Cutwater 28 Used Buying Guide, the Diesel Pocket Cruiser From Ranger Tugs' Sister Brand

Cutwater for sale, why the 28 is where the brand began

Anyone browsing Cutwater for sale listings today sees mostly outboard models, the C-24, C-248, C-288 and C-32. The Cutwater 28 comes from the brand's first chapter, when Fluid Motion, the Washington company behind Ranger Tugs, wanted a sportier, faster sister line built around a single inboard diesel.

The 28 and its shorter sibling, the Cutwater 26, debuted at the 2011 Miami International Boat Show. Soundings columnist Eric Sorensen called them some of the most interesting boats at the show, noting that the 28 was essentially the 26 with two more feet of cockpit. He also explained the family connection: Fluid Motion was owned by Dave Livingston, a former president of Bayliner who had designed boats and stepped hulls for Reinell, Wellcraft and Regal, while his son John owned Ranger Tugs.

The target buyer was specific. Early coverage described couples in their 50s and 60s who wanted a cruising boat without mortgaging retirement, and the 28 delivered that with a long standard equipment list, diesel economy and a trailerable 8-foot-6-inch beam. In 2012, Soundings included the Cutwater 28 among its AIM Marine Group Editors' Choice selections.

A busy bottom, with a step, a keel and a prop pocket

Sorensen described the Cutwater bottom as very busy, and he meant it as a compliment with reservations. The step aerates the bottom to reduce friction, while the designers worked to channel that air away from the propeller. A keel adds directional stability and grounding protection, and a prop pocket reduces draft and shaft angle. The diesel sits low in a shallow nacelle, which lowers the deckhouse and the center of gravity.

Cutwater later branded the concept the Cutwater Keel Stepped Hull. Sorensen flagged one concern at launch: the transom-mounted rudder had no ventilation plate above it, so he wondered whether it might draw air and lose grip at speed. We found no later test that confirmed the problem, but a sea trial with hard turns at cruise speed is the right way to judge any individual boat.

Bow and stern thrusters were standard from the start. Sorensen thought that was a sensible way to make a single-engine inboard less intimidating, and the 2013 owner profile in Soundings said the thrusters made maneuvering in tight marinas almost effortless.

Sleeping six in 28 feet, the layout explained

Boarding from the swim platform through a transom door leads to a self-bailing cockpit with a flip seat that faces forward or aft, a cockpit sink and freshwater shower, and on the 28 an optional second steering station. A large powered hatch lifts for engine access, which owners consistently praise.

A sliding door opens to the pilothouse, finished with a teak-and-holly sole. The galley runs along the port side, and opposite is a raised dinette that converts to a double. The surprise is underneath: a second double berth, the midship stateroom, reached by hinging up the aft section of the dinette. Forward of the dinette is the helm, and Sorensen noted that the 28 even had a wine cooler under the reversible seat.

Down a couple of steps forward, the cabin has a four-person settee that converts to a double berth, an enclosed head with 6 feet of headroom and an electric-flush toilet, and on the 28 a small locker and galley extension. Six berths in three doubles is impressive for a boat this narrow, though the 2013 owner admitted the 8-foot-6-inch beam made overnighting a little tight for more than a couple.

From Yanmar to Volvo, the diesel story and real numbers

At launch the 28 carried a single 260-hp Yanmar. Cutwater's performance data, quoted by Soundings, showed a top speed of 29.6 knots and a cruise of 22.7 knots at 3,600 rpm at 2.1 nautical miles per gallon, about 10.8 gallons per hour. Sorensen sensibly advised expecting 2 to 3 knots less at cruise once the boat was fully fueled, bottom-painted and loaded with gear.

By 2013 the 28 was being sold with a 260-hp Volvo Penta D4, and the later spec sheets from 2018 to 2021 list the Volvo D4 270 common-rail diesel with electronic single-lever controls and fuel-flow data. The basic proposition never changed: one diesel, two thrusters, and planing speed in the low 20s.

One number changed a lot. Cutwater quoted 6,400 pounds dry at launch, while the 2021 spec sheet lists 9,400 pounds dry. Some of that reflects more standard equipment and the Volvo installation, but buyers should treat the later figure as the realistic one for trailer and tow-vehicle planning.

• 2011 builder data, 260 hp Yanmar: 29.6 knots top, 22.7 knots at 3,600 rpm, 2.1 nmpg
• 2013 to 2021 power: Volvo Penta D4 at 260 hp, later 270 hp
• Fuel 100 gallons, water 30 gallons, holding 30 gallons
• Draft 28 inches, bridge clearance 9 ft 1 in with mast folded

Northwest Edition or Luxury Edition, which used boat to want

Fluid Motion sold every 28 fully equipped, with two packages. The Northwest Edition included a diesel forced-air furnace, propane stove and oven, downrigger plugs and pads, solar panel, Garmin chartplotter with radar, autopilot and underwater lights. The Luxury Edition swapped the furnace for reverse-cycle air conditioning and heat, a diesel generator with sound shield and a convection oven with electric cooktop.

Choose by geography. A Northwest Edition is self-sufficient on a mooring in the San Juans in October; a Luxury Edition is what you want for a Florida summer. Converting one into the other later is possible but expensive, so it is cheaper to shop for the right package from the start.

Towing it, keeping it, and what it costs

The 2021 spec lists a height on the trailer of 12 feet 8 inches and a length on the trailer of 37 feet 9 inches, and the factory triple-axle aluminum trailer was a $12,997 option. With a realistic dry weight over 9,000 pounds before fuel and gear, this is a three-quarter-ton or heavier truck job, and most owners trailer occasionally rather than every weekend.

Annual costs typically run about $12,000 to $25,000 for a slip or storage, insurance, diesel service, thruster batteries, bottom paint and fuel. The 2013 owner in Soundings logged about 100 engine hours a year and found the solar panel let him run the inverter without a generator, a good model for frugal use.

Cutwater's 28-foot slot is now filled by the outboard-powered C-288 Coupe, launched in 2021 with twin Yamaha F250s, and the C-28 sits on the builder's past-models list. If you prefer the economy and torque of a single diesel, the 28 is a used-only proposition.