General thoughts on maintanance

[rocklobster]

Hello,

We lost our 33 Ft Sea Ray Sundancer in hurricane Sandy. I did all the maintenance and repairs on the boat myself. I purchased the boat when it was 10 years old. I was dissapointed how many things needed repair on it across all the different systems. I have attributed a lot of this to the fact that it was 10yrs old when we purchased it. I swore that I would never purchase another in-board again and certainly not something with so many different systems on it. The two V8's were so hard to work on in that small bilge, not to mention the generator and everything else. Some items I just could not reach and I was convinced they put them into the boat before they assembled the top deck. Being 6-2" didn't help either.

Anyway....My wife and I are now ready to get another boat and we were interested in finding a slightly used Cutwater28. We like that fact that we can sleep 6 (we have 3 little kids + dog).

Can you guys give me a feel for how hard it is to work on a Cutwater 28? Thoughts on access is probably the most important to me. I am a mechanical engineer by trade and can figure stuff out a lot of the time. I just keep thinking back to when I swore I would never get an inboard again or something with so many systems. Now I am questioning my wisdom once again!

We can't afford the outboard Rangers or Cutwaters unfortunately. Any thoughts on reliability, access and maintenance from someone who owns a Cutwater inboard would be most helpful.

Thank you
Joe
Connecticut

 

[knotflying]

A boat is a boat. It is in an environmentally harsh environment that has vibration and corrosion. Our boats are relatively small with big boat systems. Agility, patience, mechanical and electrical knowledge and the love of challenges are qualities required for boat ownership. Or the second group of qualities would be lots of time to wait for repairs and lots of money to pay for them. Some things are easier to get to than others, but short of having a row boat with a small outboard I think the larger the boat and adding sophisticated systems increases access difficulty and the potential for repairs.
What Ranger/Cutwater has going for it is this website and their outstanding support. So from that perspective when an issue arises you have resources to make the job easier and efficient.

 

[BB marine]

Hi Joe,
I have a 26 Cutwater, Pilot house door forward it's the same boat, Pilot house door aft the 28 is a bigger boat. Open the engine hatch on a 28 it has more room. I do all the maintenance on our 26' it is tight. Once I developed a knowledge of how to access everything and what and where everything is on the engine. Not that bad to work on. I worked in the marine industry for over 20 years full time and part time ever since. I worked as a Millwright/machinist working on large equipment in small places as my second career. As a marine technician I worked on inboard, stern drive, and outboard boats. Each one had its own challenges. I worked on many Dancers and there were challenges involved in some task. I also worked on Boston Whalers with 4 strokes. Outboards have a lot of equipment and parts installed in a very small area. Replacing a sensor could be a 4 hour job and working in a very tight area.Your standing up if its out of the water but it still gets frustrating. My point is if you are handy and like doing your own maintenance no matter what boat you own there will be certain task that are easy on one type of boat(inboard, outboard )and hard on the other. You are correct in your thinking most of the installs are all done before the deck is installed with no thought in how the technician is going to repair it. It can be done. If your an engineer and like getting your hands dirty. The 28 Cutwater will not be a challenge for you. 28's are nice boats, if you purchase one you will be amazed at how many people compliment you on your boat. Good luck in your search for your new boat.

 

[rocklobster]

Thanks for your replies guys. Great point and well said! Thank you.

 

[pleeson]

We have a 2012 C 28. Lots of accessories and systems tucked away in awkward places but all cruising boats have that problem. Most have an access panel. At least the engine bay is roomy and you can even stand down in there with the hatch open. Fortunately, the Volvo diesel is also reliable with minimal fuss and muss. I would say that for the size of boat it's a winner and with a cell phone camera and the flash, you can usually find the source of even hidden problems. Overall "A" to Fluid Motion for their design and support. Just wish they would hear us a little better when multiple owners observe issues that could be corrected with future model years, with retrofit kits made available for purchase at cost to existing owners. In the case of the 28, things like trim tab efficacy, and the swim platform design with its trailing lower edge and corrosion susceptible braces, could use a rethink. Love to see more of a pod style swim platform that could incorporate tabs that extend from its lower surface. I know you'll love the boat, perfection is elusive, but it's a solid winner with only minor irritants.

 

[quinsky]

Just bought a used 2013 C28. I am a DIY owner. The spaces around the engine an generator are tight. Pretty much all the systems are a challenge to access. But like the guy said "A boat is a boat". I bought small tools and a long grasper for retrieving screws from the bilge. Maybe you can teach your kids to assist you. 😀 Despite the mechanical challenges, I LOVE THIS BOAT! Good luck!

 

[rocklobster]

Thank you Sir. I work as design engineer in laparoscopic devices so I have a handful of graspers that I can use! Also a few laprascopes as well. Comes in handy sometimes! Have a great season! All the best with the boat!

 

[Scottfree]

If you can maintain your Sea Ray your already qualified to look after a Ranger product. Think about it. Other than the hull it's a collection of pieces to answer the call of the dollar. Sea Ray and Ranger are the same boat.

Sea Ray is owned by Brunswick Corp.
Brunswick Corp Bought Bayliner years ago.
A mid 70's Bayliner is the same boat as the Cutwater with more accessories.
The chief designer of Ranger had a glorious career with Bayliner. (Google mid 70s Bayliners images.... hmmm).
Similar design and focused on market share.
The success to all these boats are creature comforts and meeting the market demand (ie Production).
Each creature comfort item is an entity unto itself and can be repaired or replaced as such.
Production or profitability does not worry much about ease of maintenance as long as it surpasses warranty (try working on a German car).

The Ranger line is a brilliant product and I love mine. I would not pay any flunky shop rate to do something I can learn to do. As for things I don't like to do that's different! Sounds like your a perfect fit for any boat. I tell my wife, I can buy all the tools I need to repair it myself and still have a LOT of money left.

Go for it, you'll love it.

We are currently a third the way around the Great Loop in our R29 Classic. The nice ones!

Good Luck.

 

[bill46]

I would not compare Cutwater to Bayliner. I know same designer, but Fluid motion is much better quality and much easier to maintain than either Bayliner or Searay. BTW both Meridian (big Bayliners) and larger Searays are built in same plant here in Palm Coast.