Shopping for a family cuddy cabin

It is no accident that the first boat for many people is a small cuddy cabin. In the eyes of most newcomers, the cuddy cab represents the best value for money - and this is true to a large extent. Buying a cuddy cabin gives you the most boat for your boating dollar.

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If you have a specific purpose in mind, such as freshwater tournament fishing, then buying (say) a deluxe model V-nose punt is a worthwhile proposition. However, note that a barra boat with the “works” will cost as much, if not more than an entry-level alloy or fibreglass cuddy cabin. For this reason alone the cuddy cabin layout is the best choice for families.

Quite apart from their value for money, the cuddy cab is ideal for beginners because it can perform many functions very well: With a small cuddy you can fish coastal waters and inland impoundments, cruise the harbours with family onboard, or take the family skiing and tubing.

The cuddy may not be the best choice for any single one of these boating pursuits, but for a bit of each of them, it is ideal.

So what do you look for in a cuddy cabin? Well, I guess it depends on your priorities. Let’s identify some of the central issues involved and examine them individually.

Okay, if you’re buying the boat for family outings, then good seating is very important. The best cuddy cabs will have some kind of removable or fold-down seating in the stern, along with two bucket chairs at the helm.

Larger models may have the helm seats mounted on a box, complete with an aft-facing seat squab behind it to cater for two extra passengers.

With the rear seats, boats with a central island-style outboard engine well will normally have a folding or lift-out seat in each of the transom corners.

In contrast, cuddies with a full-width outboard well or half-pod design should have a fold-down (or removable) bench seat stretching right across the transom.

Cabin seating is also important if you have a family. Many cuddy cabs now available have berths in the cabin, but they are rarely large enough for adults to sleep on. Having said that, they are often big enough for young children up to about 10 years of age.

You'll need plenty of storage space in your new cuddy cab. You'll need it for the required safety equipment as well as extra storage for things like towels, clothes, fishing tackle, gear bags, water skis and more.

In most cuddy cabs, you’ll find there are normally side pockets on each side of the cockpit, along with an underfloor storage bin/fish box.

The better boats will also have a second or upper-level side pocket up near the helm or forward passenger seats, as well as side pockets above the berths in the cabin. If you’re really lucky, you might even find one or two models with a built-in icebox.

Cuddy cabs should also have lockers under the cabin seats or berths - unless the boat has been built to Australia's Level Flotation standard. In this case, the under-berth area will likely be filled with foam and sealed off.

Decent shelter should be a priority for anyone with a young family. After all, this is one of the principal reasons for buying a cuddy cabin.

Compared with an open boat, the cuddy's advantage is that the cabin structure provides a bulwark or shield against the weather. You should be able to sit comfortably at the helm in a good cuddy and be completely protected from the wind when running along.

Cuddy cabins are also work well with overhead canopies, side curtains and even front drop-down curtains. A full set of canopies and “clears” can completely enclose the helm and cabin area. In the southern parts of Australia, having the ability to close off the cabin area is almost essential if you plan on enjoying the boat as much as possible.

You are going to want a boat that handles safely, rides comfortably through the water, and with enough performance to meet the demands you have set for it.

That's all well and good I hear you say. But how do I tell whether one boat is any better than another? To look at them, it is often tough for even an expert to pick whether one boat will be softer riding or more stable than another.

As a general rule of thumb (and ignoring a whole range of other factors) is that a monohull with a deep vee (around a 21-degree deadrise) will be softer riding than one with a shallow vee (around an 18-degree hull shape. However, the shallow-vee hull will normally be more stable, or less “tippy” if you like.

If you’re looking at two boats with similar vee hull shapes – and most of them will be much the same – the only way to find out which boat best suits your needs is to trial them out on the water. A sea trial will reveal whether the boat is soft riding, whether it is stable or dry, and whether the outboard engine fitted to it provides enough performance.

Most Australians will buy a boat for fishing. Some may have the odd trip out onto the harbour with the family every other month, but others will consider fishing a much more serious pursuit. In either event, your new cuddy cab should, at the very least, support fishing with a reasonable degree of comfort.

Most modern cuddy cabs are suitable for casual fishing. They normally have just enough cockpit space, as well as two, and sometimes four, rod holders, bait storage bins and maybe even a live bait tank and cutting board.

Rear seats can either fold down or remove completely so you can stand and fish comfortably over the transom.

If you consider yourself a serious fisherman and plan on buying a new rig exclusively to go fishing, then the best cuddy cab will have more specific features. They include:

The above list covers some of the most desirable features. Some others include sliding helm chairs, an all-over windscreen grab rail, recessed cockpit grab rails and stern cleats, a live bait tank and an above-floor battery box.

We're working on the principle that you are buying your first, or perhaps second, boat. If this is the case, you probably don’t have a lot of experience towing boats or launching and retrieving them. Given this, you need to make sure the boat you’re interested in is not too big for your tow vehicle.

Most family-size sedans and SUVs can tow pressed alloy cuddy cabins to around 5.3m in length, and heavier fibreglass boats to about 5.0m long.

Beyond these lengths you should be looking for a bigger, more powerful tow vehicle, preferably one with all-wheel drive to make it easier to haul your larger cuddy or half cabin out of slippery boat ramps.

Generally speaking, vehicles with an automatic transmission suit towing a boat, particularly when it comes to hauling the boat out of a steep boat ramp. The torque converter in the auto can feed the power on more slowly and progressively than a manual vehicle. This puts far less strain on the drivetrain, largely because you can pull the boat out of the water gently without popping the clutch and spinning the wheels.

Modern automatic gearboxes are also well-tuned to towing, instinctively changing down gears to introduce engine braking on hills just like you would in a manual vehicle, reducing the braking strain on the car and trailer. Auto gearboxes also have sport settings that will hold gears longer before changing up, which is handy for climbing long hills.