August 18, 2026
The Aquila 28 Molokai: A Deck You Can Fish From Every Side
The Aquila 28 Molokai is the open center-console version of Aquila's offshore catamaran hull: 30'9" overall on a 9'9" beam, a full 360-degre…
Read the articleAquila 28 Molokai
Expert Review, Technical Specifications & Market Analysis
The Essentials
| Feature | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Overall Length | 30'9" |
| Beam | 9'9" |
| Draft | 1'1" |
| Displacement | 6,166 lbs |
| Engines | Twin Mercury (2 x 150 HP) |
| Fuel Capacity | 150 gal |
| Water Capacity | 16 gal |
| Cabins / Heads | 0 Cabins / 0 Heads |
Source: Spec & Photos courtesy of Aquila. Specs verified by Tony Smith, USCG 100 Ton Master, on August 18, 2026.
You want to fish farther offshore without taking the beating a monohull hands you on the way home. The 28 Molokai is Aquila's open center-console catamaran — 30'9" overall on a 9'9" beam.
Part of the Aquila Molokai series — see how owners step up through the lineup.
Quick Verdict
- A 9'9" beam on a 28'2" hull buys a continuous 360-degree walkaround, so two people can work opposite sides of the console without negotiating
- Fishing hardware is molded in, not bolted on: two 94-gallon insulated fish boxes with macerator pump-outs, a 30-gallon livewell and two FRP-lined deck lockers of 103 gallons each
- Twin Mercury 150s standard with twin Mercury 225s offered; Aquila publishes no model designation for either and no speed or range figure for the boat on any rig
- Zero cabins and zero heads by design — the console opens on a hinged forward door to a standing space that takes an optional toilet with dockside pump-out, and that is the whole of the accommodation
- CE certification is the number to load it by: Category B for 8 people offshore, C for 12 coastal, D for 14 inland
Our Take
The 28 Molokai is the Aquila I would point a first catamaran buyer at, and the reason is what a 9'9" beam does to a 30-foot boat. You get a full 360-degree walkaround, molded split bow seating, and two 94-gallon insulated fish boxes on a hull that draws 1'1" with the motors up. Standard power is a pair of Mercury 150s, with 225s on the options list. That is modest rigging by center-console standards, and this boat is built to let the hull do the work rather than the horsepower.
Read the certification plate before you read anything else. Aquila rates the 28 Molokai Category B for eight people offshore, C for twelve coastal and D for fourteen inland, and those three numbers govern how you actually load it on a given day. The deck will hold a crowd. The offshore rating will not. If you are running charter or dive trips, that is the line that decides your business, not the seating.
Two things to settle early. There is no cabin and no enclosed head — the console opens on a hinged forward door to a standing space that takes an optional toilet with dockside pump-out, and that is the whole of the accommodation, so this is a day boat that fishes hard rather than an overnighter. And the beam that buys you the deck is beam you pay for at the dock. If shelter matters more than the bow walkaround, the 28 Molokai Cuddy is the same hull with a glassed-in helm. If you want the same mission with more boat under you, the 36 Molokai is where that conversation goes. Aquila publishes no speed and no range for this hull, so get observed figures from your own sea trial, on the rig you intend to buy, in writing.
Official Aquila Premiere: Inside the Aquila 28 Molokai
Video courtesy of Aquila.
Aquila 28 Molokai Photo Gallery
Photos courtesy of Aquila.
Aquila 28 Molokai Overview
The 28 Molokai is the open center-console boat in Aquila's offshore line. The sheet reads 30'9" overall with the outboards down on a 9'9" beam, 28'2" of hull, and 6,166 lb light with a pair of 150s. Draft is 1'1" with the motors up and 2'6" with them down.
Tankage is 150 gallons of fuel in two aluminum tanks and 16 gallons of fresh water. CE certification is Category B for 8 people offshore, C for 12 coastal and D for 14 inland — the figures that actually govern how you load it.
Performance & Handling
Aquila publishes no top speed, no cruise speed and no range for the 28 Molokai, so those rows stay empty. The performance figures that circulate for this hull come from a boat rigged with 200 hp outboards, which is not power Aquila lists for it.
Standard propulsion is twin Mercury 150s; the sheet offers twin 225s as the option. The hull is the yard's Hawaiian-developed offshore design, and Aquila's stated aim is tunnel clearance and ride quality rather than a headline number.
Interior & Accommodations
There is no cabin and no enclosed head. The console opens on a hinged forward door to a standing space that takes an optional toilet with dockside pump-out, and that is the whole of the accommodation.
What you get instead is deck. The beam carries a full 360-degree walkaround, molded split bow seating Aquila says holds ten-plus guests, and a transom walkthrough with a door between the engines. Fishing hardware runs to two 94-gallon insulated fish boxes with macerator pump-outs, a 30-gallon livewell, and two 103-gallon FRP-lined deck lockers.
Market Position
The 28 Molokai is the smallest boat Aquila builds and the open version of the offshore line's entry hull. It shares that hull exactly with the 28 Molokai Cuddy and sits below the 36 and 47 Molokai.
At 30'9" it cross-shops against offshore center consoles rather than other catamarans — hulls that carry more horsepower and a deeper vee. The Molokai's argument is the ride and the deck area its 9'9" beam buys at 150 hp a side.
Who the 28 Molokai Is For
Buy the 28 Molokai if you fish from an open deck and want the walkaround access a center console gives you — tournament days, charter work, diving and family water sports off the same boat.
Choose the 28 Molokai Cuddy instead if a protected helm matters more than the bow walkaround and the forward seating. Step up to the 36 Molokai when you want to run the same mission with more boat under you.
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