Voyager V625 Getaway: Review

Powered catamaran manufacturer Voyager Catamarans has unveiled a wonderfully finished new 6.1 m trailerable cat called the V625 Getaway. This full-featured hardtop cruiser/fisher has a great hull and an interior layout cleverly designed to maximise the available space.

OVERVIEW
- Voyager Cats adds a hardtop cruiser to its V625 line-up
Powered catamaran manufacturers have been doing it tough in recent years, as evidenced by the closure of some leading brands. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Some local manufacturers are prospering, including Queensland company Voyager Catamarans.

Voyager is best known for its high-end powered cruising catamarans which start at 10.0m in length and extend through to a sophisticated 13m flybridge cruiser. However, a few years ago Voyager ventured into the trailerable powered cat market with a cabin model called the V625. A single, fairly basic model called the Classic was launched initially, but this was followed by an offshore fishing model called the V625 Sport Fish, and a cruiser/weekender version called the Family Hardtop.

Now, Voyager’s Derek Appleton has combined everything he has learned to date from the design and development of the V625 series to create a family/fishing model called the Getaway – and it’s a beauty!

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Flagship Voyager trailerable model has all the good gear
Launched at the 2015 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, the Voyager V625 Getaway is an exciting new addition to the trailerable powered cat market. It bears no comparison to the plain, basic fishing cats of years past, but is a powered cat for the modern era with an excellent standard of finish and fit-out.

The Getaway is the flagship of the V625 range, and is outfitted and priced accordingly. There are relatively few options as all the good gear is included – and there’s lots of it.

Key features include the large double berth, port side cabin toilet and shower (with full standing headroom), lock-up cabin, hardtop with toughened glass windscreen and sliding side windows, wide instrument panel, overhead radio locker, deluxe swiveling helm seats on storage boxes, four additional cockpit squab seats, wide side coamings with upholstered side panels, large, self-draining rear cockpit with removable table, twin 180-litre fuel tanks, 60-litre freshwater tank, hydraulic steering, and a boarding platform with ladder.

Fishing features include a plumbed live-bait tank, clever rotating cutting board set-up, ice box/sink, salt and freshwater deck wash, above floor side storage pockets (with good toe-under grip), four flush-fitted stainless rod holders, recessed cockpit coaming rails, and stainless-steel deck hardware throughout.

Packaged with a pair of 90hp four-stroke Suzuki outboards, and riding on an Oceanic tandem axle trailer with electric/hydraulic break-away brakes, the standard Voyager Getaway package is priced from $119,950. That’s a fair sum, but you do get a lot of boat for your money.

Options fitted to the test rig included a power upgrade to twin 115hp extra-longshaft Suzuki four-stroke outboards, an anchor winch, stainless steel framed cockpit awning, full camper covers and electronics – which comprised a Lowrance HDS 12 touch-screen GPS/Fish Finder, Lowrance Link5 VHF radio and a Fusion stereo.

With the extra gear, the Getaway is priced at around $136,700. But for a pair of outriggers, and a barbeque for cooking (both optional) the test boat was ready to fish or cruise.

The Voyager Getaway is the top of the range and most expensive of the V625s. The other models don’t have quite the gear and equipment – but they are significantly cheaper. Consider that the Classic model starts at around $75k for a BMT package, while the Sport Fish fishing version is priced from just under $100k with dual 90hp four-stroke outboards.

All variations of the Voyager V625 will require a trailer with break-away brakes, as the BMT packages will exceed 2000kg – and most models will be in the 2.2 – 2.7 tonne range on a tandem-axle galvanised steel trailer.

INTERIOR LAYOUT
- Versatile layout suits fishing and family boating
The layout in the Getaway has been cleverly designed for both fishing and family boating. The cabin is particularly well thought-out. Using the depth of the hull sponsons, combined with a higher deck and dash moulding, Voyager’s Derek Appleton has created a remarkably spacious cabin area.

On the starboard side of the cabin there is an enormous underberth storage locker which houses the 60-litre freshwater tank and pump system.

Opposite, just inside the cabin entry there is a toilet and shower area which has full standing (183cm) headroom. So you can take a shower or get changed after a swim in relative comfort. It is a lot roomier in the forward cabin area than comparable sized powered catamarans.

Other features include a double size berth with three cloth-covered berth cushions (so they can be stacked over on the starboard side when not in use) and drawers for clothes, life jackets, etc.

The wiring is hidden in a compartment behind a So-Pac hatch while a clear acrylic hatch in the forepeak provides internal access to the foredeck and dual anchor wells.

In inshore and calm seas it is easier to reach the foredeck by climbing around the cabin sides as the side decks are wide and there are plenty of hand-holds.

The dual anchor wells are large and the test boat was fitted with an optional anchor winch.

A feature of note is a telescopic stainless steel ladder which extends off the bow on the port side so you can easily board the boat from the beach or boat ramp. Great feature!

The forward cabin is separated from the helm and saloon area by a full cabin bulkhead and lockable bi-fold style cabin door. The high dash is part of a separate mould specially created for the Getaway model to increase the headroom in the forward cabin, and to provide lots of real estate on the fascia for flush fitted engine gauges and electronics – such as the big 12” Lowrance HDS12 on the test rig.

The steering wheel is well positioned for the helmsman, the engine gauges almost at eye level, and the binnacle-mounted twin throttles fall comfortably to hand when running the boat in a seaway.

We found the boat most comfortable to drive while standing up and with the bolster on the front of the helm seat flipped-up and out of the way.

Seated, with the bolster lowered, we could reach the helm and throttle well enough, but the addition of a fore and aft slider would have allowed for more back support and improved the seated driving position.

Vision through the toughened glass windscreen and side windows was excellent – though we did experience some sun glare off the dash at certain angles. We have found this to be an issue with several hardtop craft we have tested in recent times. A black rubber matt, or painting the top of the dash in a dark colour may provide the solution.

Storage areas are plentiful in the Getaway. Wide cockpit side storage pockets compliment the large helm seat boxes, co-pilot side shelf and huge underberth locker in the cabin. There is also an underfloor kill tank option for anglers.

Moving aft, the self-draining rear cockpit is large. It stretches 2.75m from the cabin bulkhead to the transom, and is 2.18m across. It is perfectly designed for fishing or family boating – with 720mm of freeboard, great “toe-under” support beneath the side pockets, and the coamings are nice and wide for fitting rod holders, outriggers, and more.

For family outings a table slots into a socket in the cockpit floor and is easily reached by any of the four surrounding cockpit seats. For fishing, the rear seat squabs can be folded down – or removed completely.

At the transom there is a sink/ice box with freshwater shower built into the rear deck on the starboard side, while a good sized live-bait tank (plumbed) and salt-water deck-wash lies opposite.

A bait/cutting board slots into a rod holder in the deck near the bait tank and is cleverly designed so that it can be swiveled into a variety of positions, including directly over the boarding platform.

The batteries are accessible on platforms under the transom, along with engine and pump plumbing etc.

ON THE WATER
- Soft ride and good performance from slim but buoyant hulls
A good powered catamaran is enjoyable to drive at sea and we expected great things from the Voyager V625 Getaway. We were not disappointed. In smoother conditions than we would have liked the Voyager easily met out expectations for ride comfort, stability and overall performance.

The Voyager’s foam-filled hull is a beauty. The hull sponsons are quite fine and narrow in shape at the entry, but they widen to provide the buoyancy needed for the hull to lift out of wave troughs in a following sea. The pronounced “wave breaker” fairing in the tunnel also contributes to forward lift – as well as reducing tunnel slap at displacement trolling speeds.

The Voyager is exceptionally stable at rest, and solid and surefooted underway. With the hardtop and high superstructure you will get some wind-list in a beam sea, but this is easily correct with trim adjustments to the engines.

The V625 accepts outboards from 70hp, though twin 90hp four-strokes is recommended as a minimum to take advantage of the hull characteristics – and to have reserve power for bar crossings, etc.

The test rig was fitted with a pair of Suzuki 115hp extra-longshaft (25”) outboards which provided ample acceleration and a top speed just shy of 40knots. Twin 115s is the maximum recommended for the Voyagers and more than enough for recreational applications.

VERDICT
- A stand-out performer with an innovative design and layout
Modern, trailerable powered catamarans are much better finished, and better equipped than their predecessors from the 1970s and 1980s, but few can compare with the new Voyager V625 Getaway. With regard to finish and fit-out, design and innovation, handling and performance, the V625 stands out from the crowd. This versatile, family/fisher cross-over cat is a ripper – and is certain to attract buyers looking for a craft capable of performing more than one role.

In trailerable terms, the V625 is a big rig, but at around 2.4 – 2.6 tonnes complete, it is readily trailerable behind modern 3.0 tonne rated 4WD vehicles.

LIKES
>> Clever cabin layout
>> Full standing headroom in toilet
>> Soft ride with great stability
>> Family/fishing cross-over layout
>> Excellent finish and fit-out
>> Plenty of storage and seating

NOT SO MUCH
>>Glare/reflection off the dash from hardtop
>> No helm seat slider
>> Needs an option for a transom door/gate

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.74/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.9/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.7/5.0
Value for money: 4.6/5.0
X-factor: 4.7/5.0

PERFORMANCE
6.4kts (12km/h) @ 1500rpm
7.7kts (14km/h) @ 2000rpm
9.4kts (17km/h) @ 2500rpm
12.1kts (22km/h) @ 3000rpm
17.5kts (32km/h) @ 3500rpm
23.1kts (43km/h) @ 4000rpm
27.0kts (50km/h) @ 4500rpm
30.1kts (56km/h) @ 5000rpm
34.0kts (63km/h) @ 5500rpm
38.4kts (71km/h) @ 6100rpm (WOT)

Specifications:
Price: $136,700 including 2 x Suzuki 115hp extra-longshaft (25”) four-stroke outboards, tandem axle Oceanic trailer with electric/hydraulic break-away brakes, Lowrance HDS12 touch-screen fish finder/GPS, Lowrance Link5 VHF radio, Fusion stereo system with speakers, electric anchor winch, stainless steel cockpit awning and full cockpit camper covers.

Price from: $75,000 for the Classic model with twin 75hp four-stroke outboards. Standard Getaway model priced from $119,950 including 2 x Suzuki 90hp extra-longshaft (25”) four-stroke outboards and tandem axle Oceanic trailer with electric/hydraulic break-away brakes.
Length overall: 7.0m
Hull length: 6.1m
Beam: 2.37m
Dry weight: Approx. 1550kg (test boat)
Towing weight: 2700kg (test boat)
Deadrise: N/A
Draft: Approx. 400mm (motors up)
Maximum power: 2 x 115hp
Engine as tested: 2 x Suzuki 115hp four-stroke outboards
Fuel: 2 x 180 litres
Freshwater: 60 litres
Maximum Persons: Seven

Supplied by:
Voyager Catamarans
Phone: 0417 780 600
Email: info@voyagercats.com.au
Website www.voyagercats.com.au