Oh crazy. Did the owner sound "motivated"? I guess guys were right about the quality of the finishes. The broker from Blackfish told me that another 2012 28 sold for $135 recently. You looking to make a quick flip there Dave?! lol
There are a lot of boats like this that are designed to sell at boat shows and have features that are not practical in real west coast boating. There are boats like Seasport, Skagit Orca, Commander, Osprey which have time proven, practical designs, that have not changed much over the years. They tend to hold their value much better too. I look at the back deck of the Cutwater and there is so much upholstery and hatches and channels how do you clean all the blood and guts or mud from crab and prawn traps off that? Any good fishing boat has an uncluttered back deck. Too much fold this chair over, lower this table, move this cushion, etc. Like slammin Salmon said a wet locker is more practical than a coffee bar.I’ve definitely been enjoying this thread. Like Raincity, I've been considering upgrading from my Bayliner for a while and have looked at the Cutwaters a lot. IMO they are sooo close to nailing my perfect family fishing/cruiser. They are great looking boats with a lot of great features but there are just a couple of details that I keep getting hung up on. Like why does a 28' boat need 4 sinks?? Does it really need a stove, oven, and microwave? You can make great meals with 2 burners and a BBQ. In the cabin I'd like to see a bench/lounge seat (similar to Bayliner/Whaler) on the port side instead of a stove and all those cabinets. Ladies always seem to love the lounge seats, plus they are great for entertaining. And afternoon naps. Ditch the 'coffee bar' in the cuddy and put in an actual closet for hanging rain gear and storage. There are a couple of other items I’d change up as well. I’m hoping they start producing the “Time Out” version soon for weekenders like me, so I can pick up a good used one in a few years.
But still, I think they are great boats and I keep coming back to them. All the best with the boat hunt Raincity!
One of the most sensible posts in this thread
I think every guy on this forum would agree x1000, myself included. What would their wives say though? lol. If she's not on board with this (pun intended) Then I'm stuck to the budget of "whatever I can sell the Bayliner for." We've spent four seasons together now hauling four prawn traps, four crab traps, buckets of ropes and buoys, a bbq, the tender with motor, three coolers with a weeks worth of ice, down riggers, mooching rods, bottom fishing rods, kayaks, air mattresses and two cases of wine on a couple long trips a year. Plus all the countless overnighters with everything minus the ice. I'm no expert on the West Coast lifestyle but I have learned the fine ying and yang of keeping a woman with zero boating experience wanting more. If the budget goes from 50k to 150k because of a flippy foldy seat that's hard to clean then I'm all for it. But yes between you, me and the fence post I think these boats are a joke.
Stizz you're steering this in favor of your argument. I understand where you're coming from and do agree that having a 50k fishing machine would be ideal... if I lived in Bamfield. Try living on the hook for 10 days and catching a lot of your meals. Try preparing some nice meals while out there. Most importantly try not killing your wife or having her kill you. Sure we could get moorage and the occasional hotel room as we jumped around and strictly use the boat as transport and for fishing but that's not what we've chosen to do. There were times when we were on the boat, literally didn't leave the boat for three days. And then there's fireworks nights. Not sure if you've ever experienced Van Harbor fireworks nights. My wife and I love to cook fancy meals and light some candles and drink some wine (in real wine glasses) while entertaining another couple. You can't do that with this boat. And yes I know that a lot of guys on here would scoff at that but it's what we like to do. But I thank you for your help as always.
actually looks like a nice boat!
My good friend has the same boat but 32’.
