Hurricane Fundeck 196 RE

Cruising around the east coast's canal estates, one gets the impression that the place is a massive flotilla of gin palaces. There are some fantastic boats and small ships tied up in front of equally resplendent residences, making these estates great places to visit if you want to dream of luxury.

Of course, all that flair and pizazz doesn't suit everyone. Even in this environment you can always find a boatie who is happy to just cruise around in a craft that's comfortable for family and friends, but that doesn't require a second mortgage to run.

It's not surprising then that party boats are gaining in popularity. Given their passenger capability, these boats seem to be incredibly good value for the money outlaid.

We took an imported party boat for a spin on the Broadwater to check its credentials and found that this rig will be giving the alloy pontoon models a run for the money.

FUN ON DECK
The Hurricane FunDeck 196 RE is part of a huge line-up available in the US, but at this stage only a dozen models will be imported into Australia by Austech Exports.

This fun boat features a fibreglass tri-hull bottom, with each sponson being of equal depth and the rig drawing approximately 25cm of water with the engine leg up. The "RE" tag on this rig refers to "rear entry" - the boat has one rear gate in the aft starboard corner, as well as a portside midships gate and a centrally-mounted bow gate. Other gates are optional should you wish to do away with some of the lounges. The cleverly-designed gates open inwards so that passengers can't lean against a gate that has not been latched and subsequently be jettisoned over the side. Unfortunately, the catches and stops for the gates are made from a plastic material which might suffer the ravages of time and become brittle. For a safety feature such as this, a metal latch and stop would prevent any problems in the future.

The shallow draft and many gates make the craft ideal for beach parties where the rig may be pulled up, bow or side to the beach for exit straight onto the sand. The distance from the beach to the deck for boarding and alighting is within reach of adults, and small children should be able to scramble aboard without any problems.

 The carpet in this rig is removable should you wish to save on the maintenance of it when cruising around muddy areas or perhaps in situations where a lot of food and drink ends up on the deck.

The passage down the centre of the boat is ample and it passes a very comfortable three-seater L-shaped lounge mounted on the starboard forequarter and a chaise lounge on the port forequarter. Another L-shaped lounge in the aft port quarter seats another five people around a removable table with drinkholders.

The lounges throughout the boat have the back rests at coaming level against extruded alloy work that forms the rails. Below the lounges, smartly-finished alloy panelling meets the deck. With modules moulded out of nylon and fixed to the floor, it would be very simple to change the layout of the lounges using just a screwdriver. The lounge bases are high-density upholstered foam mounted on marine ply bases.

In the very aft port corner a change room materialises by lifting back a lid, which draws a curtain upwards allowing for privacy inside. A porta potty may be installed here also. A drop-down telescopic ladder swings off the aft starboard corner. When the partygoers have had enough of the sun, a large canopy can be unfurled to shade the rear section of the boat.

SMOOTH PERFORMANCE
The helm position features a plush swivel bucket seat behind a wide helm station. The moulded fibreglass helm module can be positioned anywhere provided cabling is catered for. A small icebox could fit in near the helm. A nicely laid-out dashboard features Sea Star hydraulic steering, which is typically easy on the arms even in aggressive situations when underway.

 This boat was on a mooring when we arrived and without seeing the configuration of the hull out of the water I was expecting typical tri-hull behaviour of leaning out on cornering rather than leaning in. That tri-hull habit would not have augured well for this style of boat due to the passenger weight shift throwing the boat out of balance suddenly. I was pleasantly surprised to spin the helm and see this rig lay into the turn rather than out, a behaviour enabled by rebates in the outer sponsons at the aft end.

With a Yamaha 115 four-stroke motor on the back, three adults and a child onboard, holeshot is smooth and effortless. With so much planing area in the water, these hulls don't bog down, they simply slide out of the hole with no grunting whatsoever.

At 5400rpm the Yamaha was not working to its fullest and a re-prop would fix that. The rig still managed 53kmh, however, and was a dream to drive.

Performance-wise, the Hurricane's main advantage over typical alloy pontoon party boats is that it does not exhibit the chine-walking tendency often seen in catamaran hulls.

This rig is as smooth as silk and on a trailer would make a great family fun boat for daytrips or weekends, on the beach, or fishing and crabbing shallow creeks.


HIGHS