General musings for the Cutwater 28

[Cutwater28GG]

Some musings and modifications on my 2012 cutwater I've pondered over the last few years of ownership. many would only make sense if done at time of manufacture. so just a list of suggestions for the factory team. Overall the boat is fantastic and this is not a list of complaints.

1. change the dimensions of and strengthen the outside cooler location to allow me to drop in a dometic CFX28.
2. make the stern seat hinge-able. so it can be laid flat for lounging in the sun
3. install MPPT smart solar controller by default; especially for the PNW crowd.
4. option for a shunt to be pre-installed at the factory for better battery monitoring
5. add another 100ft of line to the rode (doesnt have to be chain but 350 would be nice)
6. integrated stern line holder in the swim step rails
7. in place cable run and easy modifiable gland to enable easy install of new aerials and gear on the roof without drilling new holes.
8. Couple of spare accessory switches on the dash
9. red LED light illumination on the dash
10. Spare room on a bus bar for additional powered items in the radio closet (behind TV), below the main power switches, and in the locker behind the helm.
11. option from factory for wifi and cellular booster installed. (Max transit peplink with Microtik groove and Wilson LTE antenna with perhaps the weboost 4g booster)
12. dimmable salon lights (perhaps now an option on the new boats?)
13. upgrade option to Blue Victron charger and inverter gear
14. flip down sun visor for helm
15. motion detecting trim tabs that control beam roll as waves hit or passengers move around. (useful on a 8"6" beamed boat)
16. bow or swim step fender holders
17. explore a D4 300HP engine option. (this may just be two knot-itus. but there is something about the 260 that with the boat with people and gear feels like its only really up on the plane up at 90-100% of power.) this is a niggle though and the weight of the engine may offset any performance gain
18. redesign the aft end of the stern to control spray into a vertically mounted dinghy on the stern. I think the spray comes from the hull and not the trim tab and wonder if a little deflector could address a bunch of the spray.
19. Option for tv where mirror in forecabin is located

would love to hear what others have pondered

 

[rocklobster]

I agree about the red LED for the dash switches. It’s a little hard to see at night. I’d like to figure out how to add this. Maybe I can find a good light to use.

Joe


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[quinsky]

+ Move the reading lights in the V berth to the opposite bulkhead so they are over the head of the berth.
+ Install the VHF higher on the dash so us older boaters don't have to bend down to see it. I moved mine and it made a big
difference.
+ Install a larger mooring cleat in front of the windlass. Or maybe a mooring post behind the windlass.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

Yes!

Joe I think you could install a strip of red led from dr led. You just need to find a place to wire it into. One possible could be into the nav and anchor light.
Might need an l shaped piece of wood to hide the led from direct viewing and to direct the light downwards

 

[BB marine]

1. Larger anchor locker
2. Galvanic isolator standard equipment
3. Use composite material in transom, swim platform, storage compartment bases (floors). Use stainless or aluminum backing plates for all thru hull and deck mounting. ( No wood )
4. Sealed bulkhead between engine compartment and living space
5. larger trim tabs 18 x 12
6 . (2) 30 amp services when Marine air is installed Heat/cool
7. Redesigned swim platform that doesn't drag when running @ 8 to 10 Kts.
8. Install a designed engine compartment ventilation system utilizing the fake vents already installed. passive vents that intake cooler ambient air into lower sections of the engine compartment. passive exhaust vents to remove warm air, compartment odors, and moisture from upper sections of the compartment. Improving engine performance, alternator longevity, electronics and electrical devise longevity, reducing compartment odors.
9. Complete fiberglass finished head. Utilizing a wet head with wood walls looks nice but is not practical for longevity.
10.Exhaust fan ventilation in the head.
11. Relocate the shower sump for easier access.
12. Make Rocna the standard installed factory Anchor.

Gavin I like Number 2,5,7,8,12,16( just stern),19 ( I installed TV in this location, much better then mirror!

 

[jkhiser]

All are good ideas. A few more:

- bilge pump coverage for front end of boat. (C-28 drains through small hidden limber holes & tubes to the engine sump.)
- drainage for cockpit - prefer bulk drain from back of cockpit directly overboard.

Neither of these are things you normally need, until you get swamped or have a problem, and you need to get rid of water faster.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

Ah yes good one. The cockpit drainage is poor.

 

[Robert-RPV]

I agree about the red LED for the dash switches. It’s a little hard to see at night. I’d like to figure out how to add this. Maybe I can find a good light to use.

Joe


We just bought a 2010 C28 and I'm adding these small post lights over the switch panels:

https://www.pilotlights.net/led-panel-post-light-2-color-red-white-12v-or-24v

They're available in a few different colors and styles....

 

[Gypsy]

I would like to add a windshield washer. In choppy water the windshields get encrusted in salt and hard to clean until you hit the next big wave. Also, a raw water connection in the anchor compartment to wash off the chain and anchor. Here on the East Coast we have a lot of muddy bottoms. I have to pull a hose from the stern to the bow each time a bring up the anchor.

 

[Red Raven]

Bill,

While not the same boat, I added a wash down connection in the anchor locker of our R27 Classic. It was a fairly easy mod. Added a tee in the washdown line at the stern and ran a continuous line up to the bow through the engine compartment, cave, and under the the v-berth. Most difficult part was mounting a hose bib connection in the anchor locker and making the connection to line coming from the stern. I ended up using a short line pre-connected to the bib and then using a coupler behind the foremost panel in the Vberth. I keep a coil hose attached with nozzle in the anchor locker itself. Just have to remember to turn on the wash down before going forward and pull out the coil hose before dropping or retrieving the anchor so it does get tangled with the rode. Works really good!

Curt

 

[mikey]

I enlarged the trim tabs to 12 X 18",installed a gas strut on each locker cover in the cockpit so you don't hold the cover with your head as you check batteries or retrieve parts-$20 Cdn from amazon,installed a transducer on the transom for a Lorance HDS 10 plotter used mainly for soundings

 

[Chimo]

Would anyone like, "add $12,000 to the price of the boat"?

 

[piglet 2013]

Well all these suggestions are nice but you have closed the barn door after the cows have left. c28 no longer in production

 

[Automaticman865]

Hey you cant give up hope, didnt wendys bring back the baconator...
so I added a cell phone holder built onto the dash, It has an on/off switch, a 12 volt cigarette outlet, 2 usb outlets and also has a digital display of the house voltage. Added a subwoofer in side the v birth to balance out the sound. Removed the wine cooler and first framed in the opening then built a door to keep the contents inside. Added the drop down fins to the tabs. At the time there was no hull zinc so that was also added. Also a galvanic isolator was added this year. A green marine fuel whistle, now I dont even need a rag to fuel up. added a few more cleats to keep the fenders more manageable. Built a boarding ladder from the second helm up to the overhead rail, a lot easier to get up to the roof and also more to hold on to underway. Also just finished up building a portable fuel polisher in a suitcase. And when the boat was originally being built I had them take out the propane and had an origo stove and oven installed. and for those wanting more horsepower its more about the liter size of the engine but thats a discussion for another day. I noticed the comment about the windshield washer. too bad they were not able to use spray rails and keep down the water from getting to the windshield in the first place. Also on the portable freezers and fridges, check out AstroAi. Looks like they have a decent line of products. The only downfall I see is if you do not have the power it looks like they need 5 amps an hour as most of the others using 2.5 amps.

Stuart

 

[it4llc]

I enlarged the trim tabs to 12 X 18",installed a gas strut on each locker cover in the cockpit so you don't hold the cover with your head as you check batteries or retrieve parts-$20 Cdn from amazon,installed a transducer on the transom for a Lorance HDS 10 plotter used mainly for soundings

As someone who also prefers not to use their head as a hatch holder, I’d love to see how/where you mounted the struts, along with anything else learned during that project…. Thanks!

 

[tranmkp]

I'd love to hear how the trim tab upgrade works!!

 

[mikey]

I had to add a 1/8 X 3/4" X 2" aluminum tab to get the strut low enough not to interfere with hatch closing.I'll post a pic

 

[scross]

Mikey,
Second the request for more info on the cockpit locker struts.

Piglet 2013,
My belief is that Fluid Motion provides capable boats set up to make a casual boater feel comfortable. Like buying a Jeep that you just use to go to the grocery store and back. If you want to use your stock Jeep on the Rubicon Trail then it’s going to need many modifications. Nothing wrong with making a capable basic product that owners can modify to suit!
After just a few months of ownership of a C-28 I’m looking at several Boat Bucks to get it set up for weeks long cruising away from marinas. Completely new solar system, new more capable starter and thruster batteries, a new dinghy and motor, vastly improved galley storage cupboards plus moving to more robust anchoring components for starters. Lots and lots of minor upgrades - many of which are mentioned in this thread.
Lots of work this winter getting ours ready for 2023!

 

[BB marine]

Mikey,
Second the request for more info on the cockpit locker struts.

Piglet 2013,
My belief is that Fluid Motion provides capable boats set up to make a casual boater feel comfortable. Like buying a Jeep that you just use to go to the grocery store and back. If you want to use your stock Jeep on the Rubicon Trail then it’s going to need many modifications. Nothing wrong with making a capable basic product that owners can modify to suit!
After just a few months of ownership of a C-28 I’m looking at several Boat Bucks to get it set up for weeks long cruising away from marinas. Completely new solar system, new more capable starter and thruster batteries, a new dinghy and motor, vastly improved galley storage cupboards plus moving to more robust anchoring components for starters. Lots and lots of minor upgrades - many of which are mentioned in this thread.
Lots of work this winter getting ours ready for 2023!

When we purchased the C26 Cutwater in 2016 I quickly realized that this boat had the Swiss army knife design but was not really set up for long term cruising and anchoring. We planned on doing the Loop on board the C26 and I found that we had our work cut out to make this boat doable for long term cruising and anchoring.

The C26 is the same as the C28 from the pilot house door forward. So living space. The advantage the C28 had over the C26 was larger cockpit and better performance.

Issues that needed to be addressed.

V berth comfort, The as found cushions were fine for a short weekend stay but for long term cruising Back Breaking! This project was a complete removal of all the V-berth components and a custom made mattresses, mattresses base, shelves and TV installation.
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Inverter: The factory inverter is not a pure sine wave. It was not clean house hold power. This inverter was only used for the outlets and microwave. The C26 that we purchased had an electric stove so while cruising the stove was not usable unless the generator is used. We did not have a generator! I installed a 2000W pure sine wave inverter and wired the complete AC panel to the inverter.
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Anchor: I did not have much faith in the Lewmar Bruce style anchor for a main anchor I also knew that there would be many times the anchor and chain would come up muddy. The small poor drainage of the anchor locker would quickly become plugged. The side decks on the 8.6" beam C26 or C28 are tough to walk around. Add a hose in your hand and bring it to the bow each time you need to pull the anchor. The anchor roller in my opinion was a bit on the cheap side and not really fastened that well by the factory. To fix for theses two items I installed a Kingston anchor roller which fits the Rocna anchor that I purchased better than the factory roller does and finished the project with a anchor wash down.
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Hull Planing: With the added weight added for longer term cruising I found the bow of the boat was pointing to the sky when running at higher cruise speeds. I also found the boat was squatting (digging a hole at slower cruise speeds. The small trim tabs that Fluid Motion installed on the C26 and C28 were to small. 12 X 12 are not designed for a 26' or 28' boat. The minimum is 18 X 12. For this reason I installed drop fins to the trim tabs. This is a Must in my opinion if you own a C26 or a C28. I eventually installed 18 X 12 planes becai=use I planned on having the boat lifted by forks when I was in Florida.
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Shower: It is small and a project to use and keep clean. I decided if we were at anchor showering on the swim platform was a better solution. I installed a shower head HOT/COLD on the transom. But in the event we needed to use the wet head shower a good shower curtain was needed. I made rods and a curtain.
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Batteries and Solar. I never did solar and should have. This was a major issue while cruising. The issue was If I installed solar it would not be enough to keep the batteries charged to 100 % after a discharge cycle. If using lead acid batteries Flooded, AGM or Gel if you want the batteries to last you need to fully charge them after a discharge. If you are at anchor for a few days you need more than 400 watt of panel. You will also need to run your Generator for several hours if you leave the factory installed 20 amp charger in the boat. You will need to upgrade the charger to a minimum of 50 amps and still plan on running the generator for a few hours each day. I did install 3 200w panels on my Mainship and find this to be borderline to recharge the house bank each day during winter months in Florida. It is enough during summer months with longer days.
I did up grade the batteries to Northstar.

Dinghy and Motor mount:
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Fresh water filtering so we could use the water for cooking and drinking. We also used a Britta.

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With all theses upgrades the boat was comfortable but lacked one thing that I could not add. More Room !!! We loved the boat but found it to be to small and moved onto a boat with a few more feet of length 8' and 4' more beam. The one thing I miss is the ability to trailer.

 

[mikey]

having difficulty posting pic from an IMG tab-anyone can give details. since the strut I used has 4" of travel the location on the locker door is 4" up from the hinge (screwed there) and the other location is bolted onto a 1/8 X 1 1/2 X 2" aluminum tab that is screwed to the vertical flange at the opening of the locker