Caribbean 420 Express: Review

As if to prove as much, this writer first tested the 40 Flybridge a year after it was released in 1998; revisited the boat in 2003 after it had subtle makeovers by way of new, curvy mouldings, better teak trim, and some trim touch-ups; and returned in 2009 when the boat got a pair of the latest electronic 500hp Cummins engines for about 32-33 knots top speed.

Six years later, the 420 Express appears to retain the key features that have made the 40 such a desirable boat: a big 10.30sqm cockpit; that proven bluewater hull; safe mechanical systems and engineering; the Cummins QSC-8.3s; and a lot of living and outdoor space.

You can sleep up to eight on beds and bunks, you get 650 litres of water, 2000 litres of fuel, and a range of about 400nm. You therefore get a lot of cruiser for your money here.

That said, this new Express iteration is catering for a new style of boater. Buyers have been asking for an SUV-style cruiser and the market has been going that way for some time, with Riviera and Maritimo offering single-level boats that share the same platform as their flybridge models. It’s a no-brainer.

A big driver of this 420 Express was also the pressing need for some lifted fit and finish. It’s always been up to dealers like Sylvania Marina in Sydney to dress up the boats to meet current market expectations. This lifted finish of the 420 Express at factory level is therefore new and exciting.

The interior decor on the 420 Express is largely the result of Andrew Craddock from Marina Boat Sales, a relatively new SA state dealer, and Caribbean sales and marketing man John Barbar. We were following this project earlier with this news article.

"The new 420 Express will hit the sweet spot size-wise, with the way we use boats and with available marina berths, as well as the all-important price point," Craddock told us from the factory floor.

Certainly, the crowds and brand faithful flocked to the boat at its 2015 Sydney International Boat Show debut. We’re also told there’s a it of a spring in the step of the skilled workforce at International Marine now that a boat has arrived that ably showcases their time-honoured talent.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Set up for cruising the SA gulfs and Kangaroo Island
The base price for a 420 Express is $687,260 with a pair of electronic 500hp Cummins QSC-8.7s that give that aforesaid 32-33 knot top speed. The boat sells for about $12K less than the flybridge sister ship, with the minimal price difference due to the amount of extra labour that has gone into the new 420 and the upgraded fittings, we’re told.

As tested ex-factory, the 420 Express #1 shown here had a $770,099 price tag. You will find that’s a few hundred thousand less than locally-built opposition. This boat still has a little less kit, mind you, and the finish isn’t the same as the stunning new Riviera SUVs, but the Caribbean 420 Express is a winner with space, accommodation and ride.

A marina owner from South Australia, Craddock had a pretty good idea of how he wanted this debut boat set up for local boating and to promote Caribbean. He packaged it up as a ready to roll autonomous cruiser for exploring the SA Gulfs, Kangaroo Island and catching snapper and King George whiting.

The big options included teak cockpit, bow thruster, and a Cruise Pack with cockpit sun awning, side clears and extended swim platform. There was a beautiful bedding and décor kit that made us want to dive in under the covers, upgraded icemaker for the sundowners, and a sparkling stainless steel anchor.

The electrical upgrades included underwater lights, Iris camera in the engine room, Fusion cockpit amp to speakers, Muir chain counter and a basic inverter for the TV. Aftermarket options were two 12in Raymarine multifunction screens, Bluewater 95lt/hr watermaker and freight and delivery. Plenty of kit for $770,099 and we expect this great-value boat to sell well.

If you want to fish seriously, well, there is scope to create an Express-style game fisher here with a half tower. More likely, the 420 Express will be an all-round SUV fisher with rod holders and whatever fish-finding gear you fancy. Of course, the national dealer network is famous for creating semi-custom Caribbean fishing setups.

COCKPIT AND DECKS
- The great bones of the 40, with some substantial improvements
The extended swim platform on our test boat served a multi-purpose function. It had a U-shaped rail for mounting a BBQ, cutting board with rod holders, and/or tender on snap davits. The-teak topped platform adds 1.20m of depth to the spacious outdoor play area adjoining that big 10.30sqm cockpit.

It’s all flat and unobtrusive… except for the moulded lip extending from the base of the open marlin door. This requires a step into the cockpit and back out again. Cutting and fitting a bigger door on this Express wouldn’t be too difficult, surely.

Cockpit features include mid-transom live-bait tank, the requisite H/C deck shower, hawsepipes with big cleats that easily take large-diameter rope, and wide coamings and cockpit toe kicks that make rod holder mounting and fishing as intuitive as just sitting with a drink.

Some effort had gone into keeping all the hinges flush, but in some places piano hinges might be a better option. The teak and mouldings were all nicely executed. Among the stand-out details were a Stamoid awning for shade, stainless steel drinkholders, 12V charger plugs (for your devices), trick cockpit and underwater lights, speakers and side steps to the walkaround decks.

There was a grab rail along the cabin top, and more rails to add in future, while the bow rail could do with an intermediate wire. Once up front, the flat foredeck is pretty handy sunbaking space. A deck wash for the anchor and chain would be a useful addition, especially as the Muir windlass is deck mounted.

The cockpit amenities centre has a massive class-leading eutectic fridge/freezer. All the boat’s fridges are eutectic and, as ever, need an hour or so of generator morning and night to stay cold. There was a sink and storage unit with drawers, too. They are timber ones, but they have survived on the 40 without incident after about 15 years, we’re told.

Across to starboard is a new two-seater aft-facing lounge that looked the part in nautically inspired upholstery, with drinkholders and the Fusion head unit alongside. This is the place to park yourself with a sundowner and a book, overlooking the views and some set lines or crab traps, or with breakfast on your lap.

The storage in this boat in immense, with a big floor hatch leading into a cavernous lazarette with room for everything from the inflatable toys and tender, to grog and fishing tackle and more. The watermaker was mounted down here and nice and accessible, while an aft access hatch reveals the bilge and the fuel tank filler with dipstick, taps and sender. It’s an old but proven fuel system.

SALOON AND ACCOMMODATION
- An open-plan saloon that with twin cabins can sleep up to eight
A new opening saloon awning or hopper window on gas struts extends this boat’s living areas back indoors. And indoors, the 420 Express really shines. It’s essentially the same layout as the 40 but with a $8K Navigator helm chair as standard and the addition of the lower dash module where cabinetry and a TV used to reside. You don’t miss these things, especially as we tend to watch our own small screens these days.

The décor improvements really lift the 420 Express into a new realm for Caribbean. They include a black Alfab windscreen instead of silver anodised frame, leather upholstery, textured fabrics, upgraded carpets, concealed electric blinds, no exposed fibreglass and great attention to detail throughout.

Credit where credit is due, as this was the interior decorating work of Cradock and, moreover, his interior-decorator wife, we’re told. There are three separate interior packages to choose from — Chartreuse, Aquamarine and Steel — and the swatches look great.

The Caribbean bones are what holds it all up. The dinette can seat at least four, up to eight with some loose chairs, while still retaining thoroughfare. The lounge opposite is a traditional Caribbean pullman-berth arrangement, with a small single bunk above and a king single below.

Converted, you can sleep another three people here and most certainly two kids on the big bottom bunk. You might even leave it up when holidaying, throw a doona on here and let the kids use it as a rumpus area. There’s the option of teak cabinetry, wet bar and TV instead, but we prefer this extra bed and playpen arrangement.

A lot of cruisers have gone to aft galley these day, but the 420 has the same arrangement as the 40 with an internal mezzanine-level galley. This means your crew and family are lounging and, importantly on a boat that you are travelling aboard, riding back aft where comfort levels are greatest. You spend more time on lounges than in galleys so there are advantages with this traditional layout if you plan to actually cruise places.

Galley amenities include a top-loading eutectic 72lt freezer and a 160lt fridge, four-burner induction stove, top-of-the-line convection microwave oven, trendy splashback and tapware, chic Clipsal GPO covers, but the old Granicoat moulded counter. Maybe solid stone will become available?

Opening side windows with magnetic fly screens add to the ventilation, while the 16000 BTUs of air-con mean you can control the climate for year-round boating. Across at the helm, the single seat could be replaced with a wider model that might squeeze a couple, but the design team wanted to retain a nice clear thoroughfare in a seaway.

Accommodation has been lifted with the bedding and décor package and there are now solid stone bathroom vanity counters with free-standing sink bowls. It’s all pretty smart, with loads of headroom (about 1.92m throughout), lots of storage, and above-average sizing.

The two-cabin, single-bathroom 40 layout remains, as it is tried and tested and very accommodating. The stateroom is forward with a queen island berth in the bow, new bedhead, nice new touches like towel hooks, while the second cabin has bunks that are mighty adult-sized ones.

The top bunk measures 2.00m long by 1.06m wide with 510mm of headroom, but the lower bunk is virtually a double-sized bed. Likewise, the single bathroom is the biggest in an Aussie-made 40 we’ve tested and the shower stall is a maxi. A big 40 footer for sure.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- Proven formula of solid-glass hull and Cummins power
The volume of the Caribbean 40 hull – which has a handy 17 degrees of deadrise aft and 12 degree shaft angle – leads to excellent indoor and outdoor space. There’s also a good deal on inherent buoyancy and freeboard at the bow when travelling at displacement speeds, without affecting vision from the lower helm. The boat isn’t wet at all.

On the construction front, everything is proven, from the solid-glass hull and cored decks, to the properly protected and earthed wiring, to the air-con, its host 9kW Onan and the Cummins engine installation. The shafts are 2in and the props are four bladers.

Performing basic owner engine checks under the saloon floor is a cinch. Caribbean uses external integrated sea strainers, the coolant overflow bottles and oil dipsticks are on the centreline, while the fuel filters are aft. You dip the fuel tank in the cockpit directly, but there is also an electronic gauge at the helm.

The thruster breaker was accessible, while an inverter was fitted to power the TV. You could fit a bigger model for other duties including the icemaker and running appliances and we would do that. It’s also a good thing that the F/W tank gauge is at the galley and the B/W tank gauge in the bathroom for at-a-glance checks.

ON THE WATER
- A natural for the transition to Express model
With room for two 16in screens, twin 4in VesselView displays, electronic shifts, rocker switches, bow thruster, responsive trim tabs, and a strong stainless-steel wheel, the 420 Express is a reassuringly easy boat to drive. The dash isn’t a wow-factor model, but the vision is surprisingly good, with only a touch of tab needed to maximise your views and SOG.

The 40 Flybridge sister ship used to return 23 knots cruise for 102 litres per hour and this Express is doing about 25 knots for the same consumption, we’re told. The fuel flow wasn’t hooked up, but we did note a comfortable ride with excellent vision and surprisingly low running noise levels.

Flying along like a big Caribbean runabout, the 420 Express has great acceleration and there’s just no point in worrying about engine options or upgrades as there are none and the boat needs none.

We happily cruised at 24.5 knots at 2050rpm, maintained a heavy weather speed of 16.3 knots at 1600rpm without ‘hunting’, while top speed was 31-32 knots on the day.

The boat proved nice and dry offshore and you could make a real SUV out of it and go catch snapper and kingfish one day, then park yourself on deck in a quiet bolthole and eat them the next.

With 600kg less weight up top, the 420 Express feels very stable at rest. I purposely picked a mooring at Quarantine Beach, where the ferry wake hits you beam on and I have been thrown out of a bunk at 3.00am before, and judged it to be a rock solid platform

VERDICT
- A very manageable Express cruiser with a bright future
Without the flying bridge, the single-level 420 caters equally for young families as it does retirees. You get a great layout for multi-generational boating, with everyone cruising together and safely ensconced indoors. Outdoor living and lifestyle areas are nice and big for the Australian lifestyle, too.

Yet this is an easy boat to manoeuvre and command, not at all daunting, and it pretty much drives itself in a straight line. With the big tankage, sprawling cockpit, indoor/outdoor living, lifted finish and class-leading accommodation, it’s a lot of boat for under $800K loaded and driveaway.

Sure, it hasn’t quite the style and panache of the other big Aussie luxury brands, but the 420 Express functions extremely well. It’s an SUV for our shifting cruiser market and not before time.

LIKES
>> The first Express model with single-level living and lower helm keeps Caribbean relevant in today’s pleasure-cruiser market
>> By far the best-finished Caribbean cruiser in the range, it sets the bar for the boat builder
>> Nicely packaged and a very good-value turnkey boat as tested, with everything except the tender and fishing tackle
>> The 40 hull is proven and the boat travels very nicely with surprisingly low running noise
>> Big cockpit, large tankage, plenty of head and shoulder room, and sleeping for up to eight or two families
>> This was boat number 55,555 and Caribbean has a long history and very good resale value

NOT SO MUCH
>> Some of the cockpit hatch hinges could be improved by using piano hinges
>> Enlarge and modify the transom door to make the extended swim platform and cockpit seamless without a dividing ‘step’
>> Needs a deck wash on the bow as the windlass sitting is proud of the foredeck bound to splash mud

Specifications:
Price as tested: $770,099 with 500hp QSC-8.3 Cummins and upgrades including Cruise pack with extended swim platform, teak cockpit, bow thruster, electrical accessories from underwater lights to inverter, bedding and décor package, icemaker and more
Priced from: $687,260 with 500hp QSC-8.3 Cummins electronic diesel engines
Moulded length (ex-swim platform and bow sprit): 13.16m
Length (with extended platform): 14.66m
Beam: 4.30m
Cockpit area: 10.30sq m
Draft: 1.15m
Height above waterline: 2.65m plus nav gear, domes, aerials, etc
Dry weight: 11,200kg
Fuel capacity: 2000 litres
Water capacity: 650 litres
Sleeping: Up to eight
Engines on test: Standard with 500hp/368kW Cummins QSC-8.3
Generator: Onan 9.5kVa

Supplied by:
Andrew Craddock
Marina Boat Sales SA
Phone: 0418 818 232

Manufactured by:
International Marine
1278 Ferntree Gully Rd
Scoresby, Vic, 3179
Phone: (03) 9763 7233
Website: www.caribbeanboats.com.