Cruise Craft Explorer 595

The usual lizards, cockroaches and other ooglies scurried about the place and, clad in red-back spider web in a corner, I found a dusty old picture frame. Wiping away a half-century of grime and gecko droppings revealed a sepia-tone photograph of an old pro fisherman squatting with his then new timber boat on a Moreton Bay shore. The inscription: ‘1946 Drop Bow Sharpie’.

That may well have been the first boat built by Roy Nichols who established his boat building business near the shores of Moreton Bay that year. Well, I walked out of there with an arm full of antique reels but left the picture behind; the owner holding more sentimental value for it than the treasures I had just bought off him.

The history of that boat-building era is quite hazy but it is known that around 1960 the Nichols Brothers built their first Cruise Craft and continued to build in timber through to 1967 when fibreglass made its debut.

Cruise Craft has come a long way since then, winning many accolades and admirers. This Explorer 595, which made its debut at the Adelaide Boat Show in 2012, has the potential to take a place on the dais. It sits between the 575 and 625 models and is almost as beamy as the largest of the Explorers at 2.43m, falling short by just 1.5 cm.

Targeted squarely at the hardcore angler who cannot handle or does not want to work a rig over the six metre mark, the Explorer 595 is a complete redesign of the hulls of old, with a now deeper extended bow and more flare moulded into the shoulders to give a softer and dryer ride.

The inner liner is one piece for the full length of the inside of the boat and its sides sweep up to just under the coamings. In other words, there are no joins or seams to create any weak points and potential cracking and leaking.

Cockpit clip-out carpet, compass, dual battery setup (without batteries included), EPIRB, fire extinguisher, hydraulic steering and windscreen grabrail are all in the standard mix. The recommended retail price will most likely be in the vicinity of $88,500 and the vagaries of this are due to the fact that Yamaha was yet to release the pricing of its F200 FETX.

The lines here, as with elsewhere on the boat, are rounded and flowing, the result of the use of a full one-piece inner liner which the manufacturer has been using since 2005.

The cushions over the stowage boxes under the berths are covered in hard-wearing and easy-to-clean vinyl and the fascias of the side pockets that surround the inside of the cabin are upholstered in a similar material but with a smart ‘carbon fibre look’ finish.

With an infill over the leg well, two medium-sized adults could bunk down here for a kip.

Head height while seated on the bunks was ample for someone around 170 cm though when well forward on the bunk one will contact the roof. This roof profile has been changed from earlier Explorer models to exhibit a more tapered line rather than a bulbous brow at its forward end. Before leaving the cabin we found the wiring at the back of the helm neatly secured and covered with a hinged hatch fixed with a screw.

An optional sliding lockable cabin door is available and the helm bulkhead has been designed to accept one with ease.

The helm is nicely laid out with multiple fascias; the most prominent immediately above the wheel was fitted with Lowrance’s HDS-8. It looks like the HDS-10 might fit here and, in any case, there is room for two of either of these to be flush mounted side by side. On that note the manufacturer advises there is a modular dash panel in the pipeline that will host a 15-inch screen.

Yamaha’s interfaced instrumentation graced the top fascia and the radio and gang switches were installed near the wheel. Part of the moulding of the bulkhead features a large footrest across its width.

Cruise Craft for the past few years has been utilising tubular stainless-steel seat mounts that connect to the cabin liner and deck, allowing large ice boxes to be stowed in brackets underneath so that they may be easily slid out to access fully, or just via a half lid in the aft end. The protruding aft-end lid makes an ideal rear observer seat on each side.

Considering that ice boxes on decks take up so much valuable room and create safety issues when sliding about, unrestrained in rough seas, it really is surprising that other manufacturers have not taken up on this design. It really is a space saver!

Grab rails are aplenty on the 595. They feature across the back of the windscreen, on the helm bulkhead, in the side liner for the passenger, on the back of the swivel seats for those standing when underway. They are also rebated into the inside corner of the coaming along the side of the cockpit. And the supports for the bimini top are close to hand. Everyone is catered for in this department.

Thick thigh padding is installed on the inside of the coamings above ample side pockets. The hull wall on each side has racks for gaffs, tag poles and or boat hooks.

A kill tank is moulded into the deck at the aft of the cockpit and slightly under the transom.

The livebait tank is quite large and is found in the starboard side of the transom. The internal liner is painted black so the occupants stress less in the dark environment till it’s their turn on the hook.

The port corner of the bulkhead has a walk-through with a fibreglass door which hinges shut and secures with a sliding bolt. The balance of the structure below is taken up with a compartment where the auxiliary battery is installed.

The three-quarter beam width lounge is easily removed should it not be required. When folded down it covers the bilge area where the crank battery is installed on a raised deck above the level of the cockpit.

The front of this short structure features a tunnel each side which leads to an external scupper. The bilge is deliberately small which seems to be the trend these days so that small amounts of bilge water achieve a float-switch activation depth sooner, compared with a full-beam bilge which will carry a lot of water weight before it triggers the pump. This design also prevents water sloshing to and fro when rocking at anchor.

The bait-rigging station sits at a good workable height with supporting posts snug in holes in the transom and is easily removed when not required. The deck wash is handy with its activation switch installed on the bulkhead to alleviate having to go back to the helm to power it up.

The hull features a 20-degree deadrise, aggressive reversed strakes and chines and a short planing plank. In our view, it's a great compromise hull providing the best of both worlds, that is, ride comfort and stability.

Fitted to the transom was Yamaha’s yet-to-be-released  F200 FETX. This was one of only two pre-production models in the country and is built with four cylinders in line and 16-valves with DOHC. The gear ratio was 1.86 (26/14) and it was spinning a 14.25 x 18 Reliance SDS prop. Engine weight was 227kg.

Yamaha’s computerised on-water testing revealed a WOT of 6000rpm and a top speed of 44.8 knots or 83.05km/h for 1.1km/L. THe sweet spot for cruising was at 3000rpm with a speed of 18.4 knots or 34.15 km/h with consumption at 2.19 km/L.

Those fishing pelagics offshore at 1500rpm will be getting 5.9 knots or 10.95 km/h.

ON THE WATER

The boat was tested on a calm Moreton Bay so the weather doesn’t rate a mention, although we found enough wash and wake to get the feel of this hull and its performance in less than kind waters will no doubt be acceptable.

The manufacturer’s recent alterations to the forefoot and flare are a noticeable improvement and this is seen in the attitude of the boat in the water, keeping its bowline higher which imparts a dryer ride. This style will feature on all of the new models of Cruise Craft in the future.

This Explorer will suit those who are happy to spend slightly more than the average person would on a five to six metre trailer boat. They will get plenty for their buck though with many standard features that other companies call ‘extras’. And they will get an impeccably finished, well-performing boat in the deal.