28 Aft Cabin; 300 Aft Cabin

Designing a 28-foot flybridge boat with an aft cabin is no mean feat—Carver is the only builder who’s tried anything like this and actually made it work. Introduced in 1991 as the 28 Aft Cabin (and marketed in 1993–94 as the Carver 300 Aft Cabin), this compact mini-yacht boasts a private aft stateroom with double and single berths, comfortable salon with convertible settee and lower helm, full-service galley with better-than-expected storage, and a convertible V-berth/dinette forward with privacy curtain. With nearly 12 feet of beam, there’s more room below than one might imagine. The teak and holly galley sole is a nice touch, and while there’s no stall shower in the head there is a handy vanity sink in the aft cabin, and the entire interior is finished with teak trim. To save precious cabin space, both berths in the master stateroom extend beneath the salon sole. There’s only a single hanging locker below decks—everything else must be stowed under beds or seats. Topside, the aft deck and flybridge are tiny and the side decks are narrow. And then there’s the sjpgf ride; this isn’t a boat designed for big water. Cruise at 15 knots with twin 210hp gas engines (low 20s top).