The Sabre story began in 1970, when the company’s founder, Roger Hewson, set out to build the finest possible 28-foot sailing yacht using production line methods and fiberglass technology. In a small, 4,000 square foot building, with a handful of employees and a vast amount of market research which he had done on the marine industry, he designed and built the first Sabre 28, and introduced it to the market at the 1971 Newport Boat Show in Newport, RI. The boat was a success, and over the next fifteen years, 588 Sabre 28’s were built.

The 28 was followed by the Sabre 34 in 1976, the Sabre 30 in 1979, the Sabre 38 in 1981 and the Sabre 32 and 36 in 1984. The Sabre 42, which later evolved into the Sabre 425, was introduced in 1986. The current sailboat range consists of three Jim Taylor/Sabre Design Team collaborations, the Sabre 362, Sabre 402 and Sabre 452. A new Sabre 426 is due for introduction in September of 2003. Each of the current models has won the prestigious Boat of the Year Award from Cruising World Magazine in it’s year of introduction. A complete list of Sabre models and their dates of introduction can be found at the end of this document.

In 1989 Sabre sought to broaden its market by building a line of power boats.

In 1994, Sabre acquired North End Marine of Rockland, Maine, a major builder of marine molds and production fiberglass parts. The company’s name was changed to North End Composites in 1996 and it has since diversified into industrial, commercial and architectural composite construction while maintaining an active presence in the marine mold making and part production business.
As of 2012, Sabre ended production of sailing yachts though they have said it could be restored should the market improve.

Years in Business: 1970 – present