2014 Chris-Craft Catalina 29

The flagship in the Chris-Craft’s fish-boat Catalina series, the trick 29 includes flip-down family comforts, abundant inbuilt storage and welcome day-boating amenities. The mix creates a smart boat with more than a whiff of the serious sportsfisher about it, but also plenty of suave for social boating. Yin and yang in a fishboat.

The sweet styling, traditional sheerline and tumblehome come courtesy of designer Michael Peters. But our 29-footer also looked the part thanks to a graphite-grey DuPont Imron painted hull and some select options. Such are the sweet lines and looks that superyacht owners can even order a Sun Tender iteration of the Catalina 29 with extra passenger seating. Imagine this baby as your tender.

There are 23 and 26 foot Catalina sister ships that, at the time of testing, were presold and incoming orders to Sydney, we were told. But as we tested it, the flagship Catalina 29 offered practicality and purpose for today’s all-round boater. While crossover boats are the rage these days, this Chris-Craft appeals to those who want a top-shelf offering with hot twin-rig performance. We drove the deep-vee hull hard and it responded with gusto. That’s the yang. Then we explored the comforts and found the ying of this lifestyle centre console.

There were optional bow docking lights so you look the part blasting back down the harbour after your big day fishing, underwater LED lights for swimming with the sharks at sunset or attracting the livies before sun up, and a windlass with striking stainless-steel plough and matching chain for push-button anchoring over soft bottom.

Just don’t jam that ground tackle in a reef down below. For all-terrain fishing we would store a reef pick in a tub with separate rode, springer and dan-buoy retriever in the cabin below the helm. Easy.

Meantime the billeted alloy dash needed an owner-specified electronics package, but at least there’s plenty of mounting space to fit multiple big 15in multi-function screens. Now, to the flip-side female or yin social application. Quick as that, the Catalina 29 can switch from fish to fun in seconds.

The optional cockpit package had a sun-pad conversion for the bow seating/casting platform area and a moulded fibreglass lunch table on an upmarket Italian-made Besenzoni hydraulic pedestal base. The Sport T-Top had an extendable awning for more shade over the cockpit at midday, while the concealed freshwater Tecma toilet was plumbed to a holding tank with pump-out as required on inshore waterways.

The standard twin rig Catalina 29 comes standard with either Yamaha or Mercury 250hp four-stroke outboard engines for a none-too-tardy top speed of more than 45 knots. But the local Chris-Craft importer at Rose Bay called on the big guns, adding upgraded twin Mercury 300hp four-stroke Verado outboard engines for a real adrenalin rush. This way you will spend less time travelling between your pen, the fishing grounds and the family rendezvous afterwards.

Even though this is a pretty boat with easily-scratched hull finish and plenty of bling, it’s hard to ignore the bluewater fishing intent, especially given the great hull with inbuilt features. Anglers will welcome the veritable catacomb of underfloor storage hatches and long fish boxes, the six under-gunwale rod racks, the 13 rod holders including rocket launcher, the big live well, padded coamings for leaning outboard, switchable freshwater and saltwater deck wash, inbuilt tackle box, and we’d add the optional outriggers. Divers also get a cool clip-in ladder for great access to the water.

Apres fishing and on the anchor, the flip-down transom lounge, flip-up rear teak table, pull-out fridge drawer, bow seating with sun-pad infill, and step-down centre console with toilet (offering plenty of change room), sink and handheld shower will ensure your day is well spent. After the best part of a day aboard, we we’re hard pressed to fault this comfort-orientated centre console.

The mouldings were fair and the deep-vee hull, weighing about 3800kg dry as a twin rig, has a sharp 21 degrees of deadrise at the transom. It’s not at all tippy and anglers will relish the chance to lean into the gunwales, do battle and sink the gaff. With the flared bow and sharp entry you can trim the hull in and blast through rough water for a smooth ride while the spray exits well abeam and astern. Ergo, it’s a dry and high-quality boat all round.

Ignoring fuel use, you can race to the game-fishing grounds effortlessly and relatively efficiently on this high-horsepower twin rig. With the standard 250hp four-stroke Yammies, cruise speed is 30.8 knots at 4000rpm, according Chris-Craft, and top speed is 46.4 knots. So with our upgraded 300hp Verados you could add about 10 per cent to those figures.

Put the throttles to the dash, as we did, and you will certainly unleash a rocketship. Dual outboard trims and trim tabs let you optimise the ride in any sea conditions, while the deep-vee hull really cleaves the waves. The Carolina flared bow ensures you're superbly dry, and a smile remained etched on our dials long after we had completed this test.

With some decent wind-swept open water ahead, we buttoned down the bow to ensure the forefoot attacked the waves. A touch of windward trim tab kept the hull on an even keel, as we blasted seawards and back again during some eye-watering runs. Yep, the drive is a highlight.

Indeed, the Catalina 29 tackles the tyranny of distance so you can do more of everything during your precious time afloat. It’s a fisher and a family boat, it’s got yin and yang, and at least one Catalina owner is doing Browns Mountain one day and staging picnics aboard the next. Just don’t scratch the painted hull with that thrashing blue marlin bill, okay?