Caribbean 24 Open

Only now the angular windscreen, square deck lines, and simplified finishes of the 24 Open are de rigueur. So, too, the keen price-tag of $136,000 in well-optioned form. And for that you get a no-fuss runabout with enough comforts to spend a day and even longer aboard. Then comes the drive.

As we arced about Pittwater, we seemingly regained our youth driving this fun runabout. That said, the 24 Open is more than just a point-and-shoot proposition.

Although the deep-vee hull and 260hp 5lt V8 MerCruiser petrol inboard engine ensure plenty of get up and go, in keeping with the basic runabout brief, the interior fitout has been conceived for entertaining, hanging out, and even catching 40 winks post long lunch.

You then step over the transom and into the cockpit, also topped in optional teak, and with a generous seating arrangement. The aft quarter seats are fun places for kids or crew to ride, while the portside lunch dinette can accommodate up to four or convert into a daybed. Its seat base also doubles as an icebox.

Opposite is the galley module with alcohol stove. You still need a rail-mounted barbecue, but shade from the canopy, which is otherwise stowed in a sock, comes gratis. There’s also plenty of room for stowing watertoys, fishing gear and so on in the big sidepockets.

Walkaround decks lead to the foredeck, but with a windlass provided there’s no need to leave the helm to set the anchor. It’s also at the helm that I noticed the optional Raymarine A70 chartplotter. The optional upgraded electronic throttle-gearshift rids the boat of her previous clunkiness and adds to the aforesaid driving pleasure.

A digital VesselView readout offers details such as fuel flow and range to go, while the optional bowthruster lets the owner dock with precision. Single-engine boats otherwise tend to steer to port in reverse due to a trait known as prop walking.

The cabin, meanwhile, has enough legroom to stretch out after lunch or even sleepover. There’s a simple pump-out head, too, but no holding tank was fitted to the test boat. The grey frontrunner and blue upholstery has been used by Caribbean for years.

Back outdoors, the optional blue hull and LED rope lighting add to the nautical style. And with the stereo blaring and the sunnies in place, we set about for a much-overdue dose of fun running.

Evidently the owner of the boat driven hereabouts is no stranger to boating. We’re told he owns a big yacht in the Med’ -- same blue hull colour -- but wanted something turnkey, simple and fun to gad about his local waterways on a whim.

The idea is to hit the beach, do lunch aboard, maybe pull the kids on tubes, and then get home in time to catch the sport on the lounge. Indeed, the simple pleasures are so often the best tonic.

More importantly, the deep-vee hull makes a whoosh rather than a slam crossing the swells. If the wind and boat wake pipes up on Sunday afternoon, no worries, the Caribbean 24 Open will leave all that trouble floundering behind it.