Caribbean 26 Runabout

It dates back to the days of terry-towelling hats, prawn cocktails and KB beer, though the latest 26 Runabout has been given a smart revamp.

A big, open, commodious and powerful dayboat, the 26 Runabout can run a crowd around to that quiet cove, protected bay or secluded anchorage.

It can even run offshore with exceptional seaworthiness.

First and foremost, the Caribbean is a dayboat with few bells and whistles, but lots of open space to pack in your friends and their inevitable eskies, picnic baskets, wakeboards and fishing rods.

For all its years of faithful service, the 26 Runabout still looks good.

It has the same hull as the company's 26ft flybridge boats and essentially the same foredeck.
But there's just a windscreen instead of a cabin superstructure, which is where you hang your canopy.

First thing you'll notice is the boarding platform.

A must-have on any dayboat, it's mounted mid-transom and is wide enough to lie across or sit upon while at anchor, swishing your legs through the water.

A saltwater deckwash is handy for clearing the sand and the breadcrumbs from the cockpit, while the optional hot/cold cockpit shower (Edson & Sons system) has a 20lt tank to help wash away the salt after a swim.

There's a small aft lounge mounted against the transom and atop the engine box.
It's a simple, high-backed seat that can accommodate as many as three adults.

The transom corners are open on either side of this lounge or engine box lid.

I couldn't help but wonder why Caribbean hadn't fitted a big wraparound lounge that fills the transom corners, covers the twin sterndrive motors, and seats half-a-dozen guests.  The boat cries out for it.

Under the engine box/lounge you'll find the battery switch in the bilge.  This way, Caribbean reasons, you are forced to check the bilge before casting off.
Wide gunwales flow to the bow, which has big, full-length, lined side pockets.

Deck gear includes twin aft cleats and a pair of rodholders.

You can step up from the cockpit and walk around the side decks to the bow, where a new, low-profile rail will keep you contained.

There's plenty of room on the foredeck to sunbake.

Leaning into the side of the cockpit you will find support comes in at thigh level as your toes slip under the sidepockets.

The deep sides make the 26 Runabout a particularly safe boat for kiddies.  For this reason alone, it's worth a place on the short list of boaties with young families.

The decor on the demo boat was custom fitted.  There was a mocha-coloured carpet in the cockpit and camel-coloured upholstery (with extra rolls) fitted by local upholsterer, African Queen, which also did the canopy and storm covers.  Traditional teak was used for the bulkhead into the cabin, the dinette and the dashboard.

The layout was the Sportfisherman version instead of the standard layout.

Step down from the cockpit and under the canopy and you will find a dinette with two bench seats to port.  Four adults can do lunch here or play poker if rain stops play. There are storage pockets built in everywhere for holding all your bits and pieces. Opposite the dinette is a two-burner stove and sink with hot and cold water, some bench space and storage below for cooking equipment.

The helm seat just forward of this has an icebox underneath it that can easily swallow a slab (this could be the measure of a good dayboat).

The cute little cabin in the bow isn't for show.  Included is a big vee-berth which converts to a double berth when you add the infill.  And there's a manual toilet rather than one of those whiffy portable loos. 

Front-runner lines the cabin walls and the bunks are covered in a sexy Senseude material.  The cabin also has a mirror so everyone can freshen up before the run back to the marina.
Caribbean dealers, Gameboats in Pittwater, had done a good job in fitting out the boat and mounting the electronics.

These included an Apelco 6760 GPS/depth sounder with a through-hull transducer, and GME VHF and 27 Meg radios alongside the skipper.

But the dayboat becomes a funboat the moment you find the Clarion six-stacker CD stereo with four speakers.

You don't have to look far, mind you, since there's a remote on the dash.  This way, the skipper can up the volume and drown out the engine noise.

Fitted with twin fuel-injected 4.3lt MerCruiser 210hp V-six petrol engines mated with Alpha One legs, the 26 Runabout gets up and boogies.

The view is nice and clear from behind the high windscreen, fitted with wipers, while the wheel is set quite flat.

Without trim tabs, which might come in handy in strong crosswinds, the 26 Runabout reaches a top speed of 42.5kts at 4500rpm.

You'll find a fast cruise speed of 25.7kts at 3000rpm more agreeable to your passengers.
And should you get caught out in bad blow, you can always cruise along at 20.9kts at 2600rpm and plane right down to 2000rpm.

In short, Caribbean's 26 Runabout is your quintessential, archetypal Aussie dayboat.
There are no frills but it's strong and seaworthy, a boating equivalent to the three-bedroom red brick house on the quarter-acre block.

Only cheaper and with an electric anchor winch so you can move from suburb to suburb on a whim.