newbie w/questions

[Frappe2]

I am in the process of buying an almost new Cutwater28. What is the best manageable dinghy for this boat. Is a 25# anchor too large? I am a long time sailor (still own a 35'catamaran and other sailboats) and do not wish to make too many mistakes outfitting our new boat. I'll have many more such questions in future and appreciate this forum.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

welcome and congrats. the 28 Cut is a great boat

1. dinghy wise if you want to store on davits at the back it can only be 8'6" long to fit within the beam
there is a factory option which is pretty reasonable if a little heavy. some folks go with a portland pudgy. but its too heavy for my taste.
the cutwater is reasonably sensitive to stern weight and trim so putting something heavy out there is not ideal. the other anti heavy factor is trying to lift the dinghy when raising onto the davits.
I use a takacat and a 2.5hp suzuki for this reason. super light.

2. The dinghy can be longer if you want to tow it but almost no one does as its a pain
3. some people use 2/3 person kayaks and store them on the roof - lots of people have discussed pro's/cons before.

4. The cutwater bow roller restricts how large a anchor you can install. many upgrade to rocna or vulcan anchors. but only go up to a #10 size. as the #15 doesnt fit well. some folks have extended the roller, others have a slightly different spec size hole for some reason and can get a #15 to fit. the biggest different to anchoring is more scope and chain than one size of anchor up. perhaps leave this decision to after the purchase and you see the roller?

 

[Jacquesne]

I just got a c 26 and am selling my 34 Gemini cat.
I took my Rocha 15 and 200 feet of chain from my cat and it works fine.
I have a Walker Bay 10 with sailing kit and use weaver hard dinghy kit with 6 inch rise on swim step. Works fine also.
Have Avon 310 with Euro seat and 20 Honda which I keep on jet ski dock in my slip and tow it for longer trips to Catalina.
Love my 2014 c 26. Just wanted to downsize and get from Long Beach to Catalina more quickly.

 

[BB marine]

Best manageable dingy is a hard question to answer. There is a wide range of dingy's used. The most common is the RIB that Ranger /Cutwater sells. I believe it 8' 6" with Fiberglass hull . I also believe the weaver pads are already installed on the tubes. The Cutwater site has pictures of it mounted on a 28 Cutwater. We have a 26 Cutwater and installed a 8' 10" four person Gala Aluminum RIB.




I agree with Cutwater28GG the 26 and 28 Cutwaters are somewhat stern sensitive to extra weight. The Aluminum is about 10 pounds lighter then the fiberglass and 4" longer. As for outboard power I'm old schooled, I still like 2 strokes, Power to Weight ratio is better with a 2 stroke. Last season I ran a 6Hp weighing 50 lbs. It would plane with one person. I now have a 7.5 hp Evinrude 2 stroke 55 lbs ,planes the boat with 2 adults. 55lbs is my limit for removing the motor off the RIB. We use our dingy a lot. We use it not only as a dingy but as a second boat. Having a larger motor is important but so is weight. With the addition to installing the RIB (and Weaver Davits) I installed Bennett drop fins to the trim tabs to add lift to the stern with the added weight from the RIB and motor. This addition (Drop Fins) is not a necessity when adding the extra weight from the RIB and Motor but it helps.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

thats a good looking dinghy Brian!

where are you storing the motor when underway? on the cockpit rail?

 

[BB marine]

thats a good looking dinghy Brian!

where are you storing the motor when underway? on the cockpit rail?

Yes cockpit rail, inside cockpit. With a full enclosure it limits mounting on the rail. I made a engine mounting bracket that attaches to the rail and is also a mount for my Magna Grill. I have pictures posted in my Album.