Cutwater 28 VS Ranger Tug 27 or Alternatives or Bigger?

kaelc

kaelc

Well-Known Member
Looking at a bigger boat for a family of 5. Does anyone have with experience on the Cutwater 28 or Ranger Tug 27? It looks like the older Cutwater 28 diesels have a straight shaft or...?

I am going through videos of them from the seattle boat show but my friend is looking used so the new 288 isn't in the budget.
 
We purchased a 2018 Cutwater 28 just over a year ago and love it so far. It’s a 260HP diesel with straight shafts. I feel like the cockpit is plenty big enough to fish with 2 or 3 (obviously not as big as a equivalent size aluminum boat).
It’s a compromise between a cruising boat with the ability to fish while still being trailerable so there are some trade offs. Hard to beat it as a package though.
We just spent a week on it anchoring in the Gulf Islands and could’ve easily stayed another week. It has a decent amount of storage and with a few modifications can stay on the hook for a few nights.
I regularly do fishing day trips with it and it works well for that too. A little slower than an outboard, but plenty fast enough for most days.
Your welcome to come take a look at mine if that works (Port Moody) or PM me if you want to chat offline.
 
ChrisK said:
We purchased a 2018 Cutwater 28 just over a year ago and love it so far. It’s a 260HP diesel with straight shafts. I feel like the cockpit is plenty big enough to fish with 2 or 3 (obviously not as big as a equivalent size aluminum boat).
It’s a compromise between a cruising boat with the ability to fish while still being trailerable so there are some trade offs. Hard to beat it as a package though.
We just spent a week on it anchoring in the Gulf Islands and could’ve easily stayed another week. It has a decent amount of storage and with a few modifications can stay on the hook for a few nights.
I regularly do fishing day trips with it and it works well for that too. A little slower than an outboard, but plenty fast enough for most days.
Your welcome to come take a look at mine if that works (Port Moody) or PM me if you want to chat offline.
Click to expand...
Thanks Chris! How big is your family?

What sort of fuel economy does it get loaded.

How is the build holding up 5 years on?
 
The reviews from a few owners I've met haven't been great for either, the lay outs don't make the best use of space apparently. Both are fairly top heavy and one ex owner I spoke to who owned a ranger 28 sold it less than a year later because it "just never felt right". Others loved them and had nothing but good things to say so take that for what it's worth! I have a personal bias against them due to the poor rigging routing and pod construction which led to some sinking, but that's been since remedied.

What would be the primary use?
 
Bertram 28-31, Albin TE, Phoenix SFX older boats but way more space and much more better made .....
 
kaelc said:
Thanks Chris! How big is your family?

What sort of fuel economy does it get loaded.

How is the build holding up 5 years on?
Click to expand...
We travel with three of us (me, my wife, 14 year old son). He sleeps in the cave and has lots of room. V berth is plenty big for us and we’re 5’11 and 5’10. It will sleep 3 kids comfortably although the previous owners used it with 5 kids (two on cots in the cockpit under canvas).
Build is holding up well, had a couple latches come off but simple and cheap to repair. I did upgrade the house bank as the original batteries were failing, upgraded the solar, added some monitoring. It’s not as heavily built as some of the other boats mentioned, but if your reasonably careful it’s fine. A little squeaky in rough water, but nothing I haven’t heard in other boats.
Access can be tough because there’s so much crammed into a relatively small boat, but I’ve been able to get to everything for service and repairs. There’s a great owners forum that’s super helpful.
Fuel economy is 1.4 GPH @ 6-7Kn 1500 RPM, 2.5 @ 8Kn 2000 RPM, and 9.5 @ 14-16Kn 2950 RPM, all heavily loaded (full fuel, water, dinghy, motor, provisions for a week. Ours also has a 25HP kicker with dedicated fuel tank, so it’s a little stern heavy.
 
ChrisK said:
We travel with three of us (me, my wife, 14 year old son). He sleeps in the cave and has lots of room. V berth is plenty big for us and we’re 5’11 and 5’10. It will sleep 3 kids comfortably although the previous owners used it with 5 kids (two on cots in the cockpit under canvas).
Build is holding up well, had a couple latches come off but simple and cheap to repair. I did upgrade the house bank as the original batteries were failing, upgraded the solar, added some monitoring. It’s not as heavily built as some of the other boats mentioned, but if your reasonably careful it’s fine. A little squeaky in rough water, but nothing I haven’t heard in other boats.
Access can be tough because there’s so much crammed into a relatively small boat, but I’ve been able to get to everything for service and repairs. There’s a great owners forum that’s super helpful.
Fuel economy is 1.4 GPH @ 6-7Kn 1500 RPM, 2.5 @ 8Kn 2000 RPM, and 9.5 @ 14-16Kn 2950 RPM, all heavily loaded (full fuel, water, dinghy, motor, provisions for a week. Ours also has a 25HP kicker with dedicated fuel tank, so it’s a little stern heavy.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Lithium for the upgraded batteries? Great setup with a nice kicker. I don’t think a house should go 30kn and hit a wave anyways.
 
kaelc said:
Thanks! Lithium for the upgraded batteries? Great setup with a nice kicker. I don’t think a house should go 30kn and hit a wave anyways.
Click to expand...
No, I stuck with AGM. Discover Batteries Dry Cell, 2 at 145AH. Combined with a 355 W solar panel it provides plenty of power. We’re not heavy inverter users so that helps too.
 
Last edited:
wildthing said:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/257009467046032/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp:644d87b1-f6b8-4275-8aca-c97ac245bec2

even better deal on a 33' 1986 berty 50 K and put 50K-100k towards fuel and upkeep, sweet big boat and fish in class and wife kids are doing it in style 28' cutwater could not even hold the bertys beer ......lol just looked most of the used cutwaters are 130K +View attachment 97831
Click to expand...
Crazy value for the price if it surveys well.

Desire is for something trailerable as well, not sure where you can even haul out in comox but there must be a lift there?
 
kaelc said:
Crazy value for the price if it surveys well.

Desire is for something trailerable as well, not sure where you can even haul out in comox but there must be a lift there?
Click to expand...
I know where boat launches are in the Comox area [and there's only a few], but I think only Parker Marine is on the water in Courtenay, and they don't have a lift to my knowledge.
 
28'-30'+ boats are not what you want to be hauling out or at least only a couple of times a year ....

my 25' fly bridge has a 10' beam in the middle but its just being set up for fishing day charters .....

but if you could get a slip with year round moorage ... just drag a 19' Boston Whaler for the fishing day boat
 
wildthing said:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/257009467046032/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp:644d87b1-f6b8-4275-8aca-c97ac245bec2

even better deal on a 33' 1986 berty 50 K and put 50K-100k towards fuel and upkeep, sweet big boat and fish in class and wife kids are doing it in style 28' cutwater could not even hold the bertys beer ......lol just looked most of the used cutwaters are 130K +View attachment 97831
Click to expand...
That looks sweet!
 
wildthing said:
28'-30'+ boats are not what you want to be hauling out or at least only a couple of times a year ....

my 25' fly bridge has a 10' beam in the middle but its just being set up for fishing day charters .....

but if you could get a slip with year round moorage ... just drag a 19' Boston Whaler for the fishing day boat
Click to expand...
I’d agree with this. I have a trailer for the C28, but I’m actually having it hauled for service this fall because the hassle of trailering that big of a boat isn’t worth it. I’d give up the trailer for more beam all day long.
 
I mainly fish on a friend's new Cutwater 32C, and it has twin 300 yams and it is a very heavy boat and likes to eat gas and will burn 140 lts per hour, at 25 mph and a fill up is $2k+. The boat is great to fish out of and has lots of room to move around on the rear deck of the boat. The boat has three electronic stations, two in the front and 1 on the back deck. you will need the back deck electronics because it is to far to see to the front steering location. The biggest bonus of the new 32c is the pod. The pod is 30+sq ft with none slip covering and totally flat with no hoses running from the engines to the hull because they run through the inside to the pod. This makes it so easy to net a fish while standing on the pod.

The boat is great for fishing and even better for cruising. The only draw back is after fitting it up they are $600K+-.
 
ChrisK said:
I’d agree with this. I have a trailer for the C28, but I’m actually having it hauled for service this fall because the hassle of trailering that big of a boat isn’t worth it. I’d give up the trailer for more beam all day long.
Click to expand...
That was the reason I went with the Commander when I did. Figured I'd never be towinh it anyway.
 
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