Loud banging or creaking on new Cutwater 28

[Almanac]

Hi,

I own a 2021 Cutwater C-28, which I received new last August. After taking delivery, one thing that I noticed soon was a loud banging noise coming from around the helm area when hitting any chop or waves. The noise came from below the helm area somewhat between the head and helm.

I complained about the noise to the dealer who was familiar with similar problems, and told me there's an area there with different pieces of fiberglass that come together which can rub and cause loud creaking or banging noise. I wouldn't be surprised if every boat has squeaks, but this noise was a much louder banging. Their maintenance guy came out and made some adjustments by adding spacers or something to help shore up that area and fixed at least 1/2 the problem. It was at least a significant improvement. He said he eliminated most of the problem, but to fix more of it he may need to cut a hole in the fiberglass in the head to get access to the affected area (he was able to access the other area from mid-berth). That seemed a bit extreme at the time, so I decided to see how well the fix was and he said he would have to speak to cutwater to authorize further action.

A week ago I was out on the boat in some waves/chop again and continued to hear more of the banging noise. There can be squeaks from between the dash and side-window, but that is not a huge issue, this is much louder. A friend of mine with me agreed that he would complain about that noise. The issue is annoying and I'm concerned that if I were to sell the boat in the future, a buyer could also complain about the banging during a sea trial.

I would like to know what Cutwater suggests with regards to the situation? I know I can contact the dealer and complain, but I'm concerned about the option of cutting a hole and patching it in the head to get to the affected area. It sounds a little extreme, but I don't know if it can be patched well enough to be not noticeable. The problem sounded common on the Cutwater as he knew exactly where to address the issue.

Can you help illuminate what the issue is? Is there a way to address it without cutting into fiberglass? Do you have a picture that shows where the pieces come together? What are the expectations you have?

 

[SJI Sailor]

Would you happen to have a recording? I am wondering whether it might be normal. When we hit waves in our C30 it often has a loud *bump* that sounds almost like hitting a log. I have assumed it is due to the stepped hull interacting with certain speeds and wave heights.

 

[Red Raven]

The fuel and water in the tanks can make a fairly loud “thump” in rough seas. I would not describe it as a “bang” but perhaps it would be possible to sound like that with other tank configuratIons. Listen carefully to determine if it could be just fluid in the tanks.

Curt

 

[BB marine]

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=13026&p=88062&hilit=cutwater+noise#p87977

This may be the same noise you are hearing. My C26 made creaking/cracking noise when it was new, running at a fast cruise in 2' to 3' sea's. It either went away after a couple hundred hours of running and a couple thousand miles of trailering or I just got use to it!

 

[Almanac]

I have a recording from inside the head while underway before the first fix alleviated some of it. In the recording it sounds like creaking but in real life it was twice as loud.

@Red Raven I know it isn't the fuel and water tanks because I've talked to the dealer and it's a common issue with nearly every C-28 from what I've heard where fiberglass sections rub.

@BB marine That's the same area and the photo album from that post is very interesting because he was able to fix it with a coin between two fiberglass sections in the head. That's basically the fix they were doing.. just wedging in a few coins to prevent it from rubbing, but I'm fairly sure the section they were talking about was accessed from the mid-berth by removing the carpeted panels. I never considered there could be something accessible from the head itself. From the post you linked -- "he cut out the caulking and then wedged a quarter down the crack. He had to tap it down in with a putty knife and hammer. He caulked it back up. Whole process took about 10 minutes." On page 2 of his photo album he has an arrow drawn where they did it.

I also bought my boat from Bellingham Yachts. I'll ask about this location because I'm not sure that this one was explored. Removing caulk and recaulking is a much better idea than cutting fiberglass.

Here's the noise from last year before the first fix . You can hear it, but again in person from the helm it sounds a bit different.. and probably louder.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-6Jc9e ... sp=sharing

 

[dgiles]

I have a recording from inside the head while underway before the first fix alleviated some of it. In the recording it sounds like creaking but in real life it was twice as loud.

@Red Raven I know it isn't the fuel and water tanks because I've talked to the dealer and it's a common issue with nearly every C-28 from what I've heard where fiberglass sections rub.

@BB marine That's the same area and the photo album from that post is very interesting because he was able to fix it with a coin between two fiberglass sections in the head. That's basically the fix they were doing.. just wedging in a few coins to prevent it from rubbing, but I'm fairly sure the section they were talking about was accessed from the mid-berth by removing the carpeted panels. I never considered there could be something accessible from the head itself. From the post you linked -- "he cut out the caulking and then wedged a quarter down the crack. He had to tap it down in with a putty knife and hammer. He caulked it back up. Whole process took about 10 minutes." On page 2 of his photo album he has an arrow drawn where they did it.

I also bought my boat from Bellingham Yachts. I'll ask about this location because I'm not sure that this one was explored. Removing caulk and recaulking is a much better idea than cutting fiberglass.

Here's the noise from last year before the first fix . You can hear it, but again in person from the helm it sounds a bit different.. and probably louder.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-6Jc9e ... sp=sharing

That noise from a new boat would be unacceptable to me.

 

[SJI Sailor]

That sounds like what the other threads have mentioned -- not like the thumping of water that I inferred as a possibility from the first post description. It would be annoying! (FWIW fixing it with a quarter doesn't really sit right with me -- but sometimes you just have to go with what works 🙂

 

[Ralf H]

Hi Almanac,

Since you've already had this looked at with Bellingham Yachts, we'd like to have them take another look at the boat and se what else may need to be done. I will contact them and ask them to reach out to you directly. Since I do not know your real name, can you reach out to me via p.m. and let me know so I can get Bellingham involved?

Thank you!

Ralf

 

[Almanac]

Ralf,

I talked to them on the phone Friday. I'll PM you my name, but they know should know who I am since we just spoke on Friday.

I wanted to ask Cutwater on the forums though. It seems from my research this is a common issue that people have reported on the C-28 at least for several years. When I bought the Cutwater, I always heard the factory has great customer service, but any time I've tried to contact the factory via web forum or by email, they forward my email to Bellingham Yachts.

How come everyone who I know who owns a ranger seems to have a direct line to the factory, and I can't even get a response without being forwarded to Bellingham Yachts? I understand they are the broker, but if I wanted to ask them, I would ask them, which I have. They're going to check it out again when they come out to fix a different issue. I still wanted to know what the factory thought about the issue.

 

[KennyMarrs]

Hello,

Since Bellingham is your servicing dealer who you bought the boat from we rely on them to get involved when issues come up. I've personally worked with Matt and his crew for years now. I'm confident in their work and if it comes to it they always reach out to us directly with questions. You're in good hands with those guys!

On another note, I'm not sure what email's or forum's you've tried to contact us on prior but we always welcome a phone call. Our office line is 253-839-5213. If you'd like to speak to me my extension is #3.

Thanks,
-Kenny