New to boating - considering a Cutwater C26 for the Great Loop

Hello all!
Im brand new to boating and I am shopping for a boat to go on the great loop solo with my dog Winter. I am looking for a small boat that could complete the loop. I was hoping to get some expert opinions on the 2016 Cutwater C26. I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

Winterdad said:

Hello all!
Im brand new to boating and I am shopping for a boat to go on the great loop solo with my dog Winter. I am looking for a small boat that could complete the loop. I was hoping to get some expert opinions on the 2016 Cutwater C26. I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

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First, I have a 2017 Cutwater 28, not the 26. I’m sure you know all the C26 specs:
Length, o.a. (molded) 25.6 ft
Length, o.a. (Inc swim & pulpit) 30.1 ft
Bridge clearance (folded mast) 9.1 ft
Beam 8.6 ft
Draft 28 inches
Fuel capacity 80 gal
Water capacity 40 gal
Holding tank capacity 30 gal
Weight (dry) 5,900 lbs
Engine VP D3-220

The cabin, head and v-berth of the C-28 and C-26 are almost identical. For us, the C-28 is a very comfortable for 2-3 week long cruises. With practice I don’t think it would be hard to operate the boat single handed if necessary.
With some adjustments the v-berth is comfortable for my 6 ft 1 in height. Getting out of the v-berth in the middle of the night has its challenges. The galley is great! We supplement the refrigerator with a portable freezer in the cockpit that gives us enough perishable food for a week or more. Propane cooktop works great! Dining table great for 2 and acceptable for 3.
Be sure you understand when you can use your A/C when underway or at rest when not connected to shore power. There are limitations.
The VP D3 220 engine used in the C26 is now an orphan. I can’t speak to parts availability. The D3 has gathered mixed reviews for reliability.
The main layout difference between the C26 and C28 is cockpit size. The C26 cockpit is much smaller than the C28.
Consider upgrading the solar from the stock 140 watts to 300-400 watts for better battery management. Also a full or 3/4 Bimini will keep you in shade during the summer. Highly recommend both dinghy and trailer as part of a package.
Good luck!

scross said:

First, I have a 2017 Cutwater 28, not the 26. I’m sure you know all the C26 specs:
Length, o.a. (molded) 25.6 ft
Length, o.a. (Inc swim & pulpit) 30.1 ft
Bridge clearance (folded mast) 9.1 ft
Beam 8.6 ft
Draft 28 inches
Fuel capacity 80 gal
Water capacity 40 gal
Holding tank capacity 30 gal
Weight (dry) 5,900 lbs
Engine VP D3-220

The cabin, head and v-berth of the C-28 and C-26 are almost identical. For us, the C-28 is a very comfortable for 2-3 week long cruises. With practice I don’t think it would be hard to operate the boat single handed if necessary.
With some adjustments the v-berth is comfortable for my 6 ft 1 in height. Getting out of the v-berth in the middle of the night has its challenges. The galley is great! We supplement the refrigerator with a portable freezer in the cockpit that gives us enough perishable food for a week or more. Propane cooktop works great! Dining table great for 2 and acceptable for 3.
Be sure you understand when you can use your A/C when underway or at rest when not connected to shore power. There are limitations.
The VP D3 220 engine used in the C26 is now an orphan. I can’t speak to parts availability. The D3 has gathered mixed reviews for reliability.
The main layout difference between the C26 and C28 is cockpit size. The C26 cockpit is much smaller than the C28.
Consider upgrading the solar from the stock 140 watts to 300-400 watts for better battery management. Also a full or 3/4 Bimini will keep you in shade during the summer. Highly recommend both dinghy and trailer as part of a package.
Good luck!

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Awesome. Yes, I will probably need to upgrade the solar and switch batteries to Lithium. Thank you so much!!

Winterdad said:

Awesome. Yes, I will probably need to upgrade the solar and switch batteries to Lithium. Thank you so much!!

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The lithium battery upgrade is a huge process. Not just swapping the batteries out. The entire charging system needs to be professionally analyzed and a number of components replaced. Several well known Tugnuts have reported spending $10-$14K to do the lithium conversion properly. A search on this forum will give you LOTS to read.

I'm very curious to keep reading comments about this exact topic. I bought the 2027 308CB....I'm trying to truly determine if this boat will handle the loop. I've done a ton or work on my previous C248 with fuel economy. GPH at trawler speed (6-9mph) seriously extends range, but the ability to take on 25-30mph in some stretches is a real advantage..with the 308, more speed, with some more fuel burn.
It's just hard to find anything on outboards doing the loop. I'm not worried about space, as I think the 308 has plenty of room, it's the outboard vs traditional inboard deisel i wonder about. Thoughts?

There might be some helpful information on this youtube channel on a previous post: https://www.youtube.com/@saltymittenadventures
🙂

We looped on our Ranger 25sc, which has about the same attributes as the C-26. If you stay at marinas (so you can get the local "flavor"), you do not need the expensive solar and battery upgrades. Plug in at night. If you plan to anchor out, you might want it, but marinas for a boat that size is not very costly and are very available - compared to the 30-something boats. We had everything we needed, but maybe not quite everything we wanted. We only anchored out 14 nights but only spent about 10K on 281 nights in marinas. Personally I would not have a Lithium battery on my boat - I have seen first hand what they can do.

tlkenyon said:

We looped on our Ranger 25sc, which has about the same attributes as the C-26. If you stay at marinas (so you can get the local "flavor"), you do not need the expensive solar and battery upgrades. Plug in at night. If you plan to anchor out, you might want it, but marinas for a boat that size is not very costly and are very available - compared to the 30-something boats. We had everything we needed, but maybe not quite everything we wanted. We only anchored out 14 nights but only spent about 10K on 281 nights in marinas. Personally I would not have a Lithium battery on my boat - I have seen first hand what they can do.

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Solar is pretty cheap these days. VE 100/50 MPPT for $150, 410 Watt panel for $250, misc connectors and mounting hardware under $100 for a total of $500. Takes about 4-6 hours to install and it’s so easy I’ve done it twice!

scross said:

Solar is pretty cheap these days. VE 100/50 MPPT for $150, 410 Watt panel for $250, misc connectors and mounting hardware under $100 for a total of $500. Takes about 4-6 hours to install and it’s so easy I’ve done it twice!

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Really? Not very hard? I saw your pictures. Where can I find info on how to do it? Can you keep the AC on with 410 watts? This would be a cheap solution to many things. Please let me know. Thank you so much!

Martin from LetsGoChannelSurfing has a bunch of videos on installing an upgraded solar system to get you started.


Easiest place to start is replacing the current solar controller with a Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 100 volt 50 amp controller. This should work up to 500 watts of solar from most solar panels later on. Read the VE instructions. There is a specific sequence of moving wires from old controller to new VE 100/50 that needs to be followed. That step took me 2 hours in the cave to complete.

The next step is to ensure the wiring from the new VE solar controller to the house battery will be “beefy” enough to handle your new panels output. You may need to run new heavier wiring from your VE controller to your house batteries. Good idea to install a resettable breaker near the battery for protection.
The run from my controller to the house battery bank was about 10 feet, easy to reach and took 1 hour to do.
The last step is actually upgrading the panel itself. The key points to consider are panel size fitting your space, getting mounting brackets to attach panel to the roof SS tubing, ensuring wiring size from panel to controller will handle new panels output and installing MC4 connectors on the existing wires to connect to the MC4 connectors on the new panel. Doing this required a second person to help me move the new panel onto the roof after removing the old panel. Total time was about 3 hours.
Lots and lots of online videos by Martin and others to walk you through every single step of this process.

Converting to lithium vs staying with agm and adding more solar.

If your agm batteries are big enough to supply your needs for aprox 24 hrs it may be all you need. Then add enough solar so that you are able to fully charged your batteries plus meet your daily needs.

We added 400 watts of portable solar to our boat last winter. We were out for 2 months 80% of the time anchored up to 5 days at a time. There was only one anchorage that we had any issues and that was a grey rainy day, so I ended up running the motor for an hour in the morning to get the batteries partway charged an let the solar charge it the rest of the way.

If your doing the loop and moving each day, most of the time you will never need more than 24hr of battery storage.

The best use of your money is to install a shunt which will allow you to accurately see your usage. Then spend some time anchored out or stay at a dock but don't plug in. Get a good feeling for how much battery storage you really need. The

SKing said:

Converting to lithium vs staying with agm and adding more solar.

If your agm batteries are big enough to supply your needs for aprox 24 hrs it may be all you need. Then add enough solar so that you are able to fully charged your batteries plus meet your daily needs.

We added 400 watts of portable solar to our boat last winter. We were out for 2 months 80% of the time anchored up to 5 days at a time. There was only one anchorage that we had any issues and that was a grey rainy day, so I ended up running the motor for an hour in the morning to get the batteries partway charged an let the solar charge it the rest of the way.

If your doing the loop and moving each day, most of the time you will never need more than 24hr of battery storage.

The best use of your money is to install a shunt which will allow you to accurately see your usage. Then spend some time anchored out or stay at a dock but don't plug

scross said:

Martin from LetsGoChannelSurfing has a bunch of videos on installing an upgraded solar system to get you started.

https://youtube.com/@letsgochannelsurfing?si=75G1w9Td2CsoeZPl

Easiest place to start is replacing the current solar controller with a Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 100 volt 50 amp controller. This should work up to 500 watts of solar from most solar panels later on. Read the VE instructions. There is a specific sequence of moving wires from old controller to new VE 100/50 that needs to be followed. That step took me 2 hours in the cave to complete.
View attachment 28326
The next step is to ensure the wiring from the new VE solar controller to the house battery will be “beefy” enough to handle your new panels output. You may need to run new heavier wiring from your VE controller to your house batteries. Good idea to install a resettable breaker near the battery for protection. View attachment 28328
The run from my controller to the house battery bank was about 10 feet, easy to reach and took 1 hour to do.
The last step is actually upgrading the panel itself. The key points to consider are panel size fitting your space, getting mounting brackets to attach panel to the roof SS tubing, ensuring wiring size from panel to controller will handle new panels output and installing MC4 connectors on the existing wires to connect to the MC4 connectors on the new panel. Doing this required a second person to help me move the new panel onto the roof after removing the old panel. Total time was about 3 hours.
Lots and lots of online videos by Martin and others to walk you through every single step of this process.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Thank you so much!

I owned a C26 2016. Purchased it new to do the Loop. My wife and I cruised in the C26 from 2016 to 2021. We used the boat on Lake Michigan during the summer months and segment looped each fall while we were still working. Each segment we spent 3 weeks living on board. We cruised from Racine Wisconsin to GrandRivers KY. Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River and Tennessee River. (2017) The next year We towed to boat to the head waters of the Tennessee River (Knoxville Tn.) launched and cruised the entire Tennessee river back to GrandRivers KY. (2018) Next year we went from Racine Wis. To Canada North Channel and Georgian Bay. We did have engine problems with the D3 220 Volvo Penta and had to tow the boat back to Racine from Detour Michigan. (Turbo failure) (2019) The next year was a covid year I was retired and my wife was working from home. We towed the boat to GrandRivers Ky ,launched and cruised to Florida. This segment was going to be the complete Loop. We lived on board from August to December then went home to Chicago. Returned to Florida in January for the SWF Ranger Tug Rendezvous at Burnt Store Marina Punta Gorda Fl and then cruised to Marathon Key. In March we headed up the East coast of Florida to Stuart Florida and decided to end the trip. At this point the decision was to sell the C26 and purchase a larger boat to do the Loop.

Why was the decision to end the trip? The C26 did a good job so far and overall was a comfortable boat but did have limitations for our cruising needs.

Things we did to make the boat comfortable for extended cruising.

Transom shower
Anchor wash down in anchor locker
Full cockpit enclosure
20 gallon aux. fuel tank to add to the fuel limitations of 80 gallons
cockpit grill
2000 W inverter
custom made mattress and custom V berth
Custom selves bulit in V berth
Custom shower curtain rods in head for showering
Custom shelves in galley cabinets,
Whole house water filter and ballast tank for fresh water system
Larger TV in V berth mounted where the mirror is
12 Volt fans mounted in V-berth area
Full engine compartment ventilation system for better ventilation of engine compartment
Fresh water flush for the head
larger trim tabs
Larger anchor roller to except larger anchor ( factory anchor was to small )

I have many photos in my photos published in Tugnuts of these and many other items I repaired ,replaced or added.

Issues that I found that still needed to be added or felt was an issue with the boat that made us decide to sell the boat.

D3 220 Volvo penta is designed to have minimum of 1 1/4 " seawater seacock for raw water cooling. Fluid Motion installed a 1". This caused the motor to overheat if operated at 3600 rpm and above. The D3 Motor is not enough power for this boat if you want to run above 12Kts. To run at 16 to 18kts it required WOT operation. The fuel economy of this boat with the D3 1.4 mpg if operated at 14kts or above. Basically it is a good boat if you want to cruise under 7.5 kts, anything above that the fuel economy is not good and only holds 80 gallons. Most of our cruising because of this was done at 7 kts.

You must have a generator in this boat or a large battery bank to be able to use 120V amenities. The single solar panel and solar controller installed by Fluid motion is worthless. It should have a minimum of 400w solar and 400 AH of house bank battery. The problem with this is weight!!! The C26 is weight sensitive. The boat needs a generator ! if there is no generator Lithium is a MUST!!!

The C26 is the wettest boat I have ever owned. If the seas are 1' or more you will have spray coming over the bow not a little spray a lot,windshield wipers Are operating all the time!

Fresh water tank is only 30 gallons. This limited us to days on the anchor.


My advise. Find a C28 !!! Why larger cockpit ( cabin is identical ) D4 Volvo 260 Hp is a real diesel !!! It is an awesome marine diesel engine . There is no comparison to the marinenized automotive D3. The C28 will get better fuel economy and run circles around the C26. The C28 has a 100 gallon fuel tank. There is more space for battery storage and is not as weight sensitive as the C26.

If you want information of all the in's and out's of the C26 message me. I know every inch of that boat. I also know the C28 and can tell you pro's and cons of it too. My biggest mistake when I purchased the C26 was not purchasing the C28 that was on a trailer right next to it. Had I purchased the C28 and added to improvements I did to my C26 I would have completed the Loop in a Cutwater.

We sold the C26 2016 and purchased a 2002 34' Mainship pilot with twin 4LHA STP 240 Hp Yanmars. It weighed 10,000 lbs more than the C26 fully loaded and I averaged better fuel economy with it when compared to the C26 at any speed that the C26 would do. The difference was to 34 Pilot cruised faster than the C26 would go WOT. We had 80 gallons of water, 250 gallons of fuel, 600 w solar ,Lithium batteries with 3000 W inverter and were able to go a week on the hook. We spent less money for the purchase of the Mainship and lived on board for 14 months with no issues and considerably more comfort. I sold the Mainship after cruising in it for 4 years. It is now cruising the Loop again by a solo Looper. With twin engines and a bow thruster it is the easiest boat to handle. Best boat I have owned!

If you are set on a Cutwater. I would go with a C28. In my opinion best trailerable boat that Fluid Motion has built!

BB marine said:

I owned a C26 2016. Purchased it new to do the Loop. My wife and I cruised in the C26 from 2016 to 2021. We used the boat on Lake Michigan during the summer months and segment looped each fall while we were still working. Each segment we spent 3 weeks living on board. We cruised from Racine Wisconsin to GrandRivers KY. Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River and Tennessee River. (2017) The next year We towed to boat to the head waters of the Tennessee River (Knoxville Tn.) launched and cruised the entire Tennessee river back to GrandRivers KY. (2018) Next year we went from Racine Wis. To Canada North Channel and Georgian Bay. We did have engine problems with the D3 220 Volvo Penta and had to tow the boat back to Racine from Detour Michigan. (Turbo failure) (2019) The next year was a covid year I was retired and my wife was working from home. We towed the boat to GrandRivers Ky ,launched and cruised to Florida. This segment was going to be the complete Loop. We lived on board from August to December then went home to Chicago. Returned to Florida in January for the SWF Ranger Tug Rendezvous at Burnt Store Marina Punta Gorda Fl and then cruised to Marathon Key. In March we headed up the East coast of Florida to Stuart Florida and decided to end the trip. At this point the decision was to sell the C26 and purchase a larger boat to do the Loop.

Why was the decision to end the trip? The C26 did a good job so far and overall was a comfortable boat but did have limitations for our cruising needs.

Things we did to make the boat comfortable for extended cruising.

Transom shower
Anchor wash down in anchor locker
Full cockpit enclosure
20 gallon aux. fuel tank to add to the fuel limitations of 80 gallons
cockpit grill
2000 W inverter
custom made mattress and custom V berth
Custom selves bulit in V berth
Custom shower curtain rods in head for showering
Custom shelves in galley cabinets,
Whole house water filter and ballast tank for fresh water system
Larger TV in V berth mounted where the mirror is
12 Volt fans mounted in V-berth area
Full engine compartment ventilation system for better ventilation of engine compartment
Fresh water flush for the head
larger trim tabs
Larger anchor roller to except larger anchor ( factory anchor was to small )

I have many photos in my photos published in Tugnuts of these and many other items I repaired ,replaced or added.

Issues that I found that still needed to be added or felt was an issue with the boat that made us decide to sell the boat.

D3 220 Volvo penta is designed to have minimum of 1 1/4 " seawater seacock for raw water cooling. Fluid Motion installed a 1". This caused the motor to overheat if operated at 3600 rpm and above. The D3 Motor is not enough power for this boat if you want to run above 12Kts. To run at 16 to 18kts it required WOT operation. The fuel economy of this boat with the D3 1.4 mpg if operated at 14kts or above. Basically it is a good boat if you want to cruise under 7.5 kts, anything above that the fuel economy is not good and only holds 80 gallons. Most of our cruising because of this was done at 7 kts.

You must have a generator in this boat or a large battery bank to be able to use 120V amenities. The single solar panel and solar controller installed by Fluid motion is worthless. It should have a minimum of 400w solar and 400 AH of house bank battery. The problem with this is weight!!! The C26 is weight sensitive. The boat needs a generator ! if there is no generator Lithium is a MUST!!!

The C26 is the wettest boat I have ever owned. If the seas are 1' or more you will have spray coming over the bow not a little spray a lot,windshield wipers Are operating all the time!

Fresh water tank is only 30 gallons. This limited us to days on the anchor.


My advise. Find a C28 !!! Why larger cockpit ( cabin is identical ) D4 Volvo 260 Hp is a real diesel !!! It is an awesome marine diesel engine . There is no comparison to the marinenized automotive D3. The C28 will get better fuel economy and run circles around the C26. The C28 has a 100 gallon fuel tank. There is more space for battery storage and is not as weight sensitive as the C26.

If you want information of all the in's and out's of the C26 message me. I know every inch of that boat. I also know the C28 and can tell you pro's and cons of it too. My biggest mistake when I purchased the C26 was not purchasing the C28 that was on a trailer right next to it. Had I purchased the C28 and added to improvements I did to my C26 I would have completed the Loop in a Cutwater.

We sold the C26 2016 and purchased a 2002 34' Mainship pilot with twin 4LHA STP 240 Hp Yanmars. It weighed 10,000 lbs more than the C26 fully loaded and I averaged better fuel economy with it when compared to the C26 at any speed that the C26 would do. The difference was to 34 Pilot cruised faster than the C26 would go WOT. We had 80 gallons of water, 250 gallons of fuel, 600 w solar ,Lithium batteries with 3000 W inverter and were able to go a week on the hook. We spent less money for the purchase of the Mainship and lived on board for 14 months with no issues and considerably more comfort. I sold the Mainship after cruising in it for 4 years. It is now cruising the Loop again by a solo Looper. With twin engines and a bow thruster it is the easiest boat to handle. Best boat I have owned!

If you are set on a Cutwater. I would go with a C28. In my opinion best trailerable boat that Fluid Motion has built!

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Thank you so much!

I have decided not to go for the c26. Volvo d3 scares me.

What do you think about 2008 Albin 28?

Winterdad said:

Thank you so much!

I have decided not to go for the c26. Volvo d3 scares me.

What do you think about 2008 Albin 28?

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The 28 Albin is a nice boat. For Solo Loop it should give you enough comfort and room. The key is to find a boat that gives you good handling in tight quarters and in Locks. With a single engine boat you want to have at least a bow thruster. You want to have good side deck access , wide enough that you can get to the midship for lock Ballards ties. You also want easy access to get to the bow for anchoring. Fuel and water capacity is also a big consideration. House battery capacity is also an important consideration if you plan on anchoring. Engine power is also important. When Looping the average speed is 8kts. This lets you enjoy the view. There are times when weather and or sea conditions warrant a high cruise speed. 8kts in a 28' to 35' boat can be uncomfortable when weather comes in and the se's get angry. I find when the sea's get angry I want to get out of them and picking up to 18 to 20 kts makes the cruise more comfortable and you spend less time in them. Make sure you have a boat that can do this from time to time. This was one of the items that the C26 lacked. Not enough power to handle big seas. I would have to run WOT with that D3 to make 16 to 18 kts. and with a 80 gallon tank burning 12 GPH and the engine running at 200F+ it was marginal at best. When I purchased the Pilot 34 Mainship. It had 250 gallon tank , cruising at 18kts @ 2700 rpm which was 60% load and burning 14 gph. Even with a half a tank of fuel I had enough fuel to cruise 100 miles and still have plenty of fuel left. The twin 4LHA STPs were just burring along with plenty of power left.

If you were looking at a C26 Cutwater you were looking to spend about 100K. There are a lot of good solo boats out there in that price range. I would recommend a 30' Pilot with a 6 cylinder Yanmar. The 30' with the 4LHA STP is also good but a bit under powered for my liking. The 30 pilot has better amenities when compared to the Albin. I cruised with a captain from Rhode Island that was doing the Loop Solo in a Pilot 34 single engine with a bow thruster. He had no issues handling the boat solo. I sold my 34 to a solo Looper. My boat was twins with a Bow thruster. It handles like a bike with training wheels.

Good Luck with your Search. The C28 is also a good choice giving you an opportunity to have a trailerable boat. This can be a benefit to consider.

Photo below is PORT-A-GEE after 14 months of cruising the Great Loop. 34' Pilot.

williamscott said:

The D3 220 turbo failure on Georgian Bay is the detail that sticks with me, and it's worth weighing against the days you spent aboard. A 26-foot hull with 3-week stretches works, but the loop's longer legs seem to expose both the single-engine risk and the space ceiling. The solar and battery discussion above lines up with why: extended anchoring on a small boat puts a premium on power budget. Did the turbo issue change how you planned fuel and reserve stops afterward?

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The Turbo issue was not that big of a deal. I am a DIYer and was able to keep the boat running to get us to port to get the boat on a trailer and bring it back to our homeport. The engine was still under warranty at the time and Volvo picked up the cost of the turbo. Its mechanical and mechanical failures are part boating. This did not alter my cruising plans. Fuel stops and reserve stops were always based on capacity. I had to plan routes based on fuel needs and water needs. We also needed to use power management with stored battery AH capacity.

Lithium was not an option in 2017 like it was in 2022. If it was I would have installed it in my C26. I did a complete conversion with the 34 Pilot. 600 w solar, and two 460 AH lithium Epoch 8D batteries. This gave me enough stored energy to have hot water, cook, watch TV, coffee in the morning and occasionally turn the air conditioner on for a few hours to cool things down when it was hot out.


Basically the only advantage I lost when I sold the Cutwater was the ability to get my trailer and tow the boat home. There is something to be said about that. But that said I never wanted to stop and do that when I purchased the larger boat. We lived on the 34' for 14 months and it was awesome !

The C26 was an awesome looking boat and was comfortable for a 26' boat. It has its flaws but overall an ok boat. The biggest draw back is the D3. I don't know why Fluid Motion did not design it to have the D4 powering it. If they did they would still be making it. Wow that would have been a true pocket cruiser. Easy to trailer and plenty of power! I would probably still own it and be bitching about having to wax it every month because the cheap gel coat is always fading 😀 !!!

I'm now a day cruiser with a Trailerable 25 year old 208 Grady White that has gel coat that still shines like the day it was built. My 5 year old Cutwater did too but it required a lot of TLC to keep it that way.