Whittley CR2380 powered by Mercury 225hp V-6

Finally, the time has come where I have had a ride in a Whittley cruiser. Their CR series has been made famous over decades of trailerboating – their users loving the set-up that is often compared to a ‘caravan on water’.

The Whittley guys call it a ‘Waterbago’, with the play on words with the popular American RV alluding to the fact that this boat is just at home on a powered van site as it is cruising for a several-day trip on any of Australia’s waterways.

The economy was best, however, at cruising speeds. At 48km/h you get 1.7km per litre burned. This was at 4,000rpm.

Inside the lockable cabin there is a full-size bed that is seriously luxurious.

Remove the central bunk infill and there is plenty of legroom to access the bow.

The port passenger seat swivels around to convert from traveling to socialising.

The hard, sliding cabin door allows you to lock valuables at the front.

Helm seating is comfortable and there is enough space in the dash to flush mount large MFDs.

Life is easy on-board with a fridge and a sink on the port side.

This boat is quite nimble for a big cruiser. You can see it lean into the turns.

The L-shaped starboard rear seating has miles of storage underneath.

Padded gunwales and a fold-up bench seat make the social circle complete.

There aren’t many spaces inside the boat that have not been used for clever storage options.

Access to the transom duckboard is via the port side foldable transom door.

This boat reached 69km/h at wide open throttle.

Even full of all your gear for a weekend, the 2380 is towable by any vehicle with a 3.5t towing capacity.

Although there is a hatch for front anchor access, most 2380s will come with an anchor winch.

We took the big Whittley cruiser for a run out the front of the Gold Coast. Powered by Mercury’s V6, 225hp motor, it ate up the small chop.

Whittley’s Gary Honeychurch explains.

“There’s plenty of CR (cruiser) owners who will trailer to a boating destination and use the boat as their accommodation on the way there,” he explained.

There are also various Whittley clubs spread across the country that organise trips for owners to suitable locations. The friendship and camaraderie that comes from these trips is all part of the Whittley experience.

Adding to their business model, Whittley has opened a series of factory-owned dealerships across the country, allowing consumers to talk with staff that speak the Whittley language and only deal with Whittley boats.

Whereas the other Whittley ranges are a compromise between fishing and comfort, the CRs are unashamedly a comfortable boat, which they do at the expense of fishing suitability. The CR is a boat that the less serious anglers and family members will enjoy being in.

Strange, but true, there are people like this!

We got to test a couple of Whittley CRs on the test day – a 2380 and a 2180. Both are eminently trailerable, but it’s the larger of the two that we’ll look at in this test.

The 2380 is definitely a trailerboat with all of the bells and whistles. The test model was fitted with a sink, fridge, and esky, as well as 100L of freshwater to have a hot shower in.

The cabin is deep, spacious and fits two adults comfortably. Of course there is a toilet to keep the ladies happy.

The helm is the place possibly most similar to other Whittley boats. There is ample room to flush mount a large multifunction display, as well as all the other gauges you need for a day on the water. And on the water, the digital throttle and shift performs as smoothly as every other one we’ve tested.

It is when you get into the cockpit though, that this boat differs markedly from a fishing boat. The seating arrangement is clever, with corner seating on the starboard side, fold out bench seating on the port side and helm seat that swivels around to make a very social space.

You can exit through the transom door onto the rear duckboard. This is covered in rubber decking and is an ideal place to stoke up the barbecue and have a beer. The kids will love it for swimming in summer.

In reality, it seems like the 2380 is the model you need to buy if you have a couple of kids. The small cruisers in the Whittley range may be a little tight for a family of four.

Historically, many Whitley cruisers have been sold with Volvo inboard engines. This model, though, was fitted with Mercury’s popular 225hp V6 four -stroke.

With 210L of underfloor fuel capacity, it makes make sense to drive at an economical pace. Best economy was at 4000rpm where 1L of fuel yielded 1.7km travelled. Wide open throttle saw 5850rpm give you 69km an hour but an economy of under 1km/L.

The hull handled offshore conditions nicely. Like all hulls there is the right speed for every set of water conditions. At the economical cruising speed, the boat was very comfortable on the test day.

The best way to experience a Whittley, however, is to drop into a dealership and see one for yourself. You can find locations of all Whittley dealers nationally at www.whittley.com.au.

At the time of testing, and as tested, this rig came in at just under $200,000 replacement value, however basic hull, motor and trailer packages start at a little over $160,000.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Length 7.80m
Beam 2.44m
Height on trailer 2.65m
Width on trailer 2.45m
Transom Deadrise 20°
Fuel 210L
Freshwater 100L
Capacity 7 persons

PERFORMANCE:
RPM Speed (km/h) Economy km/L
1000 9 2.8
2000 15 1.5
3000 22 1.1
3500 39 1.7
4000 48 1.7
4500 53 1.4
5000 60 1.1
5850 69 0.9