CRUISE CRAFT EXPLORER 625

Cruise Craft's recently-released Explorer 625 is a perfect example of how a serious offshore fishing boat can double up very nicely for family and social usage. Call it a split personality if you like, but whichever way you characterise them, dual purpose fishing/family boats are something Cruise Craft do very well and have done for generations.

In the past 12 months, a third generation of Brisbane's Nichols family (who began building boats in 1946) has taken over the running of Cruise Craft's Hemmant factory. Since the very beginning, serious fishing and family have always been what the Nichols clan do in their boats and 3 generations of refinement craftsmanship and family pride is what you see in today’s Cruise Craft boats. You could say that the Explorer 625 is a boat straight from the heart because that's exactly what it is.

Cruise Craft build two parallel model lines in boats like this called ‘Explorer’ and ‘Outsider.’ They come in incremental sizes of 500 (5 m Explorer only), 575 (5.7 m), 625 (6.2 m) and 685 (6.8 m Outsider only.)

Cruise Craft's Explorer 625 is the latest in a line of classic offshore fishing/family boats from one of Queensland's leading boat builders.

The two models differ in that Explorers have relatively more cockpit space and a full beam but smaller cuddy cabin, while Outsiders have a relatively longer cabin with a walkway along its sides to the bows; and a slightly shorter cockpit.

Models the same length share identical hulls. For instance, the Explorer 625's hull is the same as the Outsider 625's, so when it comes to riding in the latest Explorer, history records that as the Outsider 625, the hull has already established itself an enviable reputation for good manners and a comfortable ride offshore.

In 2005, Cruise Craft introduced some significant changes not only to the new Explorer 625, but also to all their Explorer and Outsider models. These hulls are now foam-filled to comply with an international ‘CE’ rating, a standard exceeding new Australian safety regulations in effect from July this year.

The Explorer 625 you see in the nearby pics is a fully optioned model set up for the Cruise Craft's team to fish major fishing tournaments around southern Queensland. The beautifully executed stainless steel targa bar and bimini top, the well designed workstation perched on the transom and a very well done folding transom seat are all options.

A few weeks previously, however, I'd been on the water in a basic Explorer 625 and was still impressed by its inventory. Many things that other manufacturers supply as options are standard fittings here.

These include a neat bow rail (stainless steel work to Cruise Craft's usual exemplary standard of course.), an armoured glass windscreen with a solid grab bar (both absolute essentials for rough water and never more so than during bar crossings.), and a huge underfloor storage well (which any fisho would consider a fish box and doesn’t need insulating now that the surrounding area is foam-filled). Lastly, there’s a folding telescopic boarding ladder beside the transom door, which should be standard on all boats. Let's face it; it's the only way to get aboard with dignity intact when a boat's on its trailer or a beach.

The Explorer's helm area is well sheltered, with extra storage for tackle boxes and ice boxes available under the pipe framed seat mounts.

Stop Press

As we went to print, Cruise Craft proudly announced that their new Explorer 625 had taken out ‘Best Trailerable Fishing Boat 2005’in the prestigious AMIF awards presented at Sanctuary Cove Boat Show.