Reviews
& Articles 43 Flybridge
Cabo 43 Convertible: Cabo's Newest Hull is a Fresh Innovation
Marlin
By Dean Travis Clarke
 
Time and again, Henry Morschladt and Michael Howarth, the owners of Cabo
Yachts, have shown how willing they are to embrace change. At one time,
they built what most serious offshore sailors considered the only boat
on which to make a circumnavigation of the globe a Pacific Seacraft.
When they sold that business, they made perhaps the greatest change you
can make in the marine industry: They went from sailboats to powerboats.
The doomsayers all agreed that it couldn't be done, but that first Cabo
35, drawn by Bill Creelock, took the sport-fishing world by storm and
Cabo has never looked back.
With its newest model, the 43 convertible,
Cabo has introduced a completely different hull, flybridge and interior
than you'll find on other Cabos.
Designed by David Napier, this 43 boasts some unusual characteristics.
For example, it has no running strakes. From chine to keel, the hull
remains clean and smooth. It also has a constant 18 1⁄2 -degree
deadrise starting at about station six and carrying the rest of the way
aft. Most boats have a constantly variable deadrise.
Performance
The twin 800-hp MAN 2840LE 403 diesels pushed the 43 to a top speed of
36 knots at 2,400 rpm -more than fast enough in a pinch. The tab less
running attitude seemed a touch high at about 5 degrees. I'm tall enough
that it didn't effect my view over the bow, but flattening the running
surface through use of the trim tabs did improve speed at any given rpm.
I tested the boat, thanks to the generosity of Galati Yachts on Anna
Maria Island in Florida. It had yet to be purchased, delivered or fine-tuned.
That's perhaps why I found a delay between the time I shifted into gear
and the time the transmission engaged. This can come from both the transmission
and the Glendinning electronic controls, and fortunately both can be
easily adjusted. Addressing both should cut the delay down to a more
acceptable half second or so.
Surprisingly, the lack of strakes had no apparent affect on the way the
boat rolled. Drifting in a 2-foot beam sea, the 43 remained perfectly
stable with gentle transitions and less lapping noise than boats with
strakes. And when pushed up to cruising speed, this Cabo's unique hull
provides a ride that's smoother and drier than that of many of its siblings.
Fishability
Count how many offshore tournaments Cabo
boats win and you'll instantly see testament to Cabo's fishability. The
large cockpit boasts all the
fishing features you'd expect like washdowns, baitwell, rigging station
with sink and so on. Cabo's philosophy: a place for everything and everything
in its place. Cabo offers cold plates and/or Eskimo ice makers for the
fish boxes. Additionally, the company eliminates one common problem that
many cockpits share: Once the ice is in the fish box, seawater entering
the cockpit leaks around the hatches and melts the ice. Cabo hatches
fit so well that you can drop a full-size fish-box lid and hear only
a slight whoosh. Add to that the best hatch dogs and piano hinges in
the industry and you have very well engineered cold storage.
More than average rod storage both under the gunwales and
across the back of the flybridge, combined with storage under all the settees
in
the salon, guarantees that no species goes unprepared for. General storage
also abounds in the cockpit, with space in the aft bulkhead, bait station
and tackle drawers. A freezer sits outboard to port, and you'll find
a drink locker and more storage outboard to starboard.
Flybridge
A great ladder arrangement leads up to the flybridge. The angle is perfect
for walking up and down without hitting your head, and the access is
large enough that you won't scrape your back. The angle also proves ideal
for descending while facing away from the ladder. Cabo provides more
storage on the flybridge under the settees. I also appreciated the two
overhead hatches forwardof the helm. Overhead air-craft lights, very
solid piping, an unusual rakish hardtop and polished stainless-steel
trim give this area a modern look.
Because Cabo believes that a compass should be used as more than just
nautical decor, it mounts one close at hand, easily within the helmsman's
sight instead of up on the forward brow where nobody can see it. I also
liked the very secure feeling a handhold bar around the console provides.
In fact, handholds throughout the 43 have been well executed. There's
never a point when climbing up the flybridge ladder and crossing over
to the guest helm seat when you have nothing to hold on to -even though
there are no overhead handholds.
Engine Room
When it comes to the design and engineering of engine compartments, Cabo
Yachts wrote the technical manual. The 43 epitomizes perfection. Cables
and piping -all clearly labeled -couldn't be easier to trace despite
how well routed and hidden they are. All the noisemaking equipment like
generators and air-conditioning compressors go aft, while oil-change
systems, filters and the like reside forward. The Awlgripped space can
be maintained surgically clean, and even someone of my Shrekian proportions
can work 360 degrees around the engines. Cabo locates all the thru-hulls and
pressure gauges aft by the engine room ladder for quick access in an
emergency. There's even a built-in place right inside the entry
hatch to store ear protectors, so there should never be an
excuse for not wearing them.
 Interior
Cabo Yachts holds the enviable reputation of building spouse magnets.
The elegant sophistication of the woodwork, fabrics and amenities makes
its interiors a potent sales tool for the distaff side.
The 43 has a three-level interior: the L-shaped dinette to starboard
sits the highest, one step above the salon with its L-shaped settee.
Another step down leads to the living quarters. These consist of a day
head just forward of the galley, two short V-berths and a twin-size single
berth (at knee level, starboard side) to sleep three in the forepeak.
The starboard master stateroom cradles you in a fore-and-aft double.
The master also has a private head and shower.
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CABO 43 Flybridge