With the national boat show circuit underway throughout Australia, manufacturers are rolling out new models and there are bargains to be had as dealers clear the decks of current stock. BARRY WISEMAN reports from Bunbury.

INTERNATIONAL freighters parted the waves of Bunbury’s inner harbour as more shipments of woodchips were exported from this South-West hub.

Skipper Troy Repacholi of Sportsmarine was at the wheel of the Cruise Craft E695 Hard Top, a significant upgrade on the earlier soft top model.

Back at the jetty this craft looked much larger, with Troy highlighting the latest curved windscreen, sliding side windows mounted within the port and starboard framework, plus its stylish hard top, which in this case was finished in a highly polished black underside.

Complementing this was the full rear shade over the cockpit, again in black.

The addition of camper covers totally enclosed the aft section, ideal for family sleep overs when the vessel is converted into a caravan on the water.

The new sliding side windows were a hit with me.

The design reduces the chance of saltwater corrosion developing within the usual channels and rubber seals.

Speaking from experience and particularly so with aluminium vessels, washing the seals with a salt-free agent after use is most important because when saltwater dries the sodium residue starts to erode the metal.

That’s not a problem with this fibreglass vessel, but the hot sun also attacks rubber seals, allowing water to get in.

Cruise Craft designers have taken all steps to avoid that happening on its fleet, making sure the forward screen and side windows fit on the outside lip of the cabin upper deck mould during the manufacturing stage.

Water running down the windows flows to the outside of the vessel and not inside, preventing leaks or interior flooding.

Besides, these new-look sliding windows are very stylish.

They are just one the features of the E695HT that will impress.

Sportsmarine Boat Centre of Bunbury is the sole WA agent and has used this vessel as its demonstration model.

Therefore, it’s optioned up with everything you need for offshore fishing and family boating.

All those extras you find you need after buying the basic model have been added to this package.

It can be extremely expensive when adding options and it could take you a long time if you decided to do it yourself.

With a demo model, all the hard and often awkward work has been done, plus there can be a huge saving on price.

It’s like buying a demo model car and the savings on this rig run into tens of thousands of dollars.

Some of the options are obvious.

As mentioned, there’s the shade cover and stainless-steel framework over the cockpit; LED lightbar on the cabin roof; upgraded radio antennas with stainless bases; dual window wipers; electric anchor winch; rear deck LED floodlights; upgraded Yamaha F250 XSB2 four-stroke engine sporting the new white colour theme and raised chrome decals; upgraded Easy Tow Alloy heavy duty tandem trailer; the list goes on.

Stepping aboard you notice the twin fridge/freezer units under the seats, and there’s even a pie warmer.

Any owner will be spoilt on this Cruise Craft.

After launching, you open the starboard side door and walk aboard.

No balancing on the gunwales or jumping into the cockpit.

Simply, and safely, load your family and friends and you’re off.

Heavy duty stainless safety railing on the cabin roof and rear cabin walls helps if you must launch using the port side to board.

On a busy boat ramp, it’s not always possible to choose which side of the jetty to use, but thankfully here in WA most public ramps under the control of the Department of Transport do have dedicated launch and retrieve lanes, which helps greatly.

Seadeck foam is laid on the side decks as well as the helm/cockpit, with large kill tanks port and starboard.

Also below deck is the 40-litre freshwater tank plus 350 litres of fuel.

The coamings are upholstered and the six rod holders also have stainless steel drink/sinker wells nearby.

At night blue LEDs illuminate the gunwales and live-bait tank, plus there is blue underwater lighting to attract the baitfish and squid.

On the transom, four batteries supply power to the E695HT, backed up with a solar panel on the cabin roof.

The plumbing to the bait tank astern is also hooked up to the high-output deck wash, plus a hand wash for use after handling the bait and your catch.

All very sensible features well thought out by fishers and regular boaters, people making up the Cruise Craft design team.

The company also boasts it welcomes and listens to its customer feedback.

For many years Cruise Craft has organised yearly events where CC owners come together for a few days of fishing, boating, and exchanging information.

In May this year, the 2024 Team Cruise Craft Tour included WA for the first time.

Cruise Craft owners met up at Busselton for a four-day event, swapping information, wetting a line, and getting a glimpse of the new range of vessels planned for this summer.

Cruise Craft’s marketing manager, Andrew Mckinstray, said eight CC owners took part and the company looked forward to extensive growth for the Team Event program in WA, especially with the launch of more new models this summer.

It will be interesting to see if and how the designers improve on this model because as it stands it was already a top class and very versatile vessel.

It’s easy to get on and off the vessel, either on the hardstand, at the jetty, or for bathers boarding via the ladder and transom door aft.

A user-friendly boat, it is a very stable one underway and at rest.

I would imagine it will be the company’s other models which will be brought up to the specs of this latest design.

Grab rails are at arm’s reach away; the bait station is sturdy; moving around is easy with plenty of space in the cockpit; there’s heaps of food storage; quality seating and sleeping arrangements and with the Yamaha 250hp motor you have a substantial and quality outfit.

Not forgetting the heavy-duty alloy trailer.

The black and white colour theme is classy.

The new fibreglass hard top is streamlined with its exterior white gel and highly polished black under interior, keeping reflections to a minimum.

The front and side overhangs throw plenty of shade across the windows, while any rain and spray will run off away from window surrounds.

The roof lining is fitted with screw hatches for easy access to wire up the roof-top speakers, marine radios and the like.

Plus, there’s plenty of height to suit the tallest person.

For the skipper, the dash console is clean and spacious.

The review vessel was fitted with a Garmin 8416XSV chartplotter/sonar combo unit, flush fitted.

To complement the 16-inch monitor, a second Garmin 8412XSV unit was mounted on the dash shelf behind the curved windscreen, above the entrance into the cabin sleeping quarters.

An upholstered binnacle at the helm housed the display monitors for the Yamaha, the Lenco trim tabs, and the controls for the Stressfree drum anchor winch on the bow.

The lower helm station had the stainless power switch panel, ignition, and twin recessed stainless drink holders.

The starboard cabin wall is recessed for the fly-by-wire digital controls plus the GPS Helm Master joystick for the latest in digital steering.

On the port side there is a similar shelf with drink holder, plus a second shelf which houses the 12V pie warmer.

Very handy for the crew to take care of an early morning bacon and egg burger or pie and sauce.

These small ovens are a portable device which plug into a cigarette lighter socket and draw around 8-10 amps, so it’s recommended to have the engine running during the heating process.

The makers claim you can cook a meal in these ovens as well as heat food.

The stainless-steel body is insulated and has a temperature range up to around 190C.

They come with mounting brackets and the unit was the Travel Buddy brand, which is designed and manufactured in Australia.

The high-backed armchair seats are made by Relaxn and come with bolster cushions.

They are mounted on stainless-steel frames with fridge/freezer storage underneath.

The step-down into the cabin provides extra height and the bunks come with an infill mattress converting the sleeping arrangements into a double bed.

A plumbed toilet is found between the two bunks and the lockable tinted carbon fibre sliding door adds privacy.

Cabin shelving either side is large and upholstered.

The transom has a heavy-duty bait station with plumbed bait tank and viewing window.

The kill tanks below deck are also plumbed and insulated so you can use one for extra food and drink storage.

The baitboard has four rod holders and sinker wells built into the stainless-steel frame, while the framework also carries a bank of rod holders on a rear targa.

Again, upholstered coamings along the transom aid anglers leaning against the side walls and guards against injury.

Grab rails are recessed into the side decks, and the cockpit pockets on the port side also hold rod storage.

The starboard side is interrupted due to the heavy-duty side door.

Both sides have reinforced footrests to aid getting in and out of the vessel.

The underseat fridge/freezer units have padded lids which double as dickie seats.

Cruise Craft say this 2023 E695HT is the company’s most advanced hull yet, featuring the latest design and this Sportsmarine Boat Centre demo model with an extensive list of factory-fitted options represented a huge $20,000 saving on the factory-direct pricing.

NUTS & BOLTS

• Model: Cruise Craft E695 Hard Top
• Length: 6.95m
• Beam: 2.48m
• BMT weight: 2.95kg
• People: 7
• Fuel: 350 litres
• H.P.: 250hp (max)
• Manufacturer: Cruise Craft, Hemmant, Queensland
• Agent: Sportsmarine Boat Centre; 57 Strickland Street, Bunbury; Ph (08) 9721 4390; www.sportsmarine.com.au
• Pricing: $288,775 as tested (discounted $21,225)

PROS & CONS

Pros:

• Cruise Craft’s most advanced build to date.
• Versatile fishing and family boating.
• Packed with options – no more to spend.
• Spacious cabin and cockpit, with full camper covers.
• Dual fuel fillers, improved sliding window design.
• Starboard side door for boarding and retrieving catch.
• Reliable and latest Yamaha 250hp outboard.
  

Cons:

• Optioned up to the max, it is hard to think of what more could be added to the extremely well built and reputable brand. Certainly, it’s a major spend but an investment that will last for years and give untold hours of pleasure to anglers and families seeking pleasure on the water.