
extremely happy with the boat. It is not a good rough water boat but
it does ok. We have spent up to 11 days aboard without going ashore
except for fuel (about 1 MPG) We spend a lot of time cruising at 1800
RPM at 9.5mph. It has also caught a lot of fish.