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CABO 40 Express
Reviews
& Articles 40 Express
Santa Bring Me A New Cabo 40 -The Red Sled
Motorboating
By Captain Stuart Reininger
MY old delivery partner had a passion for
sportfishing boats. Whenever the chance came along to deliver one, he'd
jump at it, usually by offering
the owner a deal he couldn't refuse.
We moved a lot of battlewagons over the years deep-V designs with wave-slicing
entries and relatively narrow beams. Many of them rode bow-high with
lousy forward visibility and, in any kind of sea, would pound our knees
into our teeth. But that's the nature of the beast. All boats are trade-offs
weight for range, low profile for interior acreage and sportfishermen
are built to run out to the fishing grounds fast, with comfort and livability
coming in a distant second.
Cabo's new 40 Express Sportfisher is an all-out fishing machine, but
with some important differences. It doesn't have the breed's typical
sharp deep-V design. The Cabo's entry is more gradual-it'll flatten a
wave rather than slice through it-leading aft to a moderate 20.5-degree
transom deadrise. What is pronounced is the forward flare; it's designed
for maximum spray deflection. The helm is two hefty steps up from
the cockpit. The skipper sits high here. If there is any bow-rise,
visibility won't be reduced. These are all comfort and convenience touches.
The question is, do they compromise the speed and toughness that the
boat is designed for in the first place?
The conditions on test day were tailor-made
for me to find out. A 20-knot southwest breeze in Cape Cod's Vineyard
Sound off Falmouth, Mass., had
kicked up a fine three- to four-foot chop with the odd six-footer thrown
in for good measure. To make life even more interesting, we were under
the direction of a helicopter-borne photographer who needed to shoot
the boat at a variety of running angles. Recognizing that my uniform
of greasy sweatshirt and shorts wouldn't qualify me as a fashion model,
I decided to spend the duration of the shoot below.
Yogis (gurus, not bears) say the path to self-enlightenment is to
be in the moment, and spending a long hour below while cavorting through
a nasty chop at high speed is truly to become one with the boat.
Basically, I was bounced around like a Ping-Pong ball in a washing machine.
(There's no boat in the world that would've been bearable below
in those conditions.) But while I went flying. nothing else did. Drawers
stayed where they belonged, and doors remained open, or shut, where
they'd been left. Even with cascades of water pouring over the hull,
not a drop made it through a port or hatch. Did the boat pound?
Yes, coming out of the hole, but once the 40 flattened out on plane,
it took the Seas comfortably.
When the helicopter flew off into the sunset and I staggered out
on deck, I was able to better observe the 40's handling in conditions
that had continued to deteriorate. Running in deep troughs broadside
to a stiff breeze is a challenge for any boat. This is where your
basic deep- V sportfisherman likes to chine walk-leaning into the wind
and feeling skittish. Not this Cabo. It tracked as well with the breeze
and seas on
the beam as it did going upwind and down wind. Spray? Some that
an occasional pass with the wipers handled. Green water? None.
I could've stood on the foredeck and kept my feet dry.
All this with fingertip-control, thanks to the standard Glendinning
wireless, trolling-valve-equipped electronic throttles. (Heard those
scare stories of electronic control failure? This one has three
backups, including one mechanical.)
The props run in molded in pockets. This provides more efficiency
and a shallower shaft angle, therefore allowing a lower engine placement
for greater stability and a deeper, safer cockpit. Be careful in
shallow water, though. Without a protective skeg, nicking the bottom
could be an expensive proposition.
The 100-square-foot cockpit-generous in this size boat-is rimmed with coaming pads and also holds two five-foot by one and-a-half-foot macerator-equipped fish boxes. Here's a grabber: Stem-mounted underwater lights not only give the boat an ethereal look at the dock, but also serve the more practical purpose of attracting baitfish.
The not-so-obvious touches haven't been neglected either. Scuppers are oversized for quick drainage, and the inhouse-built latches and hinges on the transom "grander" door are among the heftiest I've seen. This door won't open-(or even rattle) when it's not supposed to, and when you're hauling that 500-cansized tuna aboard, you won't have to worry about springing a latch. Railings are one inch in diameter and doubled at the bow pulpit to form a toerail. They rim a deck wide enough to make getting around a safe stroll rather than a hold-on-for dear-life lurch. Foot-long mooring cleats flank the Lewmar windlass and easily accept multiple wraps of one-inch diameter line. All the cleats (there are two more to each side) and deck hardware are backed by aluminum plates.
There are other exemplary elements, born of this builder's experience, that you rarely see. The through-bolts in the chemically bonded and glassed hull-to-deck joint, for instance, are not the usual stainless steel variety. They're the more expensive silicon bronze bolts. You'll appreciate them a couple of years down the line, when you won't see the rust streaks invariably released by "stainless" fastenings. If you feel comfortable going to sea in a solid fiberglass hull, you have it here. Sure, there's coring, and plenty of it. Corecell (among the best) is sandwiched in every component above the waterline for weight savings and stiffness.
This particular 40 was equipped with a pair of 700-hp MAN D2876LE diesels. To get at the iron, the whole helm deck hinges up on a pair of hydraulic rams. This provides more than standing headroom in the engine compartment. The electrical and plumbing systems here, as well as throughout the boat, are immaculately installed and would do justice to a custom-built yacht.
For a dyed-in-the-wool fishing machine, this Cabo offers amenities that could make similar-sized cruisers blush. The forward master features a large island double with plenty of built-in drawer space (there are also port and starboard rod lockers here) and flanking cedar-lined hanging lockers. The salon settee converts to an upper and lower berth-a far cry from the pipe berths that sent my chiropractor's kids to college. The galley to port would do justice to any motoryacht. The tile-floored head has a separate stand-up stall shower and, yes, even more rod stowage. The Cabo 40 sets a standard, one that others of this breed will have difficulty attaining. I think now of my old delivery pal; he would've given his eyeteeth to get his hands on this one.
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