Open-Water Predator

Strolling down the dock, I bumped into a boating friend who, seeing the pair of tinted racing goggles in my hand, asked where I was headed.

"I'm on my way to test a new sportfisher," I said and sauntered off, leaving him there to puzzle over the mystery.

One look at the Cobra Predator, however, and he'd know why I had the racing goggles. First of all, the bright and wild hull graphics aren't what you'd expect to find on the big Bertram and Hatteras warwagons. Second, a glance at the transom reveals not one, not two, but three — count 'em — big Suzuki 225-horsepower outboards. This may be labeled a sportfisher, but it's also a thinly disguised offshore racing machine.

And that, in fact, is where the 30-foot Cobra catamaran hull started out, winning three World Championships and innumerable regional championships on the grueling offshore circuit. In the process, Cobra Boats discovered that they not only had a hull that was incredibly fast, but also exceptionally seaworthy. They also refined the construction methods needed to produce a bulletproof hull, and the Cobra Predator Walkaround seen on these pages is identical to the hulls that regularly run at over 120 mph!

Of course, with the three Suzooks on the transom, we didn't seem to be far off that triple-digit pace and I was glad I'd brought the racing goggles. As it was, when the wind came around the corner of the helm console and started playing with my moustache, I thought my face was being flogged with a cat 'o nine tails.

Let's back up for a moment, and look at the concept behind our Predator Walkaround FD (Flush Deck). After Peter Casini, owner of Cobra Boats, had proven his boats on the racing circuit, he went into the pleasure boat market with considerable success. It wasn't long, however, before he started thinking about what a great fishing boat the Cobra would make, so here I was, white knuckles wrapped around the sissy bar, moustache flailing, and trying to keep from giggling at how much fun we were having.

There are two schools (no pun intended) of thought about offshore fishing. One is that you invest in a sizable convertible sportfisherman that can cruise along at, say, 25 knots. To get out to where the deep canyons sink off the continental shelf and where the water turns a fierce cobalt blue, you're looking at several hours out and, of course, several hours back. For that reason, it's no surprise that companies like Bertram, Hatteras and Viking are selling a bunch of million-dollar 50-footers, because you're going to be out there a long time.

Peter Cassini, on the other hand, is one of those with another, and perhaps a better, idea. "Running at just 50 mph, which is loafing along for a Cobra, you can have your lines out over the canyons before the big sportfishers are out of sight of land! Even better, we can head for home at the first warning of bad weather, and have our feet up in front of the fireplace while the other fishermen are still slogging back to the harbor."

It's an intriguing idea. To show off the concept, Cassini had brought a brand-new Predator Walkaround, rigged with a wretched excess of Suzukis, to Miami to prove his point. And I have to admit that after one ride — a very fast ride, I must say — I'm a convert to his thinking. Besides, going fast is really fun.

The Cobra hull (hulls) use a compressed tunnel design where, as the boat goes faster, the air rushing into the space between the hulls is compressed and actually helps to lift the boat, softening the ride and actually tilting the boat back slightly so that it runs on the last few feet of the hull. Adding to the performance aspects of the Cobra are two steps in the last 10 feet that help aerate and "loosen up" the hull for even more speed.

While one side of the catamaran coin may be reduced drag and superior performance to a similarly sized monohull, the catamaran also has some remarkable traits that lend themselves to fishing. First of all, a catamaran is incredibly stable. Put two or three big anglers on one side of a catamaran while boating a fish, and it barely moves. Second, at trolling speeds the catamaran is well-mannered and tracks straight, even in quartering seas. Last, a catamaran has appreciably more usable cockpit space than a monohull of the same size.

And, of course, there's the economy side. Performance is one thing, but the Cobra takes less fuel because it's more efficient, so not only do you get a fast and stable boat, but one that pinches pennies as well!

When you're running 120 mph in a race, you don't want to be worrying about whether the boat's going to hold together, so the Cobra is built to be bulletproof. Vinylester resins bond both honeycomb and balsa coring, with Kevlar and E-glass used to strengthen high load areas. Once the hull, deck and liner are glassed together, the boat is injected with high-density foam and the joint is through-bolted. The hull is so strong, says Cassini, that "You could take the stringers out and the hull wouldn't flex at all!"

The Predator Walkaround is laid out like a typical center console, with plenty of space both forward and aft of the helm as well as high coamings for security. A bow deck fills in most of the space between the hulls and, on our test boat, it sported a removable fighting chair. It occurred to me, albeit briefly, that the chair would give you an E-ticket ride at speed.

The console has the purposefully curved look of an F-16 cockpit, which is no surprise because that's what Cassini was thinking about when he designed it. But I have to give him credit because, when you're standing behind the helm (or even tucked in beside the driver), the wind goes right over your head. It wasn't until I peeked around the corner that the wind tangled my moustache.

The console doesn't appear particularly large, but it has a front-opening door that hides a spacious compartment with a portable toilet, padded aft bulkhead and, wonder of all wonders, 5 feet 2 inches of headroom. And, speaking of construction, if you unsnap the padded cover, you'll see the back of the dashboard where every wire is neatly color-coded, loomed, and secured. It's pure racing quality which, as one of Cassini's helpers noted wryly, "any idiot can trace."

The helm carries through the racing heritage, with the gauges arrayed neatly on a slant across the starboard side of the console panel and, hallelujah!, grouped by function rather than by engine for easy scanning. There's plenty of space left for fishing and communications electronics, and military-style illuminated rocker switches run the various electrical systems from a tidy panel.

The fat Momo sports steering wheel connects you to the Invisible Touch hydraulic steering system, which can be set light for maneuvering or stiff for running fast. Interestingly enough, there are three Latham throttle levers, but only two shift levers. Why? Because the middle outboard is started in forward gear and shut down for docking to simplify matters.

I have to tell you, there's a real sense of power when you wrap your fist around those three black throttles and listen to 18 cylinders burbling away quietly behind you. It takes a certain amount of what we might call machismo to shove the throttles from the back stops to the front detents.

When you do, a lot of things seem to happen simultaneously. First, there's an incredible yowling behind you that sounds like several big leopards having an argument. There's the sound of water being churned into froth by three Cuisinart blenders hanging on the transom, and there's the sense of the bow starting to climb briefly toward the sky. In a moment, however, everything changes.

The engines, as they say in the racing world, "hook up" and get a solid bite on the water. The bow comes down level, the tachometers start to wind up quickly toward the red lines, and the water becomes a blue-gray blur on each side. And, of course, you have this gigantic grin plastered across your face.

Oh, wait, I'm supposed to be telling you about what a great fishing boat this is. Well, there's a sink with a hinged cutting board in the transom, two big coolers, and rod racks along each side of the cockpit. There are two more rod lockers that hold up to 10-feet fly rods and which can be locked for security. The helm has a leaning post with a fold-up seat as well as rod holders, an optional refrigerator, and tackle storage. The non-slip surface on the deck covers every area where you might step and, while the pattern probably wouldn't remove skin, it does give you a secure grip.

OK, now let's talk about performance again. Cassini and I took the Cobra for a run, and you already know that it's quick. But it wasn't as quick as we wanted — the props need sorting out — but it was still into the low 80s as you can see on the chart. Since that time, Cassini has gotten up to 89.8mph with new props, and is expecting between 92 and 95 mph with the final props. With a pair of 250-horsepower Yamahas, you'd be looking at around 85 mph, and a pair of 300s would push you up to 96 to 97. The three-engined boat is obviously not for everyone ("It's the ultimate rich-guy play toy or yacht tender," says Cassini), but the two-engined Cobra is easy to handle and rock solid.

Base price for the Predator Walkaround is $96,995 and, with the three Suzukis and various options (stereo, refrigerator, bow chair, etc.) the lit price on our test boat was $135,000. Running 25 mph faster than a similarly sized Fountain while burning half the fuel, the Predator is likely to be seen on the fishing grounds in growing numbers.

Besides, it's a real giggle to run.

Boat Specifications

Notable Standard Equipment: Hydraulic steering, leaning post seat with tackle stowage, portable toilet, bait prep area, sink, rod holders in rails and seat, lockable rod stowage, twin coolers, Latham shift/engine controls

Notable Optional Equipment: Triple Suzuki 225 hp. outboards, K-planes, coaming pads, refrigerator.

Engine (as tested)