When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the NorthCoast 26 ft. Center Console 2013 and the NorthCoast 28 ft. Express 2013 are modified vee designs with fiberglass construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?
On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — NorthCoast 26 ft. Center Console 2013 at 26,0 ft versus NorthCoast 28 ft. Express 2013 at 28,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the NorthCoast 28 ft. Express 2013 tips the scales at 563 lbs — 515 lbs less than the NorthCoast 26 ft. Center Console 2013 at 48 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.
Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 500 hp for the NorthCoast 26 ft. Center Console 2013 and 500 hp for the NorthCoast 28 ft. Express 2013. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 2 gal and 2 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The NorthCoast 28 ft. Express 2013 is rated for 8 passengers, while the NorthCoast 26 ft. Center Console 2013 caps at 7. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the NorthCoast 28 ft. Express 2013 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the NorthCoast 28 ft. Express 2013 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 8 passengers and at 28,0 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The NorthCoast 26 ft. Center Console 2013 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 7 that costs less to run day-to-day.