Prospective buyer from New Zealand

[obald]

I am just moving up from a large trailer boat and am going to break the local mold and move to an express boat. There are virtually none of this genre in New Zealand but it is just right for my mode of boating and fishing.

I was in Maryland this May and drove a CC28 on the Chesapeake having done a lot of 'internet research' prior to my trip to the States (which was on business). My short list is pretty much the CC28 or the Albemarle 280XF. I am also mightily impressed with the new Henriques 30 (I spent a day at the Henriques factory in New Jersey) but I am not sure I am US$100,000 more impressed than I am by the other two.

This may sound daft but just about the only thing I didn't like about the CC28 I trialled was the helm station. I see there is a picture on this board of a CC28 with what appears to be the helm off a CC32. Is this a factory option or is it now the standard configuration? It looks like the old helm would not even have the room for a couple of Raymarine E80s on it and I am a boating electronics junky - I need room for at least a couple of 12" screens. Even better, as I would ideally like to buy a 2005 -7 boat, has anyone retrofitted this CC32 helm station onto an older boat.

Any information would be gratefully received.

David Theobald
Auckland
New Zealand

[katman]

David--
I'm pretty sure someone who visits this forum said he ordered a 28 with the 32 helm station.

[Bluefin 32]

It is definitely possible to specify the 32 style helm for a new 28. I ordered one this fall with the larger helm and have seen others. I think if you look in the user gallery at the pictures of "Eddie" you can see how it looks on a 28. It can just fit two of the new Furuno NavNet 3D 12" displays side by side. It would also take two Garmin 12" displays with more room to spare and probably Raymarine E120 too as there is about 34" of width available.

Check with the factory but I am pretty sure that you could retrofit the larger helm on most older 28s. The only issue I have seen is that some of the tower boats have a center support post mounted between the companionway and the helm pod that would be in the way. It would be a fair amount of work to change and you might also have to get a new switch panel since the larger helm uses a single large one instead of two smaller ones, though I suppose you could just reuse them if you don't mind it looking a bit different.

[Tswann]

32 helm on 28s

This is now standard on the 28 . . . Yes it can be put on older 28s but there is a signifcant amount of work to do for this project (as stated by others) . . .

Feel free to drop me a note if you need help/more info . . .

Tres

[wbgriffin]

David buy the CC28...I think N.C, puts out some of the best workmanship in the country as I found out during a recent repower. ...Part of the work I just had done on my 1997 28 was a new helm. It is large enough for (2) 12" displays and isn't so high to obstruct your view. Sorry about the fact you are a JAFA...I went to St Kents College way back in 1969. Home town, Whangarei.

[obald]

Thanks for the pointers.
Looks like I will be at the Miami Boat Show in February and I hope I'll be in a position to get things squared away then.