2019 Stabicraft 2250 Centrecab arrives to cut ownership costs

The Stabicraft 2250 Centrecab and 2250 Ultra Centrecab were developed over the last two years in response to feedback on social media from potential owners asking for a more compact centre console.

The boats will be officially revealed at the 2019 Hutchwilco Boat Show in New Zealand on May 16.

“We have given the 2250 design its own purpose; staunch, aggressive, sharp lines that scream adventure,” Stabicraft chief executive Paul Adams said. “Stabicraft has a history of taking functional concepts, like the buoyancy chambers, and giving them their own style.

“It’s by no means conventional, but certainly unique, aggressive and tough.”

Stabicraft said the idea of developing the 2250 version of the Centrecab “had been thrown around for some time”.

“Our customers and fans wanted the function of a full walkaround on a scaled-down hull making it a more affordable and manageable boating option,” it said.

“Since the green button was pushed midway through 2017, development has been in full force. The goal was a market defining central cabin and walkaround, offering 360 degrees of fish-fighting space.”

>> Stabicraft 2750 Centrecab review

The 2250 started life as a custom-built 6.9-metre centre cab with a raked screen. Since then, the boats have refined themselves under almost 4000 nautical miles of testing, including spending time in the Roaring Forties

“One of the biggest challenges was maintaining a spacious, ergonomic cabin while maintaining a functional walkaround space,” Stabicraft said.

“We overcame this by maximising our overall beam and some clever thinking from our design team – they designed the walkaround space so it is stepped into the external cabin wall.

“The wider body also increases stability at rest and offshore performance, all the while remaining under the legal road towing limits. Another big tick is the long-range 300-litre fuel tank, a class-leading fuel capacity for a boat of 6.9 metres.”

Stabicraft said the boat’s design would likely appeal to the US market, where forward-raked screens were popular.

“Like its successful predecessors in the 2500 and 2750 models, the 2250 Ultra Centrecab would be a completely new type of alloy plate boat in the American market,” it said.

“The Ultracab designs offer more room in the cabin and an immense feeling of space. So the 2250 project continued with two versions in mind – a 2250 Centrecab (raked back screen) and a 2250 Ultra Centrecab (raked forward screen).”

The design carries over the Stabicraft pontoons that build in positive buoyancy.

Stabicraft said refining the boat to meet market demand proved challenging – for all the right reasons.

“We had a base 2250 platform that could hold its own in big water, but we needed to work out what features people value on this model, and what price would they pay for them,” it said.

“What we quickly found is that no two customers were the same and it would be a challenge to capture the whole market with one package.”

Instead, Stabicraft has created four different packages in either Centrecab or Ultra Centrecab format.

“For example, we have built packages that suit the budget conscious, the hard-core fisherman and end-users that like a few more creature comforts.

“We also have a package designed specifically for the US customers based in the Pacific Northwest.”

The Stabicraft 2250 is already available in Supercab format, featuring a full-beam hard-topped cabin.