Cruisecats are built by Cruisecat Marine, a niche boatbuilder operating for the last four years out of Yandina on the Sunshine Coast. With all on-site work performed by a small team of skilled tradies (and lots of sub-contractors), Cruisecat Marine creates special coastal cruising powercats with plenty of fuel, water, and comfy living areas for owners and guests. A semi-custom boatbuilder, it caters “to all tastes and budgets”.

There are three models in the range - 30, 34, and 40 - and all can be configured to do various tasks, depending on individual requirements.

NEW AND IMPROVED
Pictured hereabouts is the latest Cruisecat 40, packing four outboards and boasting several improvements, like a new circular staircase instead of a ladder for improved access to the flybridge, as well as a larger rear deck.

Even so, says Cruisecat principal Geoff O’Sullivan, no two 40s are quite alike, since their owners tend to add their personal touches. For a start, there’s a choice of a larger cabin with smaller rear deck, or a smaller cabin with a larger rear deck. As you can imagine, the former configuration lends itself better to extensive interior custom-work.

Next, there’s a choice of power. All Cruisecats have either outboards or inboard diesels (outboards only for the 30). The minimum outboard rating for a 40 is a twin 60hp configuration, but this particular 40 has the maximum of four 225hp two-stroke Mercury OptiMax DTS outboards giving 900hp in total. These were selected by the owner for their simplicity, since the engines are fully computerised, have just one lead to the helm, and have fewer moving parts than four-strokes. Geoff also says they’re very economical.

To give you an idea of efficiency, the fuel consumption of the four outboards during a 432nm trip from Mooloolaba to Mackay amounted to 4.5lt/nm at 3900rpm, while powering through a 1.3m swell.

Geoff says that the owner of this particular 40, who has owned several cats over the last 30 years, was very much involved in customising the boat for serious long-range fishing. But he also required a vessel that could comfortably accommodate family and friends on weekends.

To this end, it has a large rear deck or cockpit for fishing, accommodation for up to six people, full headroom in the front cabins, and more than adequate ventilation. Fuel capacity is 1700lt and water 1000lt.

For electronics there’s a Lowrance GPS sounder and radar combination, and a TMQ autopilot with Teleflex power-assisted built-in pump.

HANDLING
But if you thought the efficiency was good, then wait until you check out the handling. The tunnel on the 40 has a high clearance and the cat gets plenty of air. According to Geoff, it simply glides over swells at 26kts.

The owner is said to have compared the ride to being on a aeroplane. In fact, he was so pleased with the Cruisecat that he even went so far as to add that he’d never been in a multihull like it, and that it was the best one he’d ever owned.

Coming from someone who has owned cats for more than 30 years, that’s probably saying something.

CRUISECAT 40
Priced from: $609,000 w/ dual outboards
Length overall: 12m
Waterline length: 11.3m
Beam: 5m
Draft: 0.6m
Displacement: 8500kg (light ship)
Accommodation: Six
Water: 1000lt
Fuel: 1700lt
Engines: Four outboards up to 900hp total; inboard option available
For more information, contact Geoff O’Sullivan at Cruisecat Marine, phone (07) 5446 7108 or visit
www.cruisecat.com.au