43 Cabo Flybridge Sportfisher

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

The Cabo 43 Flybridge Sportsfisher forced David Lockwood to redefine his notions of offshore cruising

The rank and file of boating always includes a healthy number of sentimental salties who, unwilling to let go of the past, embrace the classic boats of yore. Thank heavens someone is keeping the old girls alive, but tradition can be an anchor and, while we can learn from the past, it can’t compete with the present or future.

So it is with the made-for-the-rough-stuff Cabo 43, which redefines notions of offshore travel. With ever-bigger but lighter motors – twin 700hp C12 Cats in this case – and the latest technology, you have a boat that leaves the old clunkers lolling in its wake.

Compared to your run-of-the-mill production flybridge cruiser, the four Cabos I have driven all perform like giant killers where it matters most, at sea. This means a lot to gamefishers and serious offshore cruising types who often find themselves in less-than-ideal weather. When pushed into the awful test conditions, the 43 performed more like a mid 50-footer. The hull, engines, drives, and fitout work as one, with no rattles, thumps and nothing moving independently.

A nice-sized owner/driver boat, the Cabo 43 tamed the lumpy ocean and turned it into a comfortable enough passage. In this sense, the ride is unconventional. And while the interior isn’t the glitziest, it’s certainly serviceable. Ditto for the engine room and most anything and everything you need to access throughout the boat. All of which, if you’ve experienced most production craft, is a step up.

SOUND FOUNDATION
Unlike the newer boats in the range, the Cabo 43 hasn’t got prop tunnels. Rather, it’s a proven combination of a variable deadrise hull with a fine entry and a relatively deep 18.5 degrees of deadrise aft. The hull is rock-solid ‘glass on the running surface with vacuum-bagged, foam-cored composite sides from the chines to the rubbing strip. The hull is especially wide for a 43, with the motors spread well apart for manoeuvrability, and there’s a low centre of gravity for a predictable motion.

But as with all good boats made for reeling in the sea miles, the difference with Cabos can be found in their engine rooms. The 43 has watertight fore and aft bulkheads. While there isn’t standing head room, there is room to stoop and scamper around the twin Caterpillar C12s in what is a fully-lined space with stunning attention to detail that starts with the earmuffs swinging in a dedicated locker at the entrance.

The generator, a 12.5kVA Westerbeke with sound shield, lives behind the removable alloy steps not far from the air-con units. I checked and there’s okay access to the dipstick and for future impellor repairs. All the strainers, intakes for pumps and the pumps themselves are labelled.

The 43 has standard wet exhausts and a throaty sound, too. The saloon floor is foam-filled for insulation, so a broken motor will have to be dismantled and rebuilt in situ.

Everything is wonderfully serviceable, though it’s a squeeze outboard of the Cats. A few points of difference: the engine vents are on the cabin sides, well above the waterline, and equipped with washable membranes; there’s an emergency engine-driven bilge pump; primer pumps are provided should you bleed the fuel system; there was an oil-change system fitted; an invertor comes standard for generator-less operation of 240V systems; and room to mount a desalinator.

The lazarette revealed labelled intakes for the sea strainers, access to the fuel shutoffs and its dipstick, plus the oversized steering gear. Both fuel and water tanks are glassed to the hull. All deck hatches have rubber seals and drains, with a good grade of non-skid underfoot.

WORK STATIONS
The fishing intent of the Cabo 43 is revealed in things like the twin oversized 1.5m subfloor fish lockers, the livebait tank in the transom, the generous marlin door, the padded coamings, and thigh-height gunwales that trace a big cockpit. You could swing a gamechair, add outriggers, or use the floor space to hangout at anchor. This is a beamy boat.

The offset saloon door results in a huge portside bait and tackle prep area with fridge-freezer, sink and cutting board. There are storage hatches and tackle drawers, side pockets with racks, and seats out of the sun. The perspex vains in the gunwales to deflect water were a nice touch.

Steps, moulded toerails, stainless steel grabrails, and diamond-pattern non-skid help with bow access, but the Cabo 43 isn’t a boat that compromises, featuring walkaround access. The bowrail gives thigh support but it hasn’t an intermediate wire. I could live with that, but don’t like the sealed chain locker, with access only through the forepeak cabin. It’ll be a hassle if you get a bunch up. Deck gear is through-bolted and heavy-duty.

I thought the ladder to the generous flybridge was easy going, but the locally-made hardtop with heavy-duty stainless steel frame and pillarless clears was a work of art, made here only for Cabos. There were unobstructed views to all quarters and plenty of seating on lounges that also double as daybeds. The sub-seat areas can be used as rod lockers and one seat base was lined and plumbed as a soda box.

The helm console boasts a huge amount of space for mounting electronics – this 43 was fitted with two Furuno 10-inch Navnet screens, autopilot, VHF radio and closed-circuit television to the engine room and cockpit linked to the television in the saloon – plus an overhead radio box and handy storage for personal effects and charts. The boat had a bowthruster, electronic Cat panels, and single stick shifts on a pod. Oh, and two high-backed teak chairs that felt supportive for long-range cruising.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Indoors, it’s a utilitarian boat, although the high-gloss maple timber dinette is nothing short of stunning. Perched well above the cockpit, away from the ocean, the open-plan saloon is traced by picture windows that keep you close to the action. The big seating arrangement, in this case upholstered in canary-yellow leather, includes a six-person, L-shaped lounge to port that doubles as a daybed, and an L-shaped lounge for four around the raised dinette to starboard. The saloon could probably do with a grabrail on the ceiling.

The workmanship in the wiring behind the AC/24V DC panel has to be seen to be believed, with good access to the generator start, water gauge and fridge thermostat alongside. The joinery, all satin-finished teak, includes plenty of storage. Head room is a highpoint and the lift-out carpet is perfect for a fishing/family boat. The 38-inch LCD TV was linked to a Bose Lifestyle package and the boat’s navigation gear. Although the port galley is small by leisure-boat standards, it’s traced by big Corian counters and has everything you need for preparing serious meals: a huge sink with sprayer, dovetailed drawers and plenty of cupboards, garbage bin, and a huge sub-floor jump-down hold for long-term provisions. There were two SubZero fridge drawers and two freezer drawers, plus an upgraded Panasonic convection microwave oven. Compact but kitted out.

Accommodation, down a few steps under which lives a washer/dryer, ranges through two cabins and two heads. The boat has a central vac system, cream and beige bedding, and a light and welcoming ambience. The owner’s stateroom amidships to starboard is a gem, with double island bed, TV and air-con controls, teak storage cabinets and bedside tables, and a deep hanging locker. The ensuite has smart pin-striped wallpaper, huge separate shower and Vacuflush loo, big Corian vanity but no portlights, and the furry frontrunner liner in the storage areas is a bit yesteryear.

Unlike the fat-nosed recreational flybridge boats with an island bed, the Cabo 43 has a finer entry that results in three bunks and a pile of storage cabinets in the guest and crew cabin in the bow. The lower bunk is, in fact, a three-quarter double for a couple, while the remaining bunks are adult-sized. No complaints, even though I’m accustomed to sleeping on an island bed. Besides, the great ride counts for more. The second head, meanwhile, has a handheld shower and no screen. Thus, the 43 is a boat rearing to go places.

TAMING THE BEAST
With 25kts of offshore wind you would think the ocean would be calm close to the headlands. Nope. There was a messy swell pushing against the wind, potholes and wave faces wherever you looked. I have seen this kind of sea before and prepared myself for a physical assault or, at least, some decent lashings of spray. Surprise surprise.

The Cabo 43 was smooth, dry, powerful, and dictatorial. The spacing between the motors also makes for a manoeuvrable boat on the pegs. Steering is effortless and exact. Basically, the boat is geared for the driver, the ride and the crew.

At 1750rpm, the 43 cruised at 21.8kts for 165lt/h consumption, giving a range of 315 nautical miles with 10 per cent of the 2653lt fuel capacity in reserve. The twin 700hp Cats seemed happiest at 1900rpm and 24.7kts, consuming 180lt/h for an improved 330nm range. The maximum continuous speed was about 28.1kts at 2100rpm, and top speed was 32kts at 2330rpm.

The Cabo 43 was fitted with four-blade Michigan props, but the importers were going to fit Veem propellers from Western Australia for a claimed 3kt improvement to the top speed.

The Cabo 43 redefined my idea of comfortable offshore cruising.

HIGHS

• Sensational ride at sea and great motion through the water
• One-piece boat with no rattles or creaks
• Engineering and wiring is a cut above
• Super-wide cockpit with abundant outdoor sports and entertaining space
• Big flybridge with work-of-art hardtop and stainless steel supports
• Boat drives well off the wheel and in both directions on the pegs
•  
• Broad open-plan interior is welcoming
• Staterooom is a gem and the bunks a decent size
• Looks hot even tied to the wharf
• A respected badge that should command good resale value

LOWS

• Premium price for an albeit premium product
• Foam-filled floor prevents engine removal
• No collision bulkhead to expedite putting this boat into survey
• A squeeze outboard of Caterpillar engines
• Cats don’t have separate sea-strainers with inspection bowls, but integral hull grills
• Anchor locker access only through forepeak cabin
• Relatively small galley

Boat Specifications: 43 Cabo Flybridge Sportfisher

CABO 43 FLYBRIDGE SPORTSFISHER

GENERAL

Material: GRP fibreglass with foam-cored hull sides and decks, superstructure and hull sides Type: Hard-chine variable deadrise planing hull

Length overall: 13.94m

Hull length: 12.95m

Beam: 4.53m

Draft: 1.3m (max)

Deadrise: 18.5 degrees at transom

Weight: Approx 15,196kg (dry w/standard engine)

CAPACITIES

Berths: 6+1

Fuel capacity: 2653lt

Water capacity: 379lt

ENGINE

Make/model: Caterpillar C12s

Type: In-line six-cylinder diesel electronic engine w/ twin turbocharging and aftercooling

Rated HP: 700hp at 2300rpm

Displacement: 12lt

Weight: Approx 1177kg

Gearboxes (make/ratio): ZF 1.48:1

Props: Michigan machined four-blade bronze