Cutwater C-248 Coupe Review, Price and What Changed From the C-24

Cutwater boats for sale start here, with the C-248 Coupe

If you are scanning Cutwater boats for sale and want the smallest model that still has a private stateroom, the C-248 Coupe is the one. It is the entry point to the current Cutwater range, below the C-308 and C-32 models, and its 8-foot-6-inch beam keeps it within normal trailering width.

Cutwater is the sportier sister brand to Ranger Tugs, both built by Fluid Motion in Washington state. PassageMaker described the company's buying experience as closer to buying a car than a boat: transparent online pricing with every option totaled as you click, and a factory delivery program in which new owners spend time with a factory representative learning the systems before cruising the Pacific Northwest or shipping the boat home.

Soundings previewed the C-248 in September 2022, calling it impressive for the living space and amenities it fits into a trailerable 30-foot-10-inch package. The 2026 model year brings a fully enclosed head compartment, updated materials, softer bedding, a higher-contrast dash panel and removable Seagrass deck mats.

The C-24 lineage, why the numbers look familiar

Put the C-248 spec sheet next to the C-24 Coupe that preceded it and the shared DNA is obvious. Both list a Yamaha F250, an 8-foot-6-inch beam, 30 inches of draft with the motor down, 116 gallons of fuel, 22 gallons of water and a dry weight with engine of 6,200 pounds. The C-24 C listed 31 feet 2 inches overall with the motor down; the C-248 lists 30 feet 10 inches.

That matters for buyers because independent test data exists for the C-24 Coupe but not, as of this writing, for the C-248. Treat the C-24 numbers below as a guide to the platform rather than a guarantee for the newer boat, and ask a dealer for current Cutwater performance data on the C-248 before you buy.

The upgrades in the 248 are mostly about comfort and finish rather than a new hull: the opening aft bulkhead, the private stateroom with wraparound seating, and the enclosed head added for 2026.

Double steps, one Yamaha and what the platform can do

Cutwater says the double-stepped hull increases efficiency, reduces fuel consumption and shortens time to plane, while its laminar flow interrupters help the boat corner smoothly. Electric trim tabs and a bow thruster are standard, and the Yamaha comes with electric steering, a color engine display and digital fuel-flow data.

On the predecessor C-24 Coupe, Power & Motoryacht ran a boat with a 250 hp Yamaha as a chase boat in the San Juan Islands with four people aboard. They saw a cruise around 28 knots and a top speed of more than 42 knots, and on a 30-mile leg from Roche Harbor to Bellingham at their average cruise speed the boat burned only 16 gallons.

Boating's 2019 test of the C-24 Coupe recorded 47 mph with four adults aboard on a Yamaha 300, noting that the 250 had since become the only engine choice. The tester praised a deep-V hull that tracked well and landed softly, and a maximum sound level of just 89 decibels, which he attributed to robust construction.

• Standard power: Yamaha F250 with electric steering, bow thruster and electric trim tabs
• C-24 Coupe with 250 hp (Power & Motoryacht): about 28 knots cruise, over 42 knots top, 16 gallons for a 30-mile run
• C-24 Coupe with 300 hp (Boating, 2019): 47 mph with four adults
• Fuel 116 gallons; bridge clearance 8 ft 7 in with the mast down

Inside, a stateroom, a convertible dinette and a hidden berth

Cutwater pitches the C-248 C as a boat with all the comforts of home, and the plan backs that up for a couple. The forward stateroom has wraparound seating and a high-low table that drops to complete the berth. In the pilothouse, a dinette for four converts to a berth for two, and below the dinette is a midship berth suited to kids or extra storage.

The galley sits behind the helm with a sink with hot and cold water and a pull-out rinse faucet, an electric and alcohol stove top, a microwave and a refrigerator-freezer. The head has a marine toilet with holding tank and pump-out; from the 2026 model year it is in a fully enclosed compartment, which addresses one of the more common complaints about small coupes.

The signature feature is the aft bulkhead window that opens, allowing the dinette seat to flip into a rear-facing cockpit seat. Boating's tester on the C-24 said that opening or closing the bulkhead effectively created a completely different boat, and that the near full-beam cabin made it a strong compact overnighter. The trade-off, as on the C-24, is narrow side decks for going forward.

Fishing kit, ski tow and water toys

The C-248 is more versatile than its coupe styling suggests. Standard equipment includes built-in rod holders, a fish box, an integrated transom cooler, a cockpit sink and a pop-up ski pylon for towing tubes and skiers. A livewell with raw-water washdown is a $600 option, and downrigger plates are $410.

Sport racks carry kayaks or paddleboards on the roof, and a stainless bow beaching ladder lets you step ashore on a gravel beach after nosing the bow in. With a windlass controllable from the bow and the helm, anchoring is a one-person job.

Options worth paying for, and the ones to skip

Because the base boat is well equipped, the options list is short and specific. For a Pacific Northwest or New England owner, the $5,450 diesel forced-air furnace is the most important add. Southern owners will want the climate control system, which runs dockside only unless the boat also has the $5,450 lithium battery upgrade that lets the inverter power air conditioning or reverse-cycle heat away from the dock.

The Garmin autopilot at $5,955 and the xHD radar at $3,000 make a big difference on longer runs. The 9.9 hp auxiliary motor package at $8,000 gives quiet trolling and a way home if the main engine quits, which is worth considering on any single-outboard cruiser. Hull color upgrades and the entertainment package are pure preference.

Owning a C-248, running costs and resale

Annual costs for a trailered C-248 typically run about $8,000 to $18,000 including insurance, outboard service, trailer maintenance and fuel. Keeping it in a slip, adding winter storage or towing long distances pushes the figure higher.

Cutwater and Ranger Tugs have a strong owner community and an annual rendezvous in Roche Harbor, and the brands hold value well on the used market. With the C-248 in production since 2022, used boats are still young, so the deciding factors are options, trailer, Yamaha hours and whether you want the 2026 enclosed-head update.