Mustang 4200

It was the second shortest day of the year, so time was of the essence. The afternoon light was fading fast and the day could quite easily end before we even cast the lines. The air temperature was hovering around 17ºC and, with a beanie over my noggin, I ventured aboard with thoughts of hot drinks and tubs.

How would the new 4200 Sports Cruiser cope with the brisk conditions? Are sportscruisers fair-weather boats best left idle over winter? Are the decks, seating and helm too exposed to the elements? Only time would provide an answer to these questions and more.

Based in sunny Queensland, Mustang Cruisers is one of several local boatbuilders to reach stellar heights in recent years. Production has been ramped up to meet demand for its sportscruisers from the northern states all the way to Victoria.

The low Aussie dollar that made Yankee boats pricey has been a boon to Mustang. Another helping hand has come from the creation of waterfront apartments with marina berths. Compared with a lot of other designs, a low slung sportscruiser is a compliant craft to park and drive.

Add sterndrive legs instead of shafts and you get sporty handling. But the big attraction is without doubt the single-level lifestyle deck where guests and skipper can cruise as one. Mustang's new 4200 has all these things, plus something to rival the flybridge boats.

Down below are two cabins, each with double beds and separate ensuites. More than a dayboat, the 4200 can be used as a weekender. It certainly has an extraordinary amount of gear as standard, including a generator, air-conditioning, flat-screen television and custom bedding.

BACKING THE BUILD
Mustang backs the construction of its boats with a full 10-year structural hull warranty. The 4200 is built to CE and US Coastguard standards. While that should please local buyers, the intent is to break into big foreign markets.

After the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in May, Mustang exported boats to Japan, China, South Africa, Bahrain, New Zealand and the Netherlands. But it hopes to do a "coals to Newcastle" deal and sell its sportsboats en masse into North America. The 4200 wouldn't be out of place down Miami way.

The moulded GRP hull measures 12.55m overall compared with, say, a Riviera 42 that is 15.50m overall. But the moderate-vee hull has a nice sharp forefoot to tame the swell. The hull is glassed to the deck and a grid stringer system of reinforced marine plywood is used to provide stiffness to the running surface.

A five-axis CNC milling machine is partly responsible for the flowing exterior lines. Interior styling comes from chiefly Italian fittings and cherrywood joinery. A variety of soft furnishings are available to create your own style.

One thing that can be said about Mustang Cruisers is that it certainly doesn't waste space in its boats. The clever decks on the 4200 are seperated into four distinct lounging areas, which are built around a central amenities centre. And there are both open and protected living areas for summer and winter boating.

LIFESTYLE DECKS
I stepped aboard the integrated boarding platform and noted a concealed swim ladder, stainless handrail and lockable storage hold with the main battery breaker switches inside. There was room left for fenders, fishing or dive gear... even a small outboard motor for the rubber ducky.

The boarding platform is deep enough for a couple of deck chairs or bronzed bodies on towels. And you can also add brackets for carrying the ducky securely.

The cockpit door was across to starboard, not far from the hot/cold handheld shower, courtesy lights, overhead halogen lights, and a big soft mood light helping to show the way aboard.

You can also access the interior by following the moulded non-skid deck steps to port. Aided by occasional handrails and a low-slung one-piece bowrail, you can continue along the gunwale to the foredeck.

As a lifestyle area, the foredeck is among the best I have seen on a sportscruiser. The large flat area offers a good toehold. The Maxwell 1200 windlass anchor and chain locker (which are accessed from inside the boat) are concealed, and all the anchoring gear comes standard, including 40m of galvanised chain.

But the best thing are the two sunpads covered in blue-and-white canvas-type material from Sunbrella. Find a protected shore, drop anchor with the push of a button at the helm, and enjoy. The sunpads are secured to the boat with zips, not press-studs, and therefore stay put when you are travelling. Designer drink holders are close at hand and I can vouch for the sunpads' comfort factor after a few minutes' R&R.

Deck gear includes big stainless steel bollards, groovy circular deck hatches, rod holders and opening portlights with flyscreens. But if conditions don't lend themselves to sunbaking, do as I did and leave the clears and bimini top up and hide behind the windscreen.

COCKPIT CATERING
The cockpit in the 4200 isn't all that different to what you get in Mustang's flagship 46-footer. There is a circular aft lounge around a moulded table with built in drinkholders. The bimini top attached to the stylish targa arch protects at least half the lounge.

The table drops on an Italian pedestal base to create another sunlounge using the supplied infill. With the aft camper cover zipped in, it is possible to make a sleep-out for those balmy summer days. Remember them?

Hosts will gravitate to the amenities centre behind the helm bench seat to port. There is a fiddle rail around the lid so you can use it as a servery for the crustaceans and salad.

Lift the lid and you will find an electric hot-rock barbecue with splashback, and a sink with hot/cold water. There is an icebox under the sink. With the optional icemaker and a drinkholder near the barbie, all you'll need are an apron and tongs to make this an exceptional catering facility.

Mustang describes the seating opposite the helm as the Cleopatra lounge. It has a roll cushion for a headrest that lets you recline like a Roman goddess. There is room for three people to sit here while cruising, while the skipper has an helm bench seat big enough for two. All up, you can carry a crowd of 10 people, although six would be perfect for all-day soirees.

Outdoor storage exists under the rear lounge base, in side pockets and in the engine room, providing gear is fixed in place. The hatch leading down to the motors is located by peeling back the clip-in carpet, which can be removed altogether for serious partying.

A checkerplate tread step midway down the engine room doubles as a useful seat. From there, the fuel filters and strainers for the 7.5kva Kohler genset and one of two air-conditioning units were nice and accessible.

There is ample room around the red Volvo petrol motors for performing day-to-day checks, plus scope to remove additional floor panels should a mechanic have to effect serious repairs. The motors were quite well insulated and had plenty of air to breathe.

Engineering details include automatic bilge pumps, a 40amp battery charger, 50lt hot water heater, engine room light, electric trim tabs, and valves on all the underwater through-hull fittings. Aluminium fuel tanks with a modest 1200lt are positioned outboard of the engines.

The water tank is polypropylene and its capacity of 500lt is generous. The holding tank and other plumbing items are accessible under the companionway steps in the saloon.

SPECIAL DELIVERY
A Sydney industrial design firm was commissioned to design the dash. Futuristic matt-grey panels are low-glare and inspiring. There are raised mouldings for each of the backlit engine gauges and a racy but retro look reminiscent of an MG.

The joystick for the standard issue bowthruster was above the wheel, near the remote for the spotlight, and there was a cluster of switches beside the Clarion remote for the sound system. The boat also comes with a Furuno 1650RF colour GPS, VHF radio and fingertip power assisted steering.

The stainless steel framed wraparound windscreen is optional - powdercoated aluminium is the norm - and some work needed to be done to make the support struts sit flush.

A centre-opening windscreen panel lets you create airflow to rid the cockpit of engine fumes and blown-back salt spray.

INDOOR LIVING
The one-way sliding saloon door offers views outdoors and four high-gloss teak steps lead down to a teak-and-holly lined foyer. The companionway could do with an extra handrail along the starboard side. The LED lights in the steps were neat. Headroom seemed ample for this 1.81m tall boatie.

A sophisticated ambience below is created by neutral beige soft furnishings, high-gloss cherrywood joinery and stainless steel, gold or chrome fittings. Leopard print scatter cushions added style on this boat, but are easily changed according to owners' tastes.

A wrap-around leather lounge to port can seat four to five people at the oval cherrywood dinette. An adjustable pedestal base can be fitted to create an emergency bed.

Behind the lounge on cherrywood panels were the AC/DC control boards, opening porthole and entertainment centre. The DVD player was linked to an LCD flatscreen television near the galley.

While sportscruisers are more your "prawns on deck" kind of boats, imaginative chefs should be able to prepare just about anything. The fridge is a half-size unit (133lt capacity) with a small freezer tray. There's a two-burner ceramic hob, deep sink and a convection microwave with grill function.

Cupboards harbour a lazy susan for sauces and spices, two stainless steel fronted drawers for dry foodstuffs, plate stackers and cutlery drawers. There is even provision to carry four bottles of wine behind a timber roller door. But no sign of an extractor fan.

DESIGNER LIVING
Up front, catering for the owners, is a separate shower room and electric loo. The split head creates more floor space than the traditional arrangement and if the shower is in use, one can still apply makeup, blow-dry hair or use the head to port.

There was a sink with hot/cold water, overhead lacquered timber cupboards with storage baskets for personals and an extractor fan, while the separate moulded shower recess on the starboard side had a cupboard, towel rail, mirror and fan.

I noted separate air-con controls, and insect screens over the opening hatch and portholes. A lockable under-bunk drawer is supposedly a place to stow personals when ashore. The half-length hanging locker was lined and illuminated, though the mirror on its doors offered a distorted view.

While it is an unusual shape, I soon warmed to the aft cabin. It has a cathedral ceiling with an opening hatch at the top like a skylight. You can't stand, but there is room to sit up in bed. The bedhead has storage lockers and there is a cupboard near the cabin entrance with drawers and shelves but no hanging space. I will let history be the judge of the white carpet.

The second ensuite in the far aft port corner doubles as a dayhead. It has a porcelain sink, electric loo and shower stall with sliding perspex screen. This needs a re-think as it didn't feel solid enough to withstand regular use. There was too much movement, and a wayward lunge could easily pull the curtain and the perspex divider out of their footings.

SPORTY DRIVE
I was really impressed by the handling of Mustang's new 4200. The view from the helm seat is unimpeded by the windscreen framework. The boat rides with a flat running attitude, which ensures the view is clear, and the sharp forefoot cuts through the waves. Most of the displaced water is thrown astern, not onto the screen. While there are no wipers, an application of Rainex should suffice.

In the waning afternoon light we voyaged across Sydney Heads and back down Port Jackson, where I planted the throttles and indulged in some circuit work. The boat is a lot of fun to drive off the wheel - sporty, true to its lines, and with an impressive top speed of 35kt at 4800rpm.

Comfortable cruising was found anywhere from 22.2kt at 3500rpm to 28.1kt at 4000rpm. As the sun set in the west I pulled the throttle back and idled into the marina. It may have been one of the shortest days but it was one of the best short-order drives of the year.

Mustang's 4200 offers as much accommodation as its flash big brother, the 4600, but at a little over half the price. With a Sydney Boat Show price of $430,000 including a $20,000 rebate, it's more accessible buying.

The 4200 has sun-drenched decks and protected outdoor areas. And while the first thing I did when I returned home was take a hot bath, I could have showered down below. The amenities make this a year-round proposition. If you're not convinced, check out the new Mustang 4200 hardtop, which is due to be released this winter, for yourself.

Lows