Whittley CR2180 powered by Mercury 135hp

The CR2180 was the second of the Whittley cruisers that we got to test recently on the Gold Coast. It was an ordinary, showery and cool sort of day – by Gold Coast standards at least – so it was nice to be in an enclosed rig rather than an open centre console or the like.

In fact, as I age, I appreciate a little comfort on the water after decades of being beaten by the sun and wind. I turned 50 this year, so maybe that’s what happens when you reach the half-century. Your eyesight goes downhill and you start to like comfortable boats?

Whittley’s CR2180 is the second smallest cruiser in their range.

Only the rear duckboards have the custom Whittley rubber-style stick-on decking.

Social seating options are a Whittley Cruiser highlight. The 2150 has a fold-up table and gunwale seating.

Here’s the Cruiser set up for entertaining. This rig is ideal for a couple of people.

Social seating options are a Whittley Cruiser highlight. The 2150 has a fold-up table and gunwale seating.

The Mercury 135hp, 3.0L 4-stroke keeps the costs down, but maximum horsepower is 150, provided by the same configuration engine.

With the infill fitted, the cabin is big enough to berth two people in relative comfort.

The windlass fits neatly in this compartment.

Although there’s no fridge in this model, there is room for cooler storage.

Whittley’s Cruiser dashes are neat and can fit all of the electronics you need.

The 135hp Mercury delivered 1.7km/L at the optimum cruising speed of 3500rpm and 42km/h.

There’s no lockable, sliding door. A curtain separates the cockpit from the cabin and offers privacy when using the loo.

Whittley’s clip-on flooring runs right through to the front of the cabin.

Whittley’s clip-on flooring runs right through to the front of the cabin.

Access to the bow is through the front hatch, although most cruisers will be ordered with an anchor winch fitted.

Entry to the boat is easy while on the trailer, with the folding rear boarding ladder.

The 110L tank gives a maximum theoretical range of nearly 200km.

The Whittley CR 2180 (CR stands for Cruiser) is the second smallest cruiser in the Whittley range. In short, it’s perfect for people to take their friends on a trip for the day but equally as comfortable for a couple to spend a night on the water. If you want to do that with more space for you and your family, you’ll probably want to look at the CR 2380 that we ran a few months ago, which offers an extra double bed and a lockable cabin door as an option.

  According to Whittley staffer, Gary Honeychurch, who chaperoned us on the test drive “The CR 2180 is the perfect mid-sized cruiser for the bay, rivers and lakes with comfortable seating in the spacious cockpit. It comes standard with a sink, shower and toilet. There’s room for a cooler in the test rig which has also had optional 12 volt outlets fitted to power it. The other advantage of this boat is that you can tow it with nearly any car with a 2.5t towing capacity or any standard twin-cab ute once you load it with all of your stuff, water and fuel for a weekend away it would be the perfect match” he said.

There’s a privacy curtain for sleeping and using the loo, and offers high headspace in the cabin with a plush headlining fabric and cabin light. There is also room to install a small screen TV and aerial for those perfect overnighters for couples or day trips with the family.

We did like the clip-in, washable synthetic flooring. Whittley seem to be finding a balance between functionality and price in these rigs. Their proprietary rubber flooring is still fixed to the duckboards, but there’s a definitely a horses-for-courses approach.

As is standard on Whittley cruisers, the seating is well designed for serving a meal or chatting socially. There’s a table in front of the outboard well, and the built-in seating pairs with gunwale seats add to the atmosphere.

In the case of overnighting in this boat, it was fitted with a full canopy, which keeps the warmth in and the bugs out at night, whether you’re on water or land.

When running with full canopies, this rig is noticeably less efficient than a low-profile hull of the same length. Still, if you drive it economically (the Merc achieved 1.7km/L at the optimum cruising speed of 3500rpm and 42km/h) you’ll get more range out of the small-ish 110L underfloor fuel tank than if you drive around like a maniac (5000rpm have 61km/h and 1.4km/L). However, the gap isn’t as pronounced as in other craft where you can easily double range by going easy on the stick.

There are definitely plenty of features packed into a Whittley. I can understand why people love them and make these boats a major part of their life.

Packages with this hull start at $126,405.00 and comes standard with a Mercury 135 XL (mechanical) 4 stroke engine and Mackay dual axle trailer. (Also available as a sterndrive with a Volvo Penta V6 200hp engine)

For more information, visit your local Whittley dealership or search www.whittley.com.au.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Hull length 6.32m
Beam 2.35m
Height on trailer 2.45m
Width on trailer 2.35m
Transom deadrise 19°
Max HP 150HP
Fuel 110L
Water 40L
Capacity 6 persons

PERFORMANCE:

RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (km/L)
1000 8 0.1
2000 15 0.4
3000 30 1.4
3500 42 1.7
4000 51 1.5
4800 54 1.4
WOT 61 1.4