Power Cat 2400 Sports Cab

Power Cat's 2400 Sports Cab is the smaller brother of the 3000 version which took out the award for the 2006 AMIF Fishing Boat of the Year in the non-trailerable section.

And if this rig appears before the AMIF judges next year, it might well get a guernsey in the fishing trailerable section.

At 7.4m in length, and featuring a beam of 2.5m, it is at the maximum width for a trailerboat on most state and territory roads and is capable of being pulled by a LandCruiser or Nissan Patrol.

The test rig was fitted with twin 90hp Suzuki four-strokes that were manipulated by a single hydraulic ram with a drag link to the second motor. The ram and drag link were installed through the walkout plank between the two engines. Access to this gear and the twin batteries was via a hatch in the plank, which had a lip under the hatch to stop water from getting inside. When not counter rotating, steering in reverse was not compromised and backing down was a dry affair.

 A handrail provided a degree of safety when walking through this area from the half-cut transom bulkhead. A fold-down ladder at the end of the plank makes disembarking easy. A safety barrier runs flush with the coamings across the transom bulkhead to prevent one from falling out onto the plank.

Isolator switches for the twin batteries were installed in a rebate in the inner liner of that bulkhead and rebates in the wings coming up from the engine wells held fenders neatly out of the way.

VERSATILE COCKPIT
The work area of the cockpit is as versatile as I've seen on any boat. It has an aft corner lounge port and starboard and, while the back rest is permanently fixed to the inner liner, the cushions may be removed to facilitate access to the stowage area within. Alternatively, the entire module may be unclipped and removed from the boat to open up the deck for serious gamefishing. A table pedestal base in the cockpit deck turns this area into a handy dinette when the table top, stowed at the front of the galley helm seat module, is retrieved.

If you're looking for more sleeping space, an infill may be used across the corner lounge bases to provide a second double berth.

The galley unit is similar to the 3000 Sports Cat version, but without the gas cooker installed. It does, however, have a good-sized bench top on which a portable cooker may be used, and a plumbed sink. The aft end of the unit has a refrigerator and rounded corner cupboards have plenty of space for utensils, crockery and cutlery. The front end of the galley unit features seat bases that can fold out of the way into rebates.

Further wet stowage is within a deck compartment on the wide walkthrough to the starboard side of the galley. This may be used as a kill tank or as an icebox.

The helm station sideliners at this point are honeycombed with sidepockets and hatched compartments.

 Instrumentation at the wheel is neatly laid out. The gauges are on a high brow, radios are down lower, and engine controls are within comfortable reach. The hatched compartment near the helm would be handy for items such as sunscreen and keys, and the entire area was shaded by a canvas bimini running off a stainless steel targa, which featured a rocket launcher on top. Clears were an option on this rig and standard was the surround handrail above the wraparound windscreen.

The test boat was fitted with a Windlass electric winch. The safest way of getting to the bow if you had to untangle any of the ground tackle is via the large hatch in the cabin roof because the foot space around the outside of the cabin from the cockpit is limited. Once on the front though, there is enough room for a couple of people to lounge back in the sun.

Like its big brother, the cabin was surprisingly expansive. A double bed was installed here and there was enough room to sit upright at one end of the bed. A couple of sidepockets are available around the cabin and a vertical wardrobe sits at the back of a removable portable toilet secreted at the forward end of the entry.

SMOOTH MOVES
Underway, the boat settled in to a cruise of 30km/h,with engines running at 3500rpm, which would provide some credible economy given the advantages of four-stroke engines. Wound out to 5800rpm for 63km/h, getting home quickly wouldn't be a problem.

 These boats have a flat attitude during hard cornering and tend not to lean out during such manoeuvres the way a lot of other twin hull boats do. The deep forefoot on the hulls offers good wave piercing abilities. They offer an extremely dry ride, even with wind coming onto the forequarters.

We ran the boat out from Bribie Island at the top of Moreton Bay and hardly generated any spray onto the windscreen, even though we had 15km/h winds and short, sharp chop to contend with. Coming off waves is a gentle affair with minimal banging under the hull. Manoeuvring the hull at angles over waves was very positive, with no evidence of chine walking or broaching.

This rig will be more than capable of staying with the best of them offshore and it is a good base upon which to grow a full-blown sports and gamefishing platform.

The galley could be covered with a removable top to rig baits and the like from the comfort of amidships and the large bed could be stripped of cushions and converted to a tackle table with the appropriate tie downs. The work space in the rear cockpit will be handy, whether you're locked up on a big blue or black, or perhaps notching up a few brownie points cruising around the bay in absolute comfort with the family.

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