Trade-A-Boat — December 2017

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Reunion with an old friend

SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT...

STORY JOHN WILLIS

Caribbean 40 Flybridge Cruiser

F

ormer Trade A

Boat editor Jeff

Strang once

said that testing

the Caribbean

40 Flybridge Cruiser was,

“Accompanied by a warm

feeling of familiarity, it was

like an overdue reunion

with an old friend.” His

bond with the brand came

from three years spent

operating its bigger sister,

the now discontinued

Caribbean 45, on some

of the most unforgiving

pelagic fishing grounds in

the Southern Hemisphere,

the famous Three Kings

and Middlesex banks,

north of New Zealand. He

continued with, “Much

water passed between the

wheels of that vessel and it

always delivered unfailing

consistency in the good

times and the bad.”

There’s always that strong

feeling of stately security

about Caribbean Boats and

the 40 Flybridge is a modern

classic. Its foundations lay

in the revolutionary designs

from C. Raymond Hunt and

the American Bertram brand

all so many years ago, and

their concepts have only

ever evolved, still standing

proud in the ultimate test –

time!

Caribbean has always had

the principle that simple

is better, however it was

around the time of release

of the MK1 40-footer that its

fitouts really took a major

step forward into premium

luxury. The internals are

typically Caribbean with

the saloon featuring a large

convertible dinette to the

port and a north-south

lounge to the starboard. The

entertainment unit is on

the same level yet you take

a single step down to the

practical and well-equipped

U-shaped galley, complete

with refrigeration, plenty of

useable bench space, stove,

sink and microwave.

The internal trim is most

appealing with thickly

upholstered beige leather,

78 tradeaboat.com.au