Overview
About this vessel
ILUKA 2800 is a 28 ft (8.5 m) Down-East style modern picnic boat with a focus on efficiency, shallow draft and a comfortable sea-keeping ride. The design offers a stylish, timeless profile with contemporary construction and low-maintenance finishes.
The hull is described as efficient and easily driven, featuring a warp twist in the waterplane. This reduces wash while underway and, combined with the shallow draft, allows excellent access to bays and beaches. Despite its shoal draft, the ILUKA 2800 remains capable offshore for coastal passages and fishing days.
Deck layouts are highly customisable. The model can be configured with anything from a centre-console to a full luxury cabin arrangement to match different boating lifestyles. The full-cabin version provides a large V-berth with enclosed head and domestic-style comforts, while the centre-console version offers a large, open deck for entertaining, transport or fishing, with a substantial console housing an enclosed toilet and storage.
Construction utilises high-quality materials and modern techniques for durability and reduced upkeep. Like the other Iluka models, the 2800 is kept relatively light, which lowers power requirements compared with heavier boats of similar size. It runs adequately with a single 150 hp outboard, with an ideal twin 115 hp installation highlighted as a sweet spot for manoeuvrability and comfort.
Overall, the ILUKA 2800 is positioned as a versatile, semi-custom Down-East picnic boat capable of both relaxed day boating and more serious coastal or offshore use, with options ranging from open-deck centre-console layouts to enclosed-cabin cruising configurations.
- Typical roles: modern Down-East picnic boat, coastal cruiser, offshore day-fisher, entertaining platform
- Construction: modern composite techniques, designed for low maintenance
- Layout options: centre console or full cabin; large V-berth and enclosed head in cabin version; large open deck with console toilet/storage in centre-console version
- Performance focus: efficient hull requiring comparatively modest horsepower
