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REVIEW
Cruise Craft Explorer 625 HT
Enduring Australian boat builder adds an on-trend hard top and reinvigorates a faithful fish-and-family cuddyLIKES
- Exemplary fit, finish and fare mouldings
- No noticeable list habits due to hard-top inclusion
- Roomy cockpit including area under hard top
- Wide cabin entry and weather protection
DISLIKES
- Tilt limiter needed to prevent cowl contacting the optional bait-rigging station when fully tilted
- When the cabin hatch is opened and laid back it rests against the stationary windscreen wiper arm.
OVERVIEW
- Strong heritage, stellar finish, and surefooted ride
Roy Nichols must look down from the heavens in wonderment at what he started way back in 1946. Near the shores of Moreton Bay, he crafted wooden boats for commercial fishers for many years.
In 1960, Cruise Craft was born, but the forefather still manufactured in wood until 1967. The big leap to fibreglass was the stepping stone that propelled Cruise Craft into the future and towards the sweetly moulded boats we see today.
The Explorer 625 reviewed here is a great example of these well-considered craft. First released in 2004, the cuddy has been the subject of numerous changes and ongoing improvements.
The big thing on with this latest iteration is a mouded hard top rather than a canvas bimini. The hard top adds a touch of class and greater utility to a boat that is already well credentialled.
The good ride, with exceptional stability on the plane and dead in the water, remains a feature. Suffice to say, we were not disappointed in this reborn Explorer 625, a boat we first tested back in 2006.
PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- $16,000 of fishing options and engine upgrade
The price of the test boat with the F200 horsepower Yamaha four-stroke engine was $106,500.
If you aspire to owning the Rolls Royce of trailerboats, but the budget doesn’t quite stretch, you can still get aboard with a F150 Yamaha four-stroke motor on a trailer for $90,000.
The $16,000 gap gets you a lot of factory options that are actually good value for money.
They include the engine upgrade, pair of targa spotlights, bait-rigging station, padded coamings and folding rear lounge, as well as an extra pair of stainless steel rod holders and the inclusion of a second pump and the associated plumbing for the live-bait tank.
The deck wash and the suite of electronics, Furuno and Lowrance as well as GME radio and speakers, were also on the options list.
LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- Integrated deck design and improved weather protection
If you were to crunch the numbers you would find that the cabin interior on the 625HT, which has a beam of 2.45m, is wider than that found on the 685HT with its 2.5m beam. This has been achieved by moving the cabin side windows further outboard towards the gunwales, while still leaving enough room for foot-over-foot access to the bow around the cabin rather than through the foredeck hatch.
The ‘companionway’ leading into the cabin is large and occupies about 60 per cent of the helm station bulkhead. This augurs well for ‘big boys’ and those who prefer open and airy cuddies.
The typical short bunks have stowage underneath and the leg well is wider than normal to cater for the carriage of a chemical-type portable toilet. Optional infills hide the loo from view and there’s an optional privacy curtain (not on the review boat).
The wiring looms at the back of the dash are covered by a hinged cowl and an iPhone dock wired to the GME G-Dek was installed here.
Meanwhile, at the forward end of the leg well, a moulded step provides elevation when standing through the cabin hatch and working the ground tackle.
We found that with the roof hatch laid back, it rested against the stationary windscreen wiper and possible damage might occur. A rubber stopper on one of the alloy windscreen uprights will remedy this situation.
The helm station has a number of angled fascias in which instruments may be flush mounted. The largest panel will take an eight-inch screen plus a smaller model (say five inch). Other fascias harbour gauges, marine radios and the like.
The helm station console is a wrap-around design, with room remaining for a large-screen electronics cabinet to be gimbal-mounted within easy reach of the skipper if you needed it.
The helm seating was attached to stainless steel frames fixed to the deck that will allow large iceboxes to be installed and easily retained underneath. Cruise Craft has adopted this design for a couple of years now but other manufacturers are only now catching on to the clever space-saving measure.
Large footrests serve both seats and, to the right of the skipper, are the fly-by-wire controls for the Yamaha outboard, rebated into the liner clear of the elbow. The passenger also has a rebate that is used for storing gear.
Now to the all-important hard top…
With its aft-raking lines, rounded brow and scalloped side skirts, the hard top complements the lines of the 625. Sliding toughened-glass side windows open wide for flow-through ventilation and the front screen has two large curved panes and a small single pane centrally located.
The hard top is supported by the alloy window and windscreen frame, a central stainless steel post forward and two heavy-duty stainless steel aft supports that don’t impede on cockpit operation.
The cockpit is as a great fishing or entertainment area: huge with side pockets running almost full length for rod stowage out of the weather. There is ample foot-under support while leaning against the padded coamings and plentiful grab rails.
The transom has a half-height walk through with swinging latchable door. A deck wash with handy switch is nearby. The cranking battery is fitted behind a hatch, below the walk-through door.
Recessed into the face of the bulkhead is a fold-down lounge.
The bait-rigging station has a cutting board covering a tray and a couple of recesses to prevent gear from rolling around. It drains into the engine bay where, on the portside, there's a boarding platform and extendable ladder.
MECHANICAL AND HULL
- Time-proven build and stiff, stable hull
Hydraulic steering was fitted to the Yamaha’s pre-production F200 four-stroke outboard, which is the maximum recommended horsepower for this hull. The minimum recommended is a 150hp.
Hull construction is traditional compared with some manufacturing styles these days, consisting of a timber transom and a matrix-girder system fully encapsulated in fibreglass.
The deadrise at the transom is 20 degrees, a moderately deep-vee, while the chines run well forward for excellent stability at rest.
ON THE WATER
- Luxury afloat on long, hot summer days
Despite the weight of the hardtop, turning seemed to be no different to the 625 Cruise Craft models with canvas bimini that we have driven over the years.
The pre-production Yamaha, being the maximum horsepower for this boat, worked as it should -- efficiently. Hole shot was excellent and there was ample torque throughout the rev range.
The test day started as flat as a tack with no wind, but it changed to 15 knots as soon as we stuck the bow out into Moreton Bay. The water in the test area is shallow, so the chop was short and sharp but with no real waves to put the boat through.
Even with that velocity of wind on the quarters we couldn’t raise much spray on the glass surrounds of the hard top.
At around 6 knots and 1600rpm, fuel burn was 5.6lph, which is more than acceptable for a day on the pelagics. With the fuel tank holding 232 litres, a few big days on the deep blue are possible!
This hull has big shoulders well forward so planing was not an issue. The boat planed at about 2400rpm and 8.2 knots for 12lph.
At 4000rpm, the big Yamaha was using just 27lph for 25.5 knots giving a run time of around nine hours at comfortable cruise. WOT was 5900rpm using 75.5lph for 41 knots SOG.
We can’t think of anyone that would not want to have one of these Cruise Crafts in their driveway and at sea. The ticket price will hold a few back from that dream.
But at the end of the day you get what you pay for and with a Cruise Craft that is generally a lot of boat, years of great enjoyment and strong resale value.
RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.8/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.6/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.7/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 4.7/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0
Specifications
Price: $106,500
LOA: 6.54 m
Beam: 2.45 m
Weight: 2350 kg?
Engine: Yamaha F200 four-stroke (pre-production engine)
Fuel: 232l
Berths: 2
People Day: 6
Supplied by:
Cruise Craft Boats Pty Ltd
Ph. (07) 3390 4877
Facsimile: (07) 3390 5756
Mobile telephone: 0419 676 170
Website: www.cruisecraft.com.au
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Written byBoatsales Staff
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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