35 Cabo Express Powerhouse

Source: Rex Fayerweather, Boaterslife.com

Created by the boat building team of Henry Mohrschladt and Michael Howarth, the same craftsman selected by Fortune Magazine for building one of the top 100 products in the world, the Cabo 35 Express is a benchmark in design, construction, and performance.

And if you think that’s just another fish story, listen to what the experts – those seasoned professionals who earn their living on boats – have to say about the CABO 35 Express. You’ll find them using words like seaworthy, fast, agile, accessible, and luxurious.

As an offshore powerboat racer, Dick Ornstein knows that it takes a masterful blend of design and construction to achieve a high level of performance. When it came time to purchase a sportfisher for his personal use, he chose CABO for just those reasons. Opt for the turbo charged and after-cooler 435 hp (422 shaft hp) Caterpillar V-8 diesel, and the CABO 35 Express has a top speed of more than 40mph at 2750 rpm.

Even more important in the real world, however, is that the CABO Express can eat up the miles at a comfortable cruising speed of 33 mph and still have a range of nearly 350 miles!This combination of speed and range gets you to a far away fishing ground faster, and allows you to stay longer than any comparable boat.

Speed and cruising range are a major part of the performance equation, but serious fisherman want to know how the boat actually behaves. In a word, flawlessly. Whether you’re backing down on a billfish, spinning to stay with tuna, or firewalling the throttles to head for new fishing grounds, the CABO 35 Express responds instantly to helm and engines.

Fishability

To pursue a new IGFA world record for marlin on 8lb test line, Pam Basco needed a boat that was fast and agile. Her choice? CABO 35.

The ability of the CABO 35 Express to back down fast and pivot nimbly can make the difference between boating a trophy fish or reeling in a broken line. And, because of her wide beam, modified-V bottom and low center of gravity, the CABO is a fighting platform with unequaled stability in all sea conditions.

Serious anglers will appreciate the open space below the cockpit gunwales, which allows you to lock your knees comfortably under the padding while fighting a big fish. And if you need to get forward quickly, the wide non-skid decks are fully protected by the oversized (1-1/4″ dia.) rail that surrounds the foredeck.

Some boats raise fish and some boats just can’t, but the success of the CABO 35 Express speaks for itself. The ability to provide clean, strait alleys for trolling lures can greatly improve the number of strikes you get.

And the CABO hull design, with two small propeller pockets and clean underwater lines, gives two perfect blue trolling alleys directly behind the boat. Your lures will run straight and clean in a tantalizing spot, even when turning.

Every carefully planned feature of the CABO 35 Express, from built-in casting for holding on to the bow, to the perfect blue trolling alleys, will help you raise that record fish.

Exterior

The innovative hull design of the CABO 35 Express gives wider stance to the placement of the powerplant, allowing maneuverability of the CABO 35 that is simply unheard of in other boats. This well balanced hull not only jumps onto plane instantly, but also provides an extraordinarily stable platform when loafing along at trolling speeds.

With a fine bow and 17 1/2 degrees of deadrise at the transom, the CABO 35 Express runs easily in choppy seas. Even when lying broadside to swells, the wide reversed double chines dampen the roll and give the CABO an easy motion.

The goal of the CABO team sounds deceptively simple: “To produce the best engineered and best built boat in the world.” And, with the CABO 35 Express, their success at reaching that level is evident in every detail. Using the finest materials, uncompromising methods, and dedicated craftsmen.

The CABO 35 Express is at the leading edge of boatbuilding construction, and every material is the finest to be found. Careful thought has been given to creating an incredibly strong yet lightweight hull. The biaxial stitched fiberglass roving is bonded with vinylester resins that are not only 10% lighter and 15% stronger than conventional boatbuilding resins, but provide protection against osmotic blistering.

The hull is solid fiberglass below the waterline for strength and low maintenance, while topsides and deck are a baltec-coated sandwich to reduce weight and provide sound insulation. Adding even greater resistance to torsion and flexure is the CABO’s highly sophisticated reinforced fiberglass interior module.

Hull and interior are bonded into one monolithic structure, a method far superior to conventional techniques. You’ll find the CABO 35 Express to be flawlessly fabricated and significantly quieter than other boats. Take time to study the effective non-skid deck pattern of the cockpit, and you’ll find that it gives sure footing in all conditions, without being overly abrasive.

Look down the glossy hull sides and you’ll see none of the usual bumps, dents, or finish flaws found on most boats. Consider the crisply molded deck and cockpit detailing, and you’ll discover elegance that is a pleasure to touch – superior design, uncompromising construction, and rigid attention to every possible detail combine to create the CABO 35 Express.

Helm

The clean layout of the helm console on the CABO 35 Express allows more than ample room for today’s sophisticated electronics.

Clear, easy to read aircraft gauges and positive acting rocker switches ensure that you will instantly know the exact state of your craft at a glance.

From your vantage point at the helm, you’ll appreciate perfect visibility in every direction.

Cockpit

Unlike most builders, the team at CABO started with the cockpit, the most critical area for fishermen, and built the rest of the boat around it.

With nearly 100 sq. ft. of fighting area, there’s ample room to handle multiple hook-ups. The two five-foot long fish boxes not only have oversized drains, but macerators to quickly clear away debris.

Each box is fully insulated, gasketed, and securely latched against rattles. Drop the lid and it closes with a soft “whoomp” of air escaping from a perfectly fitted hatch.

Every lid uses long piano hinges that are though-bolted for durability, and even the usual ankle-twisting drainage canals across the cockpit have been replaced by hidden drains under the deck.

The transom door has massive hinges that provide durability and easy access for landing a big fish. The bait prep area at the forward end of the cockpit has all the space of those on much larger boats, with four deep tackle storage drawers, sink, rigging board, and even an ice box for cockpit convenience. Because a fisherman can never have too many “sticks,” there’s locking storage for 17 rods.

With both fresh and saltwater washdowns, fishing aboard the CABO 35 Express is clean and comfortable.

Interior

Just because the CABO 35 Express is a sportfishing warwagon, doesn’t mean it has to be Spartan. The comfortable interior, accented with golden teak, provides all the spacious warmth of a weekend getaway.

Standard features include a head with shower, recessed electric cook-top stove, microwave/convection oven, refrigerator/freezer, Corian counters (with sea rails to keep plates from sliding), and ample storage for cruising.

The forward cabin has a comfortable double berth, a bureau and settee, while the L-shaped lounge converts to upper/lower bunks. From the deep pile carpeting to the elegant recessed halogen lighting, the CABO 35 Express is both practical and luxurious.

Power Plant

To understand the precision engineering of the CABO 35 Express, you need to spend some time poking into all of the nooks that most builders would prefer you overlook. Every hose, wire bundle, and pipe is clearly labeled and rubber grommeted for chafe protection where is passes through a bulkhead.

All systems are meticulously segregated: electrical on one side, plumbing on the other, and service items like filters on the centerline. The fuel system is built to rigorous specifications, from the vinylester resin fuel tanks, to the premium aviation style fuel fittings.

Even normally hidden areas such as bilges and inside lockers are ground and gelcoated for a smooth flawless finish. Below the waterline, all through-hull fittings and even the trim tabs have been recessed to reduce drag.

Everything from the rudder posts to the fuel manifold system is readily accessible, and it’s obvious that the CABO 35 Express has been designed, engineered, and built by people who have barked a few knuckles on less accessible boats. Attention to detail separates the CABO 35 Express from lesser vessels.