Cutwater Technical

[Captfrank]

Hello:

I’m new to this forum, but I have a few questions that experienced Cutwater owners may be able to help with.

I am planning to do the Great Loop in late spring 2027 or 2028. I have researched and decided that a Cutwater C28 with the Volvo Penta D4 diesel engine, less than 10 years old, would be the best boat for me. I will be mostly traveling alone, with occasional one-week or less sections with my wife (maybe), my sons, and/or grandsons; not all at once. [At least that is my thinking—they may have completely other ideas.] I am familiar with boating, mostly on lakes, with a 16-foot Arrowglass, a 24-foot pontoon boat, and a 24-foot Bayliner cabin cruiser (350-engine gas). Navigation should not be hard to manage or learn, since I have 4,000 hours of aviation piloting experience, mostly before GPS. I will be leaving from the East Coast (the Virginia area).

Of the Cutwater C28s I have reviewed, some have a rear-cockpit helm, and some do not. I think it was an option from the factory.

Questions: What are the pros and cons of the second helm in the rear cockpit? Is it best used in docking situations? Particularly considering I will be mostly solo. Or trolling? I am not an avid fisherman. Any maintenance issues?

There are many nice boats without this feature, so I’m not sure whether I should limit myself to looking only at the C28s with the second cockpit helm station. I am hoping to buy this sometime this Fall and use it at our Lake House for familiarization.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[abastos]

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on planning the Great Loop, that's a fantastic goal!

I can share some firsthand thoughts on the rear cockpit helm question, since I've owned a Cutwater C-30 Sedan with the cockpit helm station for about a year and a half now.

For my use case, it's a "nice to have" rather than a "must have." The one place I genuinely appreciate it is transiting the Ballard Locks here in Seattle. It makes tying up to the lock wall much easier, and when it's time to leave, I can release and untie the stern line myself (my wife handles the bow) and then drive the boat right out of the chamber from back there. That said, I don't use it 100% of the time even in the locks, and outside of that scenario I rarely touch it. Honestly, I find myself oversteering from the cockpit helm more often than not, but this is a skipper issue. It takes some practice to get smooth with it.

After 1.5 years, I could comfortably own a Cutwater without the cockpit helm and not miss it much. So I wouldn't limit your search to only the boats that have it.

For solo operation like you're planning, the remote for the bow/stern thrusters has been far more valuable to me than the second helm. I can bring the boat in from the inside helm, get it close to the dock, then step out into the cockpit and make small adjustments with the thrusters via the remote if needed. For docking single-handed, that's been a game changer.

To your specific questions:

• Pros/cons of the second helm: Pro: handy in locks and some close-quarters/line-handling situations. Cons: one more station to maintain, and for a solo boater it's not essential. It's more of a convenience than a capability you can't get another way.
• Best for docking? It can help, but I'd argue a good thruster remote covers the solo docking case better.
• Trolling? I believe it's super useful for that, but if you're not an avid fisherman, you can live without it.
• Maintenance: Nothing dramatic in my experience, but it is an additional set of controls/electronics, so just factor it into your inspections.

Bottom line: every skipper has their own needs, but my experience so far says I wouldn't miss it. Don't rule out the excellent boats that lack the cockpit helm. You'll open up a lot more inventory, and I don't think you'll feel the loss, especially with a thruster remote in hand.

Best of luck with the search and the Loop!

 

[Cutwater28GG]

as a 2012 cut28 owner;

i never use the cockpit helm to dock. its really there for fishing. there are no bow thrusters outside. yes there is a remote but I generally dont use it in case I drop it jumping to the dock.

if its a tough mooring i have a first mate or someone on the dock who can help, but most are not difficult as a soloist.

i would not select a boat for the loop based on cockpit helm.