Trade-A-Boat — February 2018

F

ishing tragics Troy

Russell, Dennis

Minuti and

Anthony Raco are

the ringleaders

of the Sydney-based fishing

team Band of Brothers

who run a fleet of offshore

trailerboats including

this superbly customised

Caribbean 2400.

The guys have fished

together for several years and

have gathered a respectable

Facebook following as well as

amassing material for DVDs

they sell online.

The 2400 is a very capable

boat and in standard form

includes a hardtop, marine

toilet, winch, plumbed

killtank, bait tank and icebox,

but the Brothers have taken

things to a higher plane and

have created a real weapon in

the fight to find big fish.

At 7.5m LOA and with its

custom tower, Troy’s 2400 is

an imposing sight. Of course

the class-topping 2.7m beam

adds to the bulk, but also

means most states will apply

special towing requirements.

The classic hull lines fit in

well with the modern take on

the hardtop as it swoops back

from the low-profile foredeck.

Caribbeans wear the

characteristic lines of great

seaboats – plenty of flare and

a sharp entry up front with

a deep-V hull designed to

carve through the ocean. A

quick history lesson reveals

heritage back to the original

Bertram designs of the

'70s, which have long been

regarded as revolutionary

and the standard by which

other models are judged.

The 2400 hull is virtually

the same as the venerable

Bertram 23 Flybridge, which

goes a long way to explaining

the 2400’s superb seakeeping

ability and solid feel in the

water without the burden of

the flybridge weight.

The lockable forward cabin

and enclosed hardtop offer

weather protection and,

in the case of the cabin, a

place for crew to rest during

extended time on the water.

That wide beam delivers

both a roomy cockpit and

space to operate efficiently

when hooked to fish. Padded

coamings all around, and

deep toeholds underline the

fishability message, as does

the three-seat lounge at the

transom folds down.

Also at the transom are

a livebait tank, central bait

table, and a portside door big

enough for boarding or to

haul decent fish through.

A stainless steel structure

over the cabin supports a

rocket launcher and the mini

game-tower that’s accessed

from starboard via a ladder

built into the barwork. The

tower platform has its own

sounder and GPS as well as

padded sides and grabrails,

and folds neatly back over the

cockpit for transport.

Twin 150hp Evinrudes are

maximum power for the hull

and did a great job of getting

the big rig moving to a top

end of 36kts at 6000rpm, with

a 25kt cruise at 4500rpm.

Once moving the hull

likes plenty of trim and sits

well back on its rear without

interfering with forward

vision. Acceleration is swift

and engine noise minimal.

The 2400 is not only

a worthy flagship of the

Caribbean trailerboat fleet

but has the goods to be a

long-distance gameboat.

Caribbean 2400

THE LEGEND LIVES ON

STORY & PHOTO JOHN FORD

quick specs

Caribbean 2400

PRICE AS TESTED $195,000

MATERIAL GRP

TYPE Planing monohull

LENGTH 7.54m

BEAM 2.7m

ENGINE 2 x 150hp Evinrude

E-TEC 150 two-stroke

outboard

FUEL 450lt

WATER 160lt

FOR MORE INFO

Visit caribbeanboats.com

tradeboats.com.au 87

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