Caribbean 2400 Cruiser

When the Caribbean 2400 Runabout was released last year to replace the company's somewhat dated 23-footer, it was a momentous event - not only for the conservatively-minded Victorian builder but for the industry generally.

A maxi trailerboat with a beam that requires a wide load permit to legally tow, the 2400 has considerable presence on the road. And on the water for that matter!

The Caribbean 2400 Runabout is by no means all make-up and mascara. A fishing boat she was designed to be and a fishing boat she is.

CLEVER COMPROMISE
That said, there is now a pleasant variation on the theme, however... A fishing boat with a concession to comfort.

"Yes," said the customer to the Melbourne Caribbean dealer Boronia Marine, "I'll have the 2400, but it needs to have some creature comforts for mum."

What Caribbean included in the 2400 Cruiser is cooking facilities, sink, bench helmseat and lounge - all of which provide additional comfort without going overboard and robbing the boat of much of its valuable cockpit space.

The Caribbean 2400 Cruiser provides a clever compromise between fishing and family duties and is competitively priced. The package, especially crafted by Caribbean for Boronia Marine, comes in at an on-water price of $86,900.

The niceties start with a fully lined cabin and acrylic carpet matched to star patterned cushions and backrests with an infill over the portable toilet fitted traditionally into the forward vee. An interior light helps overcome the lack of natural light through the small side windows. There is a hinged and lined panel covering the electrical and storage lockers under the bunks.

Access to the bow is only via a large hatch in the cabin roof, as the sidedecks are basically non-existent. Certainly not wide enough to walk around anyway.

No sidedecks means the internal volume of the boat is maximised, and with a windlass fitted, the need to access the bow should be rare.

The anchor is mounted on one of Caribbean's big bowsprit mounts with two large bollards either side. Small rope lockers are also provided.

The boat's windscreen is simply a large two-piece flat glass set-up with wipers and traditional quarter panels on either side. Efficient and practical.

The skipper's seat is a fixed, straight-backed, extra-wide bench style set-up in blue and white vinyl. It is designed primarily to suit the seated helmsman. Anyone who likes to stand and drive may find it difficult. The seat is designed this way to accommodate the built-in stove unit directly aft.

The stove unit also features storage space below and its cover folds over to form a small table. A folding bench seat is located aft of the table on the starboard side.

Opposite the helm is another benchseat that runs fore and aft along the port bulkhead. Aft of this seat is a sink unit that features a freshwater tap, storage below and a moulded cover.

With a solid hardtop, canvas and clears, the 2400 is an all-weather boat designed for overnighting. The testboat also featured full camper covers, which can be removed when time comes to drop a line.

LET'S CRUISE
Although the skipper's position is not the most comfortable, it does feature a good sized footrest and vision through the windscreen is also quite good.

Instruments are flush mounted in a wood-grain dash panel, while the fuel gauge is located to the right of the six-spoke soft-touch wheel. Steering was direct and precise. At low revs the 2400 still tracked nicely, without the oversteer problems often associated with single sterndrive power at slow speed.

The testboat had no electronics fitted, but a marine radio, stereo, Garmin GPS and map and a Furuno 600L colour sounder are included in the Boronia Marine package price. There was certainly plenty of room on the dash to mount a good-sized sounder and or chartplotter.

The cockpit retains its spaciousness. Sidepockets are deep, wide, long and fully lined. But the floor mounted battery on the starboard side doesn't win any points. It's extremely awkward to get to and should be mounted off the floor.

Gunwales around the cockpit are wide and flat and include recessed grabrails.

There is a huge underfloor hatch that can be accessed by removing the clip-in carpet. While the brown carpet and canvas didn't do much to turn me on, I guess it is a practical colour.

The transom incorporates a central baitwell, small door on the starboard side, solid cleats and a nice big swim platform.

POWER TO BURN
Power came in the form of a 5.7lt V-eight MerCruiser, which provided plenty of horses but was very noisy at full throttle and needs better insulation.

In the half-metre of bay chop we achieved a top speed of 80kmh at 5500rpm. It cruised comfortably at 50kmh while doing 3500rpm.

While the performance figures were good, we did notice a fair amount of hull noise at speed. At slower speeds the typical Caribbean hull goes to work and pushes the sea away nicely providing a comfortable ride.

The Caribbean 2400 Cruiser will appeal to those who require a few more creature comforts than the Runabout version, although there are definitely a few human comfort factors that need to be addressed if the boat is to compete with some of its ergonomically designed competitors.

As far as a trailerboat goes, well, it's certainly at the top end of the scale. Actually, the 2400 Cruiser would probably be more at home on a canal pontoon or in a marina drystack than hitched to the back of a Landcruiser.