Fisherman who like to challenge the elements and the fish well offshore have convinced CruiseCraft to re-engineer its Explorer 685 to take the new generation of 300hp outboard motors.

All new Explorer 685 models manufactured since October 1 will be rated to take 300hp, up from the previous maximum of 270hp.

CruiseCraft's Nathan Nichols told the Boatsales Network the re-rating of their top-of-the-line  model was directly attributed to customer feedback.

"Many customers had requested the big 300hp outboards on their new Explorer 685," Nichols says.

"These are people who want to have big power to run fast over long distances -- but they also appreciate the economy of running a big engine at easy revs for greater fuel efficiency. We looked at the engineering implications involved and decided it was worthwhile.

"The work involved exhaustive rechnical and practical testing to ensure the new boats not only passed the stringent requirements for CE certification but also passed on-water testing," added Nichols.

The Explorer 685 can now run the Yamaha F300 four-stroke V8, Mercury Verado 300, Suzuki DF300 and the Evinrude E300. The new hulls can also carry twin 150hp engines for those boaters who like the security of twin engines when they head way offshore.

The engineering changes cannot be made as a retrofit to existing Explorer 685 models.

Check out the CruiseCraft website for more details on the Explorer 685.