I
t’s all about the buzz of the new
these days, where the latest idea
is so yesterday in no time. And
while there might have been
some groundbreaking ideas to
come out of 2017, the offerings from
International Marine weren’t among
them.IF IT AIN’T BROKE ...
Based in the same giant industrial
complex in Melbourne for the last
72 years, the builders of Caribbean
boats seem entirely happy to forego
newfangled ideas as they go about the
task of building traditional fibreglass
boats based on designs that were born
from the C Raymond Hunt designs
of 1958. Hunt revolutionised boating
by taking a deep-V right back to the
transom and adding planing strakes
for lift and stability.
Keeping up with the in-crowd isn’t
part of the Caribbean philosophy,
even though the company prides
itself as one of the early innovators
of fibreglass construction. Its now
conservative approach seems based
on a trust in the quality of methods
and fittings that have offered reliable
service for generations of boat
ownership. W hy change something
that works just for the sake of it?A couple of years back, International
Marine noticed competitors’
trailerboats growing in size and
sporting grunty, lightweight and
efficient engines destined for distant
fishing grounds, so they started
searching for a roomy trailerable hull
to meet that demand. They didn’t
have to go far. Out on the back lot,
they found the venerable Bertram 23
sterndrive flybridge moulds that had
last seen service in 1998.
The hull met the desire for bigger
boats and bigger outboards and
slotted in their range between the
6.4m Reef Runner with a 200hp
maximum and the C2400, which had
a road restrictive 2.7m beam and
needed big tow rigs.
After dusting off the moulds,
modifying the transom to suit twin
outboards, then changing to a more
modern dash layout and a new
interior liner – no small task by the
way – the all-new singing and dancing
2300 was born. Recycling at its best
and a tribute to the hoarder’s adage of
never throwing anything away.
The marriage of a proven hull and
an updated interior was a master
stroke, bringing a more modern look
and feel to the onboard experience
while delivering the confidence of oneHIGHS
- Plenty of room for a full crew to move in
the cockpit - Cabin and hardtop offer year-round
weather protection - Finely finished gelcoat and mouldings
- Sturdy traditional build with lots of
weight to push through seas.
LOWS
- Cabin door should slide, even if it loses
some space inside the cabin - Could use a roof hatch
- Needs rear grab bar
of the best-handling seaboats around
with the Hunt-designed substructure.THE OWNER
Adam Barba found his way to his 2300
after owning a variety of smaller boats
for fishing the estuaries and bays
around Sydney’s north. He decided on
the Caribbean after working through
his options with Nathan Goshen at
Sylvania Marina. The big Caribbean
fitted his wish list as a large-volume
Australian-made trailerboat he could
share with his family for cruising
and overnighting and which he could122 trade aboat.com.au