Caribbean 49: Special WA Custom

If you're going to go fishing up and down the West Australian coast, you're going to need a big, tough boat that'll safely take you and your family or your mates to where you're going regardless of what the Indian Ocean wants throw at you. Here's one owner's boat that he's specced up to suit his fishing and cruising lifestyle

OVERVIEW
- Semi-custom mods for fishing and long-haul cruising
When you hop on board a Caribbean boat, no matter what size or how old, there is a comforting familiarity.

While in more recent years International Marine in Melbourne has been more accepting of change than it had been in the past, there are still some things that are not negotiable (and we hope it stays that way).

Hopping on board the new flagship 49 Enclosed Flybridge you find yourself on an enormous cockpit. According to Caribbean it is the biggest of any flybridge cruiser of this size. At 15.8 square metres it is big enough to entertain the largest number of guests and be the ideal fishing platform at the same time.

Walk inside and you are met with a huge saloon with a simple, clean and extremely practical layout —  another Caribbean characteristic.

But in a sign that the crew at International Marine is open to change, the latest boat to come out of the Melbourne factory also has a lower helm station. It's the first 49 to be built with dual stations.

The owner, who is a keen fisherman, wants to use the boat in Perth waters as well as Exmouth, 854 nautical miles north. With the amount of long-distance cruising he is planning he wanted a downstairs helm fitted to provide him with the freedom to move around the boat while cruising.

It also meant that the layout of the saloon had to be altered slightly and windows needed to be fitted in the front of the saloon area.

Driving from the lower helm also required a clean foredeck so they needed to find a new place to carry the dinghy. This led to the addition of a hardtop over the cockpit that was strong enough to hold a davit and dinghy.

But his passion for fishing also provided a challenge with the design and fitting of the hardtop because he did not want any support poles near the gunwales impeding movement around the edge of the boat while fishing.

Travis Mansfield of Mansfield Marine, who made all the alterations, came up with a smart solution, moving the supports inboard and building a permanent table around them to ensure the space was fully utilised.

A massive 1500mm wide swim platform with stainless-steel rails to hold bait boards, rod holders and a bbq was also fitted.

Additional sound deadening material was also fitted in the engine room to help reduce noise intrusion in the saloon while cruising.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Plenty of options and some custom touches
Buying a standard 49 Caribbean enclosed flybridge, fully set up ready for use will cost $1.027m but all the extras on the test boat, including a $50,000 Furuno electronics package, lifted the cost to $1.28m.

Other extras he had added included autopilot as well as bow and stern thrusters.

The boat has also been fitted with teak decking in the cockpit and a stylised stainless steel and teak ladder to the flybridge.

In the saloon, the starboard settee was moved in about 130mm so a drop down TV could be fitted behind.

The owners also elected to lay a dark woodgrain tiles in the saloon area instead of the more traditional carpet. They used the same finish in the flybridge.

The boat is also full air-conditioned throughout the saloon and living areas as well as up in the flybridge.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- Three cabins, two bathrooms and a massive flybridge
Walking inside through the rear sliding door you enter a huge saloon with port side dinette and starboard side settee that converts into an additional bed.

While it is a very simple and clean layout, the lounges are covered in a vanilla-coloured leather and with the contrasting high-gloss wood and dark floor it creates a very sophisticated feel.

The three forward windows that had to be added to accommodate the downstairs helm area have an added bonus of making the area a much brighter space.

The U-shaped forward galley, with its Corian bench tops and high-gloss teak joinery, has an abundance of storage and is fitted with a convection microwave, four-burner electric cooktop and U-Tec fridge with separate freezer and there's also a drawer-style dishwasher.

Down below, the layout consists of a master cabin with an ensuite, VIP cabin with a queen-size bed and third cabin with two single bunks. A second bathroom serves the second and third cabins and acts as a day head.

While the bedrooms are not as big as you will find in other similar-sized boats, it is a small price to pay to create the enormous cockpit and saloon area.

Speaking of big, stepping up into the Caribbean 49's enclosed flybridge, we find another very roomy entertaining area.

With the helm well placed aft, there is room for a u-shaped lounge and table up front with a lounge and a sink and fridge on the port side.

In the test boat, enclosing the rear flybridge with a solid bulkhead and door created a very quiet space while the air-conditioning ensured it did not get too hot or stuffy with all the windows closed.

HULL AND MECHANICAL
- Caterpillar diesels give good performance and range
The test boat is powered by Twin CAT 715hp, electronic turbo-diesel shaftdrives with Quick Shift electronic controls and Twin Disc gearboxes. Together they produce 30-knots top speed.

Travis Mansfield, who has sold several 49 Caribbeans over the past two years, said that testing of the boats consistently revealed that the CATS burn a total of 6.2-litres/nautical mile when travelling at between 21 and 26 knots, which gives this boat a safe cruising range of around 500 nautical miles.

But as with most Caribbeans it is the ride and handling that is the boat's greatest strength.

When Caribbean introduced the 49 to replace the 47 that had served them so well for a long time, they increased the waterline length and reduced the shaft angle which has improved its lift and buoyancy, helping the boat get on the plane quicker.

ON THE WATER
- A great ride in the choppy conditions
On the day we took the boat from Fremantle to Mandurah for the annual boat show, we were greeted with a very steady 20-knot south-wester which was going to ensure a fairly bumpy ride.

But rather than nurse the two Caribbeans (we travelled down in company with a Caribbean 40) as we punched directly into the breeze, the throttles were pushed forward and we ploughed through the chop at 20 knots, the speed at which this Caribbean is at its most efficient.

With the trim tabs set to push the nose down into the waves we did cop a bit of water on the windscreen of the flybridge but the three big windscreen wipers ensured vision remained clear.

And with the nose sitting down, it ensured the 22-tonne hull sat nice and flat creating a reasonably comfortable ride in the choppy seas.

With the boat sitting on 20 knots, the big CAT diesels were ticking over at 1900rpm and drinking 68 litres of diesel per hour per side.

The upstairs helm provides a great all round view and the console is big enough to hold the biggest screens on the market.

Driving from the lower helm, the visibility was OK at best. The helm seat was also set too far away from the steering wheel, but it is designed to be used when the boat is on autopilot.

The extra room between helm seat and steering wheel and instruments does allow you to comfortably drive standing up and makes it more comfortable for sitting and having a coffee while keeping an eye out for oncoming traffic or obstacles.

The test boat was fitted with both stern and bow thrusters that made it easier to manoeuvre into tight spots in the marina but even without them it is a surprisingly agile boat for its size.

VERDICT
- Ideal for entertaining, cruising or fishing
The Caribbean 49 does not have the same up-market finish and fittings that you will find on its major competitors but it is an extremely competent cruiser with a heap of space in the areas that really matter.

The cockpit is bigger than any other flybridge-style boat of its size and the enclosed flybridge provides an equally big second entertainment area upstairs making it the ideal cruising and fishing boat as well as a pretty handy space for entertaining, even if you have a lot of friends.

It is also hard to match in the value for money stakes.

LIKES
>> Classic design and ride of the Caribbean hull
>> Big open and airy saloon
>> Large cockpit
>> Cockpit hardtop

NOT SO MUCH
>> Visibility from lower helm
>> Some annoying rattles and squeaks in the flybridge

Specifications:
Price: From $1.027m (As tested) $1.28m.
Length Overall: 14.77m
Beam: 4.88m
Draft: 1.37m
Displacement: 20,500kg
Fuel Capacity: 3200 litres
Water Capacity: 900 litres
Engines: Dual CAT 715hp C12 diesels
Desalination unit: 150 litres/hour
Cruise Speed: 20-26 knots
Sleeping: 6/9 persons

Supplied by:
Mansfield Marine, Hillarys, WA
Ph: 9448 1100
www.mansfieldmarine.com.au