Noosa Cat 670 Sportsman

Shark Cats established a strong name for themselves in those early days of powercats - and, equally, spawned their own folklore. Some was negative, some positive - which you believed depended very much on which side you sat on the 'mono versus multi' fence.

The latest NoosaCats have been refined to the point where they have little in common with the Shark Cats of old - save for overall appearance.

Still, it's only when you have travelled in a few older Shark Cats that you can fully appreciate the improvements in the performance of the latest NoosaCat hulls. In particular the new generation (especially the smaller boats) are more stable, have greater buoyancy and deliver a much drier ride.

These attributes are the result of the company's redesign of its cats' hulls. In the new generation boats, among other changes, the planing section of each sponson has been extended forward to give the boat a longer planning surface. This in turn keeps more of the hull in the water resulting in increased buoyancy and stability. An additional benefit is the reduction of the sensation of the bow section 'dropping out' from under you while quartering a sea.

The good news is that the new 670 series NoosaCat exhibits none of the old cats' bad habits along with retaining the traditional cat quality of excellent rough water handling.

It's no coincidence that cats are extremely popular with rescue groups and water police. (This is no more obvious than via Network Nine's current hit television series Water Rats. Nemesis the big blue and white star is a NoosaCat.)

The new 670 exhibits a vastly superior ride to that of the old cats. In its latest design the NoosaCat hull has a wider outside chine which reduces spray and improves the lift of the boat and its planing ability.

The other obvious change is the 'wave piercer' incorporated at the bow end of the tunnel section. This only comes into play in extreme conditions (rough seas and high speeds) but is designed to break the waves before they can reach the relatively flat tunnel and cause jarring.

Down on the 670's transom the hull has been extended with the addition of outboard pods. Once again these increase the planning area of the hull. They also provide additional buoyancy for the standard fitment extra long shaft outboards.

While all these changes alone provide only incremental improvements, combined they result in a vessel that is very quick out of the hole, remarkably stable, and can maintain planing speeds at relatively low revs.

Fitted with twin V-four 115hp Yamaha engines, our testboat delivered a top speed of nearly 80kmh. Indeed, the midrange engines were a good allround match for the 670.

Making the most of the cat's inherent safety advantage of twin powerplants, a three-way trim system allows one engine to be raised and the vessel powered by the remaining mill. As you would expect, in this trim, the 670 was a little slower getting out of the water but once on the plane it delivered a respectable 60kmh top-speed.

NoosaCat rates the 670 up to twin 135s - a far cry from the twin 200hp units similar-sized 'old' cats needed to perform. For the record, powerplants as small as twin 90's would do the job, though I think they could struggle when a bit of load and sea combine. After all this is still a big trailerboat.

One other aspect of the 670's on-water performance worth mentioning is its dryness. As noted above, the new generation hulls have greatly reduced the amount of spray generated and the air passing through the tunnel of the boat efficiently drags the rest away.

Even after crossing the Noosa bar and playing around offshore, there was virtually no spray in the cockpit nor on the engine cowls. This is quite a contrast from the early Shark Cats.

The huge rectangular cockpit of the 670 is a prime attraction for anglers, divers and professional boat users. As far as bluewater anglers go, it means a whole heap of room to move around and play fish.

Such is the room in the 670's cockpit that you could mount a small gamechair and still have more than sufficient room to work the deck.

The 670's non-skid flow-coat finish is very easy to maintain and as a self-draining design it can be easily washed down at home or on the water.

Also a boon for anglers is the walk-through transom. A centreline duckboard with a good sturdy set of handrails makes it easy to access to fight a fish around the pod-mounted engines should the need arise.

In fact, I can see anglers using the platform regularly while the skipper backs down on that special fish. We simulated this a few times during the test and as the stern of the 670 actually lifts a little as you back down on the fish this sort of manoeuvring is comfortable for both angler and crew.

In basic form the 670 offers storage for gaffs, etc, in sidepockets that run the length of the aft deck. For the helmsman and passenger Reelax swivel seats are mounted on storage boxes.

For the record, the 670 does have two small bunks in the bow section, however the cabin is small and not really designed for overnight accommodation. Generally you end up storing a few tubs in here with extra fishing gear, ropes, floats, etc. It's a sleep-over proposition only at a pinch.

The big cat naturally has a very wide dash with heaps of room for electronics. Basic instrumentation and controls are conventionally, but clearly laid out.

With such a diverse group of potential customers, NoosaCat chose to leave its standard boat pretty basic. There are however, a mountain of options available to purchasers.

The beauty of this approach is that customers can order exactly the boat they want.

From NoosaCat's point of view, it can offer a well-finished vessel that is competitively priced with mono hulls of similar size.

There will always be anglers who swear by cats, and those that swear at them. In the 670 Sportsman, NoosaCat has gone a long way towards setting the record straight.