Jan Brügge Boatbuilding: Woy 28: Sleek, stylish and fast – first pictures

Woy – quite simply, that stands for wooden yachts. Which, however, are anything but simple. The debut model, the Woy 26, surprised everyone with its completely original, indeed entirely fresh lines: a shallow freeboard, moderate beam, negative bow, harmonious frame and, to top it all off, a massive sail area with a fathead mainsail and a backstay-free rig. The boat turned heads, proved to be a sailing powerhouse and was immediately voted Europe’s Yacht of the Year 2026, celebrating a highly acclaimed trade fair debut in Düsseldorf. And then the Woy 26 surprised everyone with its inner qualities too: it was built using a new vacuum wood infusion manufacturing method devised by shipyard manager Jan Brügge himself.

Woy 28: This time, a box-type construction

The Woy 26 is being built by Wood infusion. The process is similar to vacuum infusion for plastic yachts. The construction material, consisting of fabric or wood veneers – possibly combined with a sandwich core of balsa wood or foam – is positioned on the mould. It rests on a release layer and is covered on the outside with a mesh fabric and then with a vacuum film. A vacuum pump draws the free-flowing epoxy resin-hardener mixture from a container through the materials, whilst the vacuum film compresses the layers of wood (or the fabrics).

However, the new boat should be more cost-effective to build. It is constructed using a stringer method and laminated with fibreglass and epoxy resin both inside and out. Inside, the wooden stringers remain visible, whilst the outside of the boat is varnished. At least the hull is. The cockpit and deck are left in their natural wood finish. The two create a lovely contrast.

Plenty of sailcloth, plenty of ballast

It’s also lightweight thanks to its conventional construction: it’s expected to weigh in at 1.5 tonnes, with the keel alone accounting for 0.6 tonnes, whilst the fin is made of carbon fibre to lower the centre of gravity. The Woy 28 also delivers impressive performance in other respects: the sail area, comprising a Fathead mainsail and jib, is 45.5 square metres. When this is set against the weight, it results in a substantial sail area ratio of 5.9 (dimensionless). This classifies the boat as a fast-planing racer. The 85-square-metre gennaker, which is flown from an extendable bowsprit, also helps in this regard.

Bonds from LA 28

"The boat is a completely new design," says Martin Menzner of Berckemeyer Yacht Design. However, it takes its cue from the LA 28, that gem of a boat in visible mahogany with a convex bow and an upward-tapered freeboard, which ranks among the most exciting boats of its size. Whilst the LA draws inspiration from classic racing boats, the new Woy – like its smaller sister – is thoroughly modern, without trying to emulate any familiar racing boat design.

High-quality fittings

The boat is fitted with a carbon rig from Pauger, carbon rudder blades and a retractable electric pod motor with an output of 3 kilowatts. It is equipped with a lifting keel, which allows the draught to be reduced electro-hydraulically from 2.00 metres to 1.05 metres. The cockpit is spacious and open. The gunwales are only half as long as the cockpit itself; the remaining space can be used for lounging and sunbathing. There are four berths below deck; the customer who purchased the first boat – now delivered to Lake Constance – did not request any further comfort features.

Technical Specifications: Woy 28

• Hull length 8.70 m
• 7.80 m of fibre-optic cable
• Width 2.55 m
• Draught 1.05–2.00 m
• Mainsail 28.0 m²
• Jib 17.5 m²
• Gennaker 85.0 m²
• 3 kW pod motor

More on this topic

• Portrait of Woy 26
• Woy 26 is named European Yacht of the Year
• Wood infusion: Here’s how to do it
• LA 28: A variation on a theme