Southport introduces 28 Express cabin model

Southport’s 28 Express joins the advantages of computer-aided design and a soft-riding hull form designed for outboard four-stroke power by C. Raymond Hunt Associates with superior new synthetic boat-building materials and cutting edge electrical technology. The result is the most technologically advanced offshore Express model of its kind.

Only solid modeling and forward thinking could produce the six-piece unibody construction of the Southport 28 Express.

Before computer modeling made tooling accuracy of one-thousandth of an inch a reality, the six interlocking pieces that form the hull, cabin, bridge and deck of the 28 Express would have been impossible to construct. But using this CAD technology together with advanced materials like vinylester resins, knitted glasses, composite cores and methacrylate bonding produces a monocoque construction where the interior and exterior become structural. As a result, the 28 Express is a solid, foam-filled vessel weighing as much as 1500 pounds less than competitive boats. And since the hull form was designed by Hunt specifically for the added weight of four stroke power, the Express is as soft and dry riding as her center console sister ships without the performance-robbing weight disadvantages of conventional boat- building methods.

The six large interlocking laminate parts of the 28 Express are molecularly bonded with methacrylate, which never loses elasticity while holding the parts together with strength of 4000 pounds per square inch.

The stringer system of the 28 Express is bonded to the hull with methacrylate while in the mold, insuring the Hunt4 hull retains its designed shape. While expensive, methacrylate is an extraordinary boat-building material which holds with a tensile strength of 4000 ppsi, retraining flexibility to move with the laminate when needed without failing like stringers tabbed into a hull with more brittle resin and fiberglass. After the stringer system is filled with foam, the hull/stringer grid retains remarkable strength. Plus, the stringer system forms the lower part of the Express cabin and holds receivers for the cabin and head overheads and the aft cockpit parts that form the structural bridges to the deck/foredeck “cap”.

The cabin and head overheads and the aft cockpit part are all bonded to the stringer system with methacrylate. These parts fit into intricate receivers made possible by utilizing the three-dimensional capabilities of computer-aided design. In fact, inside the cabin and head compartments the seams between the parts are all but invisible are a result of the part-to-part fit and a design that purposely hides the seams. The result is a clean look that requires a minimum of maintenance. And since there are no trim pieces and extra bulkheads that creak and groan, there is a remarkable feeling solidity and strength when running in a seaway.

Advanced electrical advances borrowed from the automotive industry combined with LED lighting technology make full AC power available without a heavy, noisy generator.

Today’s high-tech truck cabs are outfitted with deep cycle batteries and new solid-state true sine wave inverter systems to keep truckers’ low-draw air conditioning systems running silently at truck stops. The Southport 28 Express borrows this technology and new advances in battery capacity to provide alternating current without the weight, noise, fumes and maintenance of a generator system. This, combined with LED, low draw lighting makes the 28 Express self-sufficient for overnights and even weekends aboard. So, there’s none of the noise and nuisance of a gas or diesel generator running in a quiet anchorage. And it’s all “green” technology.

A cabin with everything you need without needing constant cleaning and maintenance.

Utilizing the stringer system as the lower half of the cabin, affords 6’3” headroom in the 28 Express and generous fiberglass-lined surfaces for easy maintenance. The compact galley has a stove top, microwave, sink and stainless steel refrigerator. The head area has a pull out shower and sink complete with an in-line hot water heater. The Vacuflush head system is standard equipment.

The forward vee-berth measures 6’6” and with the table lowered and the filler cushion installed, the berth has queen-like proportions. All cushions are Omnova Duratouch, polyethylene faux leather that is luxurious yet durable in marine environments. The aft berth uses the space below the topside portside lounge seat to provide headroom when entering and exiting the berth. So, the aft berth is comfortable, even for adults. Plus, it is a convenient storage area.

The huge bridge deck seats six under canvas so the aft cockpit stays free for fighting fish.

With the big adjustable helm seat, portside bench and the aft facing seats above the live well and fish box there are places to sit running, trolling or cruising. Plus there’s more tackle and gear storage aboard the 28 Express than many boats in the mid thirty range. The Thinsulate-insulated 580quart insulated fish box and 50-gallon live well combine with the aft deck insulated fish box to total almost 900 quarts of insulated storage. Above the starboard fish box, there are eight tackle trays and two bulk storage drawers to keep rigging material that can be readied on the fold-down rigging tray aft of the helm seat. The 50-gallon live well to port is raw water fed and both the fish box and live well are elevated for comfortable seating and watching baits.

In the wide aft cockpit, the aft deck rigging area offers a fresh and salt water sink, aft deck box and cutting boards on top of both. Fuel filters are housed in compartments in the motor well area and batteries, select switches and chargers are elevated on a fiberglass shelf below the deck boxes. The 28 Express has 250 gallons of fuel in a single polyethylene tank encased in its own fiberglass chamber below decks. At optimum cruise, the 28 Express has a range of almost 500 miles. Top speed is over 50 miles per hour.