CruiseCraft Appreciation Thread

[Tangles]

suppose i better put a pic as well, really enjoying the boat, its been great on the Bay a little CC Explorer 485, have it basically sorted now

[gofishin]

here's another one for you thats just arrived down South
Attachment 93570

With Julian's permission, I have taken the liberty of quoting his post to the other thread on here.

Why? Well, it is an excellent post, and very relevant to the nature of this Thread, but also because it truly portrays the Holy Grail of the which boat 'for me' decision - IMHO. That is, how to weigh-up the compromises that suit your particular and current situation best.

It also provides some excellent feedback on the 685 from someone who has owned a lot of different boats, and who is obviously very happy with his decision.

Further, it also gives (another) glowing report on what is truly an excellent and very forgiving hull, and what traits I am reminded of every time I use mine (although an Outsider 685) in average conditions, or worse.

Lastly, it will obviously be a lot easier for people searching for information on the Explorer 685 to find it in this Thread.

PS. As individuals, our ideas and situations change - sometimes more than others. Not everyone will agree with the comments or the importance of certain compromises here, but they may give some the courage to seek out a ride or two while making the important decisions .
Cheers
Brendon

...Every boat is compromise of some sort as I have been searching for the perfect boat for some time and its taken me a while to realise this. There are pro's and cons for both Cats and Mono's and here's what I sent Hilta:
Hi Mark, yes its an interesting comparo, ive had a 680Sf Haines, an Edencraft 233 then the 660 Noosacat then a 2700 Noosacat and now the 685 Cruisecraft. it really depends on what sort of sea's that you spend most of your time in. the CC685 is a fantastic compromise hull that's stable and rides very well and is very quiet and rigid. It does not ride like the cats in bay chop as you loose that cushion and also its not like a super deepvee either in bay chop but still rides well. BUT offshore in the swells and big sea its very very good, it never puts a foot wrong and heading into the sea and swells with the trim tabs down it sticks to water like glue and uses the sharp nose to slice through and hardly get's airborne, I have past many boats punching out to the shelf that would be horrified that a CC685 went past them. Also down sea its just point and shoot and even keep a little bit of trim tab just to hold it in and it tracks true. It is not a boat for jumping waves as remember its only a 20 degree deadrise but then again cats do not like to jump waves head on either they always work better by keeping one of the hulls in the water. My CC685 has twin 115 Zukes (140's lean Burns would be the pick as I think twin 150's would be too heavy) extra layup of glass and that's about the only things ive had done over standard build. it is not a commercial build finish which is nice but can lead to exposure for damage if treated like a Kevla or Noosa with just flowcoat finishes. Offshore I am not travelling any slower than any of my Cats and using 40-50 litres less per day on a 200km distance. i'm also loving the tow compared to the old NC2700 !!!

[stevej]

my cruise craft explorer500 2004 model

[boatboy50]

Hey guys,

I can't believe it's over a year since the last post on this thread.

ive just picked up an old girl and brought it back to life so thought I'd share it with the cruisey owners.

it's a mid nineties galaxy 585xl. I don't think they built many as you never see them around, but it looks like a good boat to me.

It has a decent cockpit, plenty of cabin and a good hull underneath it. Does anyone know the origins of this hull? Is it the same as a 580 outsider hull? Or a 570 explorer? Either way it looks the package.

powered by a 140 suzuki four stroke she is very well powered and is a genuine all rounder.

ive fallen in love with this sized boat (no matter what brand) as it's a great compromise and so easy to handle, much the same as Julian's full circle above.

its just as happy 20 miles offshore as it is pulling tubes around the bay or travelling long distance on the highway.

cmon cruisey owners show us yr gems.

darren

[gofishin]

... cmon cruisey owners show us yr gems.

darren

[emoji15][emoji15][emoji15]this is a family site Darren... [emoji41]

Nice looking old girl. The cabin actually looks similar to the old Hains's.

[Chimo]

Looks good Darren. Mid 90's with a max HP of 175 and 160 lt tank should be a good family boat for you guys with enough room for the kid to kip and the big kids to have fun.

Cheers
Chimo

[boatboy50]

Thanks guys,

kids have loved jumping around the cabin while I've been working on her.

its amazing how well these old girls come up with a little tlc and minimal dollars.

id wondered about the tank size pete, so thank you. Yet to fill it to the brim, and hard to find info online or from previous owners.

darren

[Almako]

Well I haven't had time to read all the posts but I'm extremely happy with my Explorer 625, yes trim tabs are a must and I continue to have issues with getting the sounder to work at speed in deep water (refer another recent thread for my rant on that).

I really enjoy being able to handle this boat single handed although those days are few and far between.

My 625.jpg

[John Buoy]

Hi lads does anyone know what font Cruise Craft use on the rego labels wanna get a matching font for a boat name.
Thanx in advance.

[gofishin]

No JB, sorry. However I remember looking thru the MS Word fonts a long while back and found something very similar. Can't recall the Font name though.
Cheers
Brendon


Sent from my iPhone using Ausfish mobile app

[malby]

Attachment 93408Attachment 93407Attachment 93406

I just thought I would post the before and after photos of my Cruise Craft Reef Raider 166 following the major restoration just completed.

The full story is being published in Peter Webster's "The Boat Mag" (online) in 3 Parts.
The first part was published in the May issue.

Peter C

I have the same model. Mine is an original 85 model with a restored floor inc stringers.

Be great to see more pics of your rig and this article you speak of.

Cheers,

Mal

[John Buoy]

My CC Explorer 2005 just fitted a Lone Star Anchor Winch

CC 5.0mt.JPG IMG_0037.jpg IMG_0038.jpg
IMG_0045.jpg IMG_0041.jpg

[gofishin]

Nice CC JB, & nice bit of ss bling on the sprit [emoji846]. Thought you had a Markham Whaler or one of Mark's other cats?
Cheers
Brendon


Sent from my iPad using Ausfish forums

[John Buoy]

Nice CC JB, & nice bit of ss bling on the sprit [emoji846]. Thought you had a Markham Whaler or one of Mark's other cats?
Cheers
Brendon


Sent from my iPad using Ausfish forums

Yeah i did mate that sold 2 yr ago

[RayLamp]

After many years of looking and wanting, and finally figuring out how to achieve it - I can now add to this thread. To quote a friend, "she goes like a beauty!"

CC01.jpg

CC02.jpg

CC03.jpg