Boat review Stabicraft 2600 Supercab T he Stabicraft 2600 Supercab is the biggest in the company’s range to feature the Game Chaser transom and Arrow pontoons – and that makes it a weapon in offshore fishing. The new hull, pontoon and transom combo was introduced on the Stabicraft 1850 Supercab and now features on the 1650 and 2100 models as well. The Arrow pontoons give the new boat a sleeker look with finer entry, deeper vee and narrower shoulders that sweep back to the Game Chaser transom. This allows the 2600 to back down as fast as you dare, with the transom piercing the water rather than pushing through it – normally a manoeuvre with the potential to ship plenty of water when a skipper goes hard astern chasing a hooked gamefish. The new 2600 Supercab is undoubtedly the softest-riding Stabicraft boats are becoming sleeker, shaking off their aesthetic challenges and STRAIGHT Craig Lewis, Stabicraft dealer, took the new 2600 out in 40 knots 76 Boating New Zealand August 2013
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Boat review Stabicraft 2600 Supercab
The Stabicraft 2600
Supercab is the biggest in
the company’s range to
feature the Game Chaser
transom and Arrow
pontoons – and that makes
it a weapon in offshore fishing.
The new hull, pontoon and
transom combo was introduced on
the Stabicraft 1850 Supercab and
now features on the 1650 and 2100
models as well.
The Arrow pontoons give the
new boat a sleeker look with finer
entry, deeper vee and narrower
shoulders that sweep back to the
Game Chaser transom. This allows
the 2600 to back down as fast as you
dare, with the transom piercing the
water rather than pushing through
it – normally a manoeuvre with the
potential to ship plenty of water
when a skipper goes hard astern
chasing a hooked gamefish.
The new 2600 Supercab is
undoubtedly the softest-riding
Stabicraft boats are becoming sleeker, shaking off their aesthetic challenges and presenting a more kindly shape to the seas as well as to the eye. Meet the latest evolution.
Straight arrow
Craig Lewis, Stabicraft dealer, took the new 2600 out in 40 knots
76 Boating New Zealand August 2013
Stabicraft boats are becoming sleeker, shaking off their aesthetic challenges and presenting a more kindly shape to the seas as well as to the eye. Meet the latest evolution.
Straight arrowWords by John Eichelsheim Photos by Will Calver
and quietest Stabicraft I’ve had the
pleasure to drive. Indeed, it’s better
than the old 2570, which was quite
similar in size and general layout.
FinE hullThe new hull design gives a fresh new
look on the trailer and really shines
once the boat’s in the water.
For a Stabicraft, this is a deep-vee
hull, measuring 21.5° at the transom,
but it’s what has happened up front
that makes the most difference to
the ride. By reducing the size of the
chine flats, especially at the boat’s
shoulders, and tapering the pontoons
– as well as altering Stabi’s typically
full entry – Stabicraft has achieved an
impressively soft, dry and quiet ride.
We didn’t have a lot of sea to
contend with, though it built with
the nor’easter as the morning
wore on. However Craig Lewis of
Gulfland Marine, Whangaparaoa
who supplied and commissioned the
boat, has tried it in 40 knots of wind.
Lewis commented on its excellent
directional stability and the way it
holds its line in the rough, assisted by
the longer waterline length created by
the Gamechaser transom.
The trade-off from the Arrow
pontoons is less stability at rest
than we are used to with this brand,
especially lightly loaded, which leaves
the pontoons completely clear of
the water, but it’s still good. The boat
leans over only so far and then stops.
The Game Chaser design
provides superior backing-up
ability, manoeuvrability and safety.
It’s easy to steer the Game Chaser
boats in reverse, making it a cinch to
manoeuvre in a tight spot.
We had around a metre of slop in
Tiri Channel on the way home, but the
2600 Supercab handled it smoothly
and quietly. The boat tracks beautifully,
including running downhill, and can
be pushed along into a quartering sea
without banging or jarring, not normally
a Stabicraft’s best angle of attack.
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Performance with the
250hp Mercury Verado was
characteristically crisp, though
we didn’t explore its full potential
because of the motor’s extreme
newness. Travelling at 20 knots the
boat feels positively languid, but
even at 30 knots it is unflappable
and sure-footed. This boat should
be able to manage long passages in
lumpy conditions without beating
up its passengers.
WEll SpEC’dThe new model has an extensive list
of standard features but the owner,
for whom this is Stabicraft number
two, has ticked several boxes on the
manufacturer’s options list.
He will keep the boat at his
beachside property in the Bay of
Islands on a tandem-axle Voyager
steel trailer robust enough for beach
launching. Weighing close to three
tonnes all up, it’s equipped with an
LEFT: Craig Lewis and John Eichelsheim enjoy the Stabicraft's spacious cockpit. ABOVE: Optional fishing accessories include tuna tubes.
PERFORMANCE Furuno NavNet **Mercury SmartCraft VesselView
The Arrow pontoons present a sleeker silhouette, and the Game Chaser transom presents a sharper tail end for backing up on a fish, than on earlier Stabicraft models
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