The Aquador range from Finland only comprises boats between 21ft and 32ft.

But within this comparatively narrow size band it offers no fewer than 10 different models.

All have a smart countenance, and are full of clever, practical features which make the best use of the space available, but they vary in style from walkaround cuddy sportsboats through mini sportscruisers to neat wheelhouse designs.

Launched last year, the 28C appears to pool as many of these attributes as possible, boasting a decent cockpit, walkaround decks, a wheelhouse that opens up to the elements and two separate sleeping areas.
The question is, can you fit all this into a 28-footer without them compromising one another?

Well executed cherry joinery and teak-and-holly flooring give the interior a rich feel, nowhere more so than the wheelhouse, which can be awash with these elements if so desired. Nevertheless, the boat feels well-lit and airy, with the twin sliding sunroofs adding to the cockpit feel you can achieve by opening up the rear bulkhead and side doors.

The face-to-face settees feel a bit perch-like, until you slide the smart wooden table down its pole from its stowed position at deckhead level, whereupon the wheelhouse becomes rather more convivial, especially once the helm seats are swivelled round to complete a dinette for five or six.

If you have a boat-load of guests, you can then slide out the benches which are stowed within the settee bases, clip on the seat cushions, deploy the optional table extension and voila! Your seating extends out into the cockpit, and welcomes another four people comfortably.

The helm station is neatly laid out, with the engine instruments clearly positioned ahead of a Perspex-covered chart area, and switches arranged around the adjustable wheel. A Raymarine Tridata (depth, speed and temperature) instrument comes as standard, and there is room for fitting some extra electronics overhead; indeed, with a small amount of rejigging it would probably be feasible to make better use of the main console.

The screen is serviced by two wipers but bizarrely these are not self-parking, an odd omission in an otherwise excellent specification which includes screen heating and demisters. The starboard side door is immediately adjacent to the helm, making it easy for the skipper to nip out and handle a line when cruising shorthanded.

The galley, a small step down from the wheelhouse itself, is offset enough to allow people to pass by without hampering the chef. It is well appointed, with a stainless steel sink setting off the Corian worksurface, a moderate-sized fridge and a two-burner Wallas diesel hob, and there is storage in a variety of drawers and cupboards. Our main concern is that one of the fixed cupboards is just 12in (30cm) above the hob, so you had better not try to cook spaghetti!

There’s a nicely fashioned upright drinks cabinet in front of the co-pilot’s seat, and extra storage is provided in fully moulded lockers under the cabin sole. It is just a pity the builders haven’t incorporated a rubbish bin under the nearby stair tread.

Across the way, the toilet compartment is largely moulded but given a lift by its Corian surface and wood faced cupboards. Headroom here is less than elsewhere, but there is still adequate room for ablutions. A sea toilet and holding tank come as standard, although hot water needs to be specified as an extra.

The forecabin, with its sizeable double berth, is simply curtained off for privacy, which means that, if you dispense with the infill, it can double as a comfortable extra day cabin with inviting U-shaped seating. The
backrests incorporate storage by way of shelves and cupboards, and there are fully lined lockers under the mattresses.

For the midships cabin, you need to look down from the wheelhouse, where it is revealed by lifting the central section of sole on a gas strut. Using the boat’s full beam, it has a good-sized berth ranged along each side, with sitting headroom, whilst the central area is well finished with some smart cabinetry.

Whether you will want to drop the access hatch when sleeping down here is debatable, but it’s not as claustrophobic as it might first appear, as there are curtained-off openings in the settee mouldings overhead.

Nicely sculpted into the stern, the bathing platform is of just the right proportions for boarding, as well as for watersports. There are plenty of handholds here, and the platform is finished in teak as standard; if you want the cockpit and side decks to enjoy the same treatment, it adds a full £5,000 to the price.

The central door through to the cockpit opened outwards on our test boat, but is set to be changed so that it opens inwards, making it safer as well as a neater fit.

There are no fixed benches in the cockpit, but the pull-out extensions under the saloon settee provide seating when you need it.

The large port and starboard sliding doors from the wheelhouse make access to the 11in (27cm) side decks extremely easy. And what’s neat is that they lock in situ wherever you leave them, so you can leave them as open as the prevailing conditions permit.

A gunwale around the side decks gives you an extra measure of security moving forward, and the spacious foredeck well itself could end up being a favourite spot for crewmembers who are after a bit of peace and quiet.

Protected by the extended topsides, you could sit up here on the coachroof quite happily with a book and a cuppa.

Set within the raised forepeak is a locker sizable enough to take the ground tackle and a few fenders, although no anchor winch is fitted as standard.Cleats are of an adequate number and size, with 10in (25cm) ones fore and aft, and 8in (20cm) ones amidships.