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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Cutwater C-28
What the published record establishes about this model, what owners report,
and the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page is about the
MODEL — a specific hull always gets its own homework.
Fuel-efficient single-diesel pocket cruiser well suited to Loop displacement speeds; tight engine access and Volvo parts support are the recurring watch items.
The Cutwater C-28 is a trailerable single-diesel semi-planing pocket cruiser, popular among Great Loop and coastal cruisers for its fuel economy at displacement speed and low air draft. Most carry a Volvo Penta D4-260 on a straight shaft, though some early boats appear to have used a Yanmar 260 HP. Owner discussion is concentrated on the enthusiast-heavy Tugnuts forum (which skews positive); outside perspectives come from The Hull Truth and Trawler Forum. Note that the most serious Loop-relevant finding below (a wet-exhaust water-ingestion account) comes from a Cutwater 30, not a confirmed C-28, and is flagged as something to verify.
How to read this: 🟢 Fact = confirmed against a document, spec sheet,
or owner. Everything else — Claim, Pattern, Question, Context — is not yet
verified: things to check, not settled truth. Sources are linked where published.
Engines & Drivetrain
CLAIM
Single inboard diesel on a straight shaft with a shallow shaft angle
The C-28 is a single-engine inboard on a straight shaft. One owner described a roughly 6-degree shaft angle achieved via a bump-out in the keel to accommodate the transmission. A single diesel favors fuel economy but leaves no get-home redundancy — a consideration on remote Loop stretches.
src:
Shamrock Boat Owners' Club
CLAIM
Most carry a Volvo Penta D4-260; some early boats reportedly a Yanmar 260 HP
Most C-28s are fitted with the Volvo Penta D4-260 diesel. A 2012 brokerage listing shows a Yanmar 260 HP main, and a later classified had an owner seeking a Yanmar BY2-260 for a C-28, suggesting engine choice varied across the run.
src:
Curtis Stokes brokerage listing; Trawler Forum classified
QUESTION
Is this boat's engine the Volvo D4-260 or a Yanmar, and is it original or a repower?
Sources show both Volvo D4-260 and Yanmar 260 HP mains across C-28 boats. Which engine a given hull carries materially affects parts availability, service network, and resale.
Your move: Confirm the engine make, model, and hours from the hull data plate and service records, and ask the broker whether it is original or a repower and when any repower was done.
CLAIM
Volvo D4 itself reported dependable by owners
Multiple owners report the Volvo D4-260 is a dependable engine. One C-28 owner reported no performance issues and no trouble getting a part when needed.
src:
Trawler Forum
CLAIM
Engine access is tight — a recurring maintenance complaint
The single-diesel installation is efficient but the engine, genset, and running gear are difficult to reach. Owners describe the engine as reliable but 'a b#$%* to work on due to the tight space,' which raises the labor cost and time for routine service and troubleshooting.
src:
The Hull Truth; Trawler Forum
QUESTION
How is Volvo parts availability and support for this specific engine in your region?
Reports on Volvo parts and support are mixed. One owner had no trouble; another warned of long waits (sometimes months) and high cost, calling it a common Volvo complaint. Weigh both — one positive report came from an actual C-28 owner.
src:
Trawler Forum
Your move: Ask your local Volvo Penta dealer about lead times and stock for common D4-260 wear parts, and confirm the nearest authorized service point along your intended route.
CONTEXT
Low-RPM canal running is workable if the engine is run hard periodically
Loopers run slow in canals, raising concern about turbo coking. Owners and a Volvo representative say low-RPM running is fine if the engine is run near 90% load for 10-15 minutes every few hours or at least once per trip to keep the turbo hot. A C-28 owner with 500+ hours, much of it slow in NY canals, reported no turbo issues doing this.
src:
Tugnuts
CLAIM
Engine-compartment ventilation reported as marginal
A Cutwater 26 owner (same platform and engine family) traced a roughly 6% mid-summer fuel-economy loss to engine-bay heat and concluded compartment ventilation is marginal at best. Not confirmed on the 28 specifically, but the shared platform makes it worth checking.
src:
Tugnuts
QUESTION
What is the condition of the wet-exhaust and anti-siphon arrangement, and has water ingestion ever occurred?
A marine exhaust specialist described a Cutwater 30 Sedan's wet exhaust as prone to water flooding the muffler and back-filling toward the engine when the engine is off in a seaway, reportedly needing only about 3 feet of waves; the author reported hearing similar stories from other Cutwater owners while anchoring and towing. This was NOT confirmed on a C-28 in the sources found. A debated fix was an exhaust check valve plus muffler drain valve; a commenter noted ABYC discourages check valves for water-ingress prevention because they can fail.
src:
Weaving Waters Expedition (Cutwater 30); Trawler Forum
Your move: Have the surveyor specifically inspect the exhaust run, muffler, and anti-siphon/riser arrangement, and ask the owner whether water has ever entered the exhaust or engine and what was done about it.
Range & Fuel
CONTEXT
Roughly 100 US gallon fuel capacity
The factory spec sheet lists fuel capacity at 100 US gallons. Combined with strong displacement-speed economy, this gives a comfortable usable range at Loop speeds with reserve.
src:
Passage Nautical spec sheet
CLAIM
Strong economy at displacement speed; very speed-sensitive
The semi-planing hull is highly speed-dependent. At Loop displacement speeds (6-7 kts) owners consistently report 3.7 to 5+ nmpg (e.g. ~1.9 gph / 3.7 nmpg at 1600 RPM/7 kts; ~1.3 gph / 4.6 nmpg at 1400 RPM/6 kts). On plane at 17-25 kts economy drops to roughly 1.7-2.0 nmpg. A claim of 0.4-0.5 gph at 5 kts appears to be an outlier versus other reports.
src:
Tugnuts
Air Draft
CONTEXT
Very low air draft with the mast folded — a Loop strength
The factory sheet lists bridge clearance with the mast folded at about 9 ft 1 in for the boat structure. You must add antennas, radar, and anything else mounted up top to get true air draft. Air draft is generally a non-issue for this model on the Loop.
src:
Passage Nautical spec sheet; ModernCruisers
Your move: Measure the actual air draft from the waterline to the highest fixed point with the mast down, and identify what can be lowered or removed.
Trailering
CONTEXT
Trailering height is higher than bridge clearance and varies by trailer
For owners planning to trailer between Loop segments, height on the trailer is much greater than folded-mast bridge clearance — the factory sheet lists about 12 ft 8 in on the trailer, and owners cite figures from roughly 12.6 to 13.3 ft depending on the trailer. This affects road-legal height, not bridge clearance afloat.
src:
Passage Nautical spec sheet; Tugnuts
Your move: Measure your actual trailered height on the specific trailer you will use before planning any road transport.
Reading the boat
CONTEXT
Owner community skews positive — cross-check with outside forums
Most substantive owner discussion is on Tugnuts, the Ranger/Cutwater/Solara owner forum, which is enthusiast-heavy and tends positive. The Hull Truth and Trawler Forum offer more skeptical outside views. The one long-form independent Loop account found is on a Cutwater 30, not the 28.
src:
Tugnuts; The Hull Truth; Trawler Forum; Weaving Waters Expedition