Cutwater 28 Classic Questions

[scross]

Considering a 2015-2017 C-28 Classic as our next new-to-us boat. In my research mode right now. I’ve been on a couple of C-28s as a guest for short visits, the Seattle Boat Show in 2015 and have watched several walk through videos.
We don’t fish and typically do 2-3 week cruises with most nights away from marinas.

Some questions for the C-28 owners out there:
1. Do you sleep head aft and feet under the anchor locker? I’m 6’2” 240# and want to be comfortable sleeping. My partner is 5’7” and normally sleeps on the starboard side. We are both fine with the v-berth room on our R-25 Classic.
2. Is there room on the port side cockpit railing for a Magma grill? We use our rectangular Magma a LOT on our boat.
3. Does anyone actually store their dinghy gas can next to the propane bottles in the anchor locker? That just seems sketchy.
4. What’s your normal fuel economy cruising speed? We’re use to that being about 8 knots.
5. Does the C-28 use the Morningstar solar controller?
6. How accessible is the impeller for the annual replacement? Are the engine belts easy to access as well?
7. Does the mast tv dome actually have anything in it or is it just an empty cover?
8. Are there any MUST HAVE options on your boat that you use all the time and couldn’t live without?
9. What’s the thing(s) you really don’t like about your C-28? Thanks
10. If you had two teenaged grandkids on board would you put them on the dining table bed or underneath in the mid-berth? Or one in each spot? Our R-25 doesn’t have enough room for both of them.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

[Martin610]

I think I can contribute to some of the questions. I have a 2013 C28. We really like the boat. I have had it for about 4 years.

I sleep on the starboard side. I am 6 feet, 210 pounds. Port side is a bit tight for me. The first mate, aka "the munchkin" fits just fine on port side, room to spare. However, if he's snoring, the captain gets sent to the quarter berth. It's really pretty comfortable down there.

While I use an electric grill now, I did use a magma on the port rail for a time.
I have a generator and electric galley, so putting my dingy gas can in the stern locker doesn't apply.
I usually cruise at 14-15 knots at ~9 gph.
I do have a Morningstar controller. Not sophisticated, but it works fine.
The impellor replacement is not bad. It's easier than other inboards I have seen. Accessible from the front. Six screws, I made sure I bought spares. You have to take the partition panels out in front of the engine to change the belts or adjust tension. Not terrible.
My mast dome has a TV antenna in it. I don't use it. I rely on a ROKU stick for TV.
We take the boat for trips and anchor out. Dingy is a must. I finally bought a good one last fall. We love our little icemaker, that's a must. With teens I would put one on the table berth and one in the quarter berth. If it was two little kids putting both in the quarter berth would be OK in my opinion.

-martn610

 

[scross]

Thanks Martin! Very helpful info.

 

[it4llc]

We haven''t done a ton of overnighting on our boat yet (2020 C28) but we put our 2 boys, 9 & 12, in the quarter berth, and my 15 yr old daughter (~5'5") on the cabin table. It's a bit cozy for her length-wise, although removing the cushion from the front seat back helps a chunk. We also put a foam mattress cover on top of it for her.

 

[Gypsy]

I have a 2019 C28. Here are some answers to your questions:
We added a 3" foam mattress to the V berth. Great addition. We sleep head to the stern and are very comfortable.
I just added a magma grill. Instead of using the existing rod holder holes, I added two bolt on rod holders on the stern railing. Works great.
As for speed and fuel economy, you can't beat the C28. I cruise at 23 MPH and use 10 GPH. That is 2.3 MPG, better than I get on my 22' center console. The best part is that you get the same economy from 8MPH to 30MPH. Below 8MPH the economy goes way up.
As for things I don't like about the boat: The boat is only 8.5' wide. That makes it great for trailering, but not so great in rough water. The wine cooler doesn't keep things cool. I'm thinking of replacing it for a pull out storage draw.
The two things I could not live without would be the bow and stern thrusters. They enable you to maneuver in the tightest marinas like a pro. The other is the having the latest version of the Gamin navigation system. Using Auto Guidance is a real plus, especially navigating at night. And, when we are not using Auto Guidance we usually navigate long stretches using the remote instead of the wheel.

 

[it4llc]

I cruise at 23 MPH and use 10 GPH.

I'm curious what RPMs you are running at to get 23mph? I get 17-18 knots/20mph at ~2800 and 10gph. That's usually with a decent load though, maybe 60 gal diesel, 20ish gal water, and 5 people (3 of which are kids).

 

[Diatom]

Older C26 - abbreviated cockpit, otherwise = C28. Short opinion: it's a brilliantly conceived pocket-yacht whose few shortcomings are common to its class.
Indispensable additions: Wifi network, BRNKL, full canvas; Dyson vacuum, 26# Ultra anchor, SmartPlug shore power, 26# Carbo eBike.
Annoyances: The boat suffers a few irritants:
- No consolidated/comprehensive manual esp. re electrics.
- Amateur maintenance compromised by awkward access, frustrating for an amateur.
- 8.5' beam - narrows the comfortable-weather window in the Georgia Strait & lower Fraser River.
- Useless spotlight (blinding reflections from rails). Thinking of mounting a GoPro in the casing instead.
- Swim grid awash between 5-10 knots, wet dinghy despite Weaver offsets.
- Foredeck access is pretty hairy, Houdini-access thru windows/hatches when cockpit canvas up.
- No heated windshield defrost, no window-washer
- Shower - wet head, no shower curtain; wooden panels and inexplicably, NMEA/electronics behind mirror door.
- No blackwater volume gauge

Family foursome sleeps feet-aft on sleeping-bag linens. Plan was kids to mid berth (table contrivance) but kids are so delighted with VBerth that we let them have it; I prefer being up top anyway. TV/Stereo a waste of effort, everyone uses iPads, Yanmar too noisy when underway to enjoy broadcast music, use AirPods.

I think I'm alone in preferring a SMALL 7.5' Aquamarine Airdeck oar-powered dinghy. I don't want a 10' sail obliterating my stern, view, swimgrid; nor to wrestle with an outboard/electric. Wishlist:
- swim grid rail - in part to use as a Sampson-post alternative to annoying Weavers.
- swim shower & freshwater washdown
- bow sunpad arrangement like current C32 - impractical after-the-fact. Like I said, "wish".

Having said that, I'm not sure I'd trade my 26 for a 30/32. The 26 is so incredibly practical, agile - some dinghy-docks tolerate 30' and below; shallow draft; apparently beachable; single-handed operation is a breeze; perfect sightlines (with trimtabs down); and we've become adept at collapsing/stowing the VBerth bed into day-table arrangement (which seems to have been abandoned in later/bigger models?).

/tmm

 

[scross]

Great additional info everyone!

We have owned two 8’6” beamed 24-25 ft. inboard and an I/O’s for 18 years now. So I’m familiar and comfortable with what that means in terms of handling and towing. Also familiar with the standard RT & Cutwater Garmin electronics, radar, autopilot, thrusters, batteries, solar DC charging systems, inverter, etc.

An additional question regarding the dining table bed being used at the same time as the mid-berth on the C28. To use the dining table berth means having the aft dining seat down. Doesn’t this trap anyone sleeping in the mid-berth? I can’t see anyway to squirm in/out of the mid-berth area with the dining seat down.

Also, how many have out there have converted the wine cooler to storage? Is the entire area under the helm seat open for storage if the cooler is removed?

 

[it4llc]

Doesn’t this trap anyone sleeping in the mid-berth? I can’t see anyway to squirm in/out of the mid-berth area with the dining seat down.

My 2 younger kids have no problem getting in and out. The youngest I think actually likes it better that way - more of a cave for him.

 

[S. Todd]

We have a R29 and the first modification we did was to remove the wine cooler which is a known energy hog and does not cool very well. Tool bags have found that space valuable. To access the mid-cabin space, granddaughter sleeps well there, we seldom if ever lifted the rear dinette seat on our R25SC or lift it on the R29, unless it is when I am doing service.

 

[JonR]

I have a 2014 C28 (Volvo/Penta).

Maybe I can learn something and provide my input as well. First, I'm interested in one earlier comment

You have to take the partition panels out in front of the engine to change the belts or adjust tension. Not terrible.

Do you remove the stairs down to the V-berth and then remove the panels behind them?

It took my wife and I awhile to figure out how to sleep comfortably on the boat. We sleep facing aft with me and the port side as there seems to be a little more head room. Frankly, it's not the best as far as I'm concerned. It's kind of a pain to get up to use the head if you need to go during the night. You have to swing your feet around being careful not to smack your partner. Also, if you want to watch Netflix or the equivalent on TV, you have to have to swing around. It's probably the thing I dislike the most about the boat. I've never slept below in 'the cave' but my kids (6'2" and 6'3") both say it's not bad. My one married son and his wife (and their dog) have slept down there often. His only wish is that their be some type of handle(s) to help in getting out of it.

The things I like the most:
Autopilot w/ remote: I use it all the time. It's great for fishing as the boat won't swing around with wind, current while your trying to manage a fish. And it's just nice to be able to take your hands off the wheel when cruising to the San Juans, etc.

Front and Rear Thrusters: I'm often the envy of other boaters in a tight marina. Almost feels like I'm cheating 🙂

The low speed switch: Once again, as a fisherman this is a must. However, it one forgets to disengage it before cruising it will quickly ruin then transmission clutches.

Other thoughts:
Never been big on using the boat potable water - use it more for cooking/cleaning so I use the wine cooler to store bottled water.

If you're out for any length of time without power, you need to manage your power consumption carefully, All the 'goodies' on the boat tend to suck energy. I do not yet have a solar panel but I think it would be a must have if you're going out for extended periods. I have heard complaints on this forum that the panel inhibits the opening of some of the cabin roof hatches? I also carry my shrimp/crab pots and deck chairs up there when traveling and I think I'd have issues if I had a panel up there too.

Another thing I don't like and it took me awhile to figure out where it was:
There's a main power breaker located in the small cabinet below the stove - it the back aft corner. Such a pain to get to! For the life of me, I can't figure out why the chose that location?

Another quirk (for me at least): You have to set your tanks to full or add the gallons you put in when you get fuel. There is no float that automatically gives you fuel level. Maybe this is normal for 'bigger' boats but it seems odd to me. And when I do put fuel in, it always takes a little more that it says it should. As a result, I'm become quick cautious if I'm running low on fuel.

 

[scross]

JonR,
Thanks for the input.
I too was confused by the panel referenced for front of engine access. On our R25 Classic we have a step down coming from the cockpit into the cabin. We remove that step assembly to access the front of the engine. Easy to do. The C-28 appears to have a cabin floor level with the cockpit. No steps coming in from the cockpit. So I’m not sure where these panels are located and how you would get to them to remove them.
And yeah, not sure how two people would watch TV in the v-berth. The logical TV install location would be on the anchor locker bulkhead. We don’t have a TV in the R-25 Classic, and we don’t spend too much time in signal-over-the-air range so I’m not sure that’s an issue for us.
We actually like the privacy of the rear cabin head in our R-25. Especially when using late at night. You lose some rear visibility with the head back there but the dinghy on the davits blocks rear visibility too so you’re really not giving up much.
I do math all the time to monitor fuel levels in the R-25. The gauge reads full at 55 gallons which is 20 gallons less than a full tank. Under 55 gallons the gauge is pretty accurate though. Still, I use fuel burn rate on the display times duration to calculate what I’ve used.

 

[Martin610]

I didn't mean to confuse anyone. This is where I really miss the ability to post photos.

On my C-28 there is a hatch just forward the cabin door as you enter the cabin. When you lift this hatch you will see fuel cut off valves for the engine and generator, and on my boat, the inverter is located here.

Inside the cabin, looking aft, there are partition panels between the cabin space and the engine compartment. They are covered in thermal sound proofing foam. There are small aluminum angle brackets holding them in place. You can unscrew the brackets and remove the panels for access to the front of the engine. I do that to adjust belt tension, change the front anode, etc.

-martin610

 

[CaptT]

I have the 2015 C 28.
I do store my 3 gallon gas can in the propane locker. The way I look at it is this locker is literally spark proof , when closed, with brass and copper fittings/lines, etc ,protection needed for the propane. The locker is also vented properly so if they leaked, all the gas/fumes are isolated to the swim platform. I also figure if the propane tanks blow what's 3 gallons of gas going to matter? It's safer than storing it within the boat "proper" as fumes can drift downward into the bilge, a much more dangerous scenario.
The Morningstar does control the solar charge to the house first then the engine start batteries. I believe the house gets 90% and the engine battery gets the other 10%. There is some great information on YouTube and other websites explaining how to use/read the meter, etc. One of the best sitesI is, https://www.altestore.com/store/charge- ... 12v-p5600/.
We love our 28 and cruise all over the west coast of Florida. We love going to the Keys and anchoring out or visiting different marinas. The propane stove is great for anchoring out energy management.
We leave for the Keys in April and we're planning a trip across the Ockachobee waterway, this summer. Then it's up the east coast and then down, or is up, (since the river runs north), the St. John. In 2023 we are looking at doing the loop.
We use the cave for storage and a "pantry". Using smaller clear storage containers makes it easier. We even have a small freezer down there. I believe it's a 1.1 cubic foot??? As long as we keep it closed and run the generator, which we use for the a/c while cruising, everything stays frozen.
I second the removal of the wine chiller. Shelves and a louvered teak door makes it a great storage area.
Only real problem I had was with the steering, (search steering issues on this website to learn more). Once I installed a check valve the problem was solved!
Life is good on-board No Fences!