Steber 28

You won't glimpse so much as a splinter of high-gloss cherrywood, a glint from chintzy gold bathroom fittings, a polished marble benchtop, custom-fitted bedspread, or even the ubiquitous icemaker aboard Steber's latest offering. What you'll get instead is a no-frills 28-footer, a workhorse of the waterways - the nautical equivalent of the great Aussie ute.

A platform on which you can write your own script, the 28 really captured my imagination. I pictured the boat performing as a gamefisher with the addition of a flybridge, parked on a reef with a crew hauling snapper aboard, in survey with a professional fisher at the helm, transporting wide-eyed divers to a wreck, or decked out with plastic chairs for a Christmas cruise.

Taree-based Stebercraft has delivered the framework for an enduring mid-sized cruiser built to survey standards with lashings of resin and rovings. An open-plan layout, walkaround side decks, 10sqm of self-draining cockpit, and the protected wheelhouse will cater for climates from Tassie to the Top End.

But while the demo boat was the base model, Steber has plans to offer a lot of factory-fitted options so you can create a more accommodating boat should you wish. The choice of engines includes single 150-300hp or twin 130-150hp diesel or petrol motors with jet, shaft or stern drives.

PRICED TO GO
Priced from about $165,000 with a single Volvo 150hp diesel motor with shaftdrive, the Steber 28 will be accessible to a lot of big-boat buyers. As tested with a single 230hp KAD 43 Volvo diesel engine with Duoprop and options such as a depthsounder and half-length moulded cockpit awning, the 28 is still good buying at $185,000.

A low-maintenance proposition, the test boat needed just a quick splash with a hose and chamois of the windows after our offshore outing. The big engine room with a surfeit of space around the single Volvo motor with sterndrive was similarly accommodating to the time-strapped boat owner - everything could be checked in a jiffy.

The new 28 has many legacies handed down from Stebercraft's years of building commercial boats. The integrated bowsprit, big bollard attached with giant bolts, high one-piece stainless steel bow rail for support, and grippy grey non-skid decks and gunwales befitted a workboat. Likewise, the stainless steel mast with navigation lights was a nice touch.

Stainless steel handrails on the cabin and moulded steps help your passage from the cockpit to the bow. Alternatively you can crack the cabin hatch, step on the vinyl cushion and deploy the anchor while indoors.

The anchor and rode are stowed in an internal well ahead of the vee berth - an arrangement I find impractical. The first thing I would fit is a sturdy windlass for push-button anchoring from the helm. Alternatively, I recommend using the side-anchoring set up.

COMMERCIAL APPROACH
While built to a price, it is should be noted that the 28 is also built to ISO9002 Quality Assurance standards. The hull has survey standard hand-laid laminates, three coats of primer and two of antifouling.

In shaftdrive configuration the boat has a keel added, plus an aft bilge area that doubles as a lazarette. On the test boat, this aft area was home to the single Volvo engine with sterndrive. The forward section of the engine room became a utility room, with fuel tanks and space left over for carrying a commercial catch or stack of deck chairs.

Unsurprisingly, Stebercraft applies commercial workboat standards to the engineering on this boat. You get primary and secondary fuel filters, a stainless-steel sea strainer, Morse controls, twin 120amp batteries in boxes, foam-cored fore and aft bulkheads and a collision bulkhead, as well as an underfloor buoyancy chamber.

The boat has two lockable sidepockets, plus small open sidepockets for ropes, external through-bolted cleats, optional rod holders and a dipstick to gauge the fuel level. Among the safety items are engine vent shut-offs, emergency fuel shut-offs, a manual bilge pump and emergency tiller steering. You could add gunwale rails for extra freeboard, although they might affect rod holder placement.

The awesome cockpit has at least 10sqm of useable non-skid floor space. The optional half-length moulded top provides shade without affecting fishing room. The cabin roof itself is solid enough to walk on and it could form the foundation of a flybridge or be used to carry canoes, a tender, liferaft or provisions.

It is fair to assume that most buyers of the 28 will be anglers. The big, uncluttered cockpit holds a lot of promise and has plenty of room to lock your thighs under the gunwales for that protracted fight on the rod.

Charter boat operators such as whale watchers could fit lots of seats, while dive companies should consider the optional swim platform. But whatever duty the boat performs, there are big scuppers to drain the deck, a lockable heavy-duty aluminium cabin door and a step to the wheelhouse to keep heavy weather (and engine noise) at bay. The only things missing are windscreen wipers, or at least Rainex.

CABIN CAPERS
The wheelhouse is lined with flowcoat and basic marine carpet. A small vinyl-clad vee berth in the bow offers room to lie diagonally and take a catnap. Charter fishers afflicted by seasickness might retreat in here. It's also a great place for small kids to nap within sight of a parent at the helm.

The deep footwell between the vee berths provides standing headroom and space for up to four people to sit on the bunks. The centre section can be fitted with a portaloo and a privacy curtain. But a separate moulded head, which Stebercraft offers as an option, will be more pleasant for everyone aboard.

Crew can sit in the saloon, chat to the skipper and enjoy reasonable views from the two fixed lounges set around a dinette on the port side. The dinette could be converted into a second berth if it had an adjustable pedestal base and a padded infill. Storage exists in sidepockets to port and below the lounge bases.

The cabin windows are all safety glass, with two opening sections forward for cross-flow ventilation. A handrail on the ceiling helps your passage in a seaway. The uncluttered interior looked pretty bruise-free.

Stebercraft has drawn up several saloon layouts including one with twin pedestal seats, which could be the optional pneumatic KAB helm seats favoured by rescue groups. While the demo boat didn't have a helm chair, there was good floorspace and abundant headroom to drive standing.

Views were clear over the bow and to the transom from the starboard-side helm. A side pocket was nearby for stowing personals, charts and the grab-bag of safety gear. The EPIRB lives in its own dedicated pocket alongside.

The helm was fitted with Hydrive hydraulic steering, a big stainless steel wheel, auto/manual bilge pump with alarm and fuse, and a switch panel for the cabin lights, cockpit lights, navigation lights, marine radio and so on.

A basic electronics pack was fitted, including a Raymarine L470 sounder and GME marine radio. The Volvo leg-trim gauge allowed you to note, at a glance, where the boat felt happiest. Lightly laden, the demo boat was responsive to the dash-mounted throttle.

Behind the helm was a small aft-facing galley to meet dayboating demands. The moulded unit contained a stainless steel sink and a foot pump linked to the boat's 50lt freshwater tank. There was a small amount of food-prep space, two cupboards and a cutlery drawer. Add 240V power or a gas stove and you could make a cuppa.

A BIG BOAT
Compared to some 28ft pleasureboats, the Steber is a big boat. Its specified overall length excludes a boarding platform or protruding bowsprit, while the beam is an impressive 3.30m amidships and 2.70m at the waterline.

I insisted on taking the boat out to sea. After all, Stebercraft boats are preferred by water police, coastguards, crusty cray fishers, long-range longliners and so on.

Offshore, the 28 didn't disappoint. As mentioned, vision was terrific due to the boat's naturally level ride as much as its big windows.

In fact, the 28 rates as one of the best-riding boats in its class. It outperforms the classic Savage 28, Cresta 32 or the old Bertram 28, and should open up a new market as an entry-level cruiser while also appealing to existing owners of those classic boats.

The 230hp Volvo motor launched the efficient hull to planing speeds. With some trim tab the boat held a heavy weather cruise of 14.2kt at 2300rpm, which should see you make it home in just about any storm. Regular running speed was about 21kt at 3000rpm against the tide.

I cracked the 30kt mark inshore, while offshore the boat seemed most comfortable at a low 20kt cruise. The hull responds to the tabs, but leg trim is all you need unless there is a poorly distributed payload - say a big tuna tied in a corner or crew piled on one side.

Running on an even keel with a touch of in-trim, the boat cut through the waves and left the spray behind. Thankfully, the hull doesn't drive from the bow when running downsea. Leg trimmed out, it rode like a Gold Coast surfer.

You can add a separate head, flybridge, hot water service, fridge, shorepower, engine room soundproofing, fish boxes, live-bait tank and more, according to the options list. However, it is the basic boat that captures the imagination.

Fully cocked or free from frills, the Steber 28 should deliver years of faithful service, low fuel bills and not a lot in the way of maintenance requirements. You could easily get away with doing nothing more than adding electronics, a windlass, bait, fuel, refreshments and ice.

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