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Guide to used Cruise Craft boats

Cruise Craft boats are among the best-loved and most recognised fibreglass boats in Australia. The company has been making fibreglass boats since the 1960s and over the decades, dozens of boats have come and gone. Here are some of the most sought after classic (i.e. used) Cruise Craft boats that appear on the market.

Find used Cruise Craft boats for sale

8 CLASSIC / USED CRUISE CRAFT BOATS

Cruise craft ­reef finder 533.

One of Australia’s favorites, the Cruise Craft Reef Finder 533 was a revolution in cuddy-cabin design and construction. It’s fair to say there were softer-riding boats on the market at the time, but the Reef Finder hit the mark with its combination of freeboard, deck room, cuddy layout and general fishability. It was easily towed by a family vehicle and it had enough room for the whole family. This was one of the first smooth-sided Cruise Craft hulls, and it provided a terrific combination of features. Cruise Craft Reef Finder boats are still highly sought after on the used boat market, and there are some magnificent specimens both in original and restored condition.

Whilst the recommended horsepower range was specified at 70-150hp, the greater majority were fitted with 115 or 120hp OMC V4s or 135hp Mercury V6s outboard motors. Hulls were produced from 1987 to 1994.

Cruise Craft Rogue

Cruise Craft made no less than 1534 examples of the Rogue. When introduced in 1970, the Cruise Craft Rogue 14 was the boat for every man in the emerging fibreglass market. It sounds silly now, but back then you could buy a complete Rogue 14 fitted with a Johnson / Evinrude high compression 55hp outboard (commonly known as a “hand grenade”) as a complete tow-away package for under $4000. This was a booming time where everyone wanted one of the new “plastic fantastic” boats, and the Rogue fitted the bill. It was considered a family fish / ski runabout; plenty of people learnt to waterski behind one.

Today there are still countless Cruise Craft Rogue boats fishing every day around the country. The Rogue was one of the first clinker-sided, flared-bow, wide-beamed fibreglass Cruise Crafts and it was considered a “bluewater” hull in its day. Most old salts around Australia would agree the Cruise Craft Rogue is an Aussie boating icon.

The Recommended horsepower range was from 33-75hp. They were commonly fitted with Johnson / Evinrude 40, 50, 55 and 70hp outboards. Production started in 1970 and ceased in 1978.

Cruise Craft ­Reef Raider 166

The Cruise Craft Reef Raider 166 is a no-nonsense, fishing cuddy-cabin with a tough-as-nails hull. Its sistership, the Cruise Craft Raider 166 runabout, uses the same hull. Both earned a strong reputation in the Australian boating market. We know of a Cruise Craft 166 Reef Raider that was rammed amidships by a 35ft yacht and was then involved in a tail-end road accident, and it still performed day after day. They offer plenty of room, a ton of stability and very good seakeeping abilities for their size. The anchoring setup for the runabout was primitive compared to today’s standards.

The Cruise Craft Reef Raider was one of the first fish-and-dive-oriented cuddy-cabs and it was commonly doing battle with the other Queensland-built cuddy-cabs from rival Seafarer, namely the V-Sea and Viking.

The recommended outboard motor horsepower range was from 70-115hp and they carried the weight of the big old straight-six Mercury engines quite well. Hulls were produced from 1972 to 1980 (Raider) and 1974 to 1984 (Reef Raider).

Cruise Craft 580D

The Cruise Craft 580D was a 5.8m (19ft) displacement half-cabin fitted with a fuel-efficient diesel engine. They’re still popular on the big estuaries of the Georges River, Sydney Harbour and Pittwater, as well as on the estuaries of south-east Queensland. They were particularly popular during the fuel crises of the early ’80s. The Cruise Craft 580Ds were true overnighters with an enclosed cabin with galley, head and folding tables. They typically had a massive top speed of around 13kmh, and were commonly fitted with the 13hp twin-cylinder Volvo Penta diesel and shaftdrive.

Cruise Craft built 84 of the 850D packages between 1980 and 1987 and was presented with the ABIA Boat Of The Year Award by Sir James Hardy in 1980. We found Kevin’s thoughts on the 580D quite fitting: “The 580D owners spent very little on fuel but plenty on alcohol, so the overall economy wasn’t great!”

• Check out the definitive Cruise Craft 580D buyer's guide .

Cruise Craft Stinger 506

When it comes to 5m runabouts, the Cruise Craft 506 Stinger really hit the spot. You just can’t miss its distinctive styling, with crisp clear lines and the traditional Cruise Craft beamy hull with flared bow. The 506 hull was also used for the Tiara low-profile half-cabin, the Regal half-cabin, and the Charger bowrider. The Cruise Craft 506 Stinger is one of the early smooth-sided hulls and it carries “teak” trim on the bow and stern acting as non-skid. The Stingers were one of the first Cruise Craft runabouts to feature a walkthrough section in the screen and bow, and hence they were quite user friendly. They had a big interior, deluxe back-to-back seating, and they were beautifully trimmed. Used boat dealers still love them as they have such appealing lines and an extremely high quality construction.

Cruise Craft Stinger boats were a very popular family boat as they were easily towed on a single-axle trailer behind an average six-cylinder family vehicle. Stingers were great all-rounders, and rated to a maximum of 150hp they were very desirable watersports packages.

Most were fitted with 90-115hp outboard engines and the hull was manufactured from 1985 to 1990.

Cruise Craft Outsider 580

Whilst later-model Outsiders were much better packages, the Cruise Craft Outsider 580 was one of the first walkaround cabin configurations in the country. We plebs were all envious of the Cruise Craft Fishing Team boats that graced nearly every fishing competition on the east coast in the early ’90s, manned by some great fishing personalities. The Cruise Craft Outsider range turned the corner into fully dedicated sportsfishing packages with a walkaround allowing you to fish 360 degrees around the cabin, or fight that fast-moving pelagic all around the boat. These superb boats were fitted with deluxe stainless-steel-framed seating and toughened glass windscreens, and they came with a huge non-skid deck area, wide coamings with plenty of storage, a moulded livebait tank and bait boxes, built-in tackle boxes and high freeboard. The Outsider 580 was also one of the first models to feature 25in extra-long transoms, a huge improvement for deep-vee boats. This lifted the powerhead a further 5in out of the water compared to the previous 20in long-shaft models, a big advantage when fishing in sloppy conditions with the weight of a few anglers at the stern.

The specified power rating was from 120-185hp and most were fitted with 150hp outboard motors. The hull was manufactured from 1990 to 1995 and was superseded by the Cruise Craft Outsider 550.

Cruise Craft Explorer 570

This author (of which a younger version is shown here) has a real soft spot for the Cruise Craft Explorer 570. I landed my first IGFA gold medal striped marlin in an Explorer 570 in horrendous seas and with an inexperienced crew at Bermagui, NSW, back in 1996. The Explorer was built like the proverbial brick outhouse. Its stylish half-cabin created not only a terrific sea boat, but also a versatile cruiser or family boat that still performed well with as little as a 115hp outboard. As with most half-cabin boats of the day, there was little thought given to the anchoring setup through the cabin hatch. Otherwise, however, the layout was excellent, the ride reasonably soft and smooth. Explorers fill you with confidence, with a big hull footprint for a 5.7m boat.

Their specified horsepower range was from 90-175hp, although most were commonly fitted with OMC’s 140hp V4 engine. A relatively large 150lt fuel tank fed these thirsty carbureted beasts, which were available with a sterndrive option in the deep 22° hull. Hulls were produced from 1980 to 1994.

Cruise Craft ­Hustler 570

When Cruise Craft released the Hustler MkI in 1981 the market exploded for bowriders. Finally, here was a family sports boat that used all of the available hull space. You could accommodate a party of friends or just spread out with the array of seating and lounge options. These were comfortable boats, with thickly-upholstered seats and drop-down back-to-back seats that became sunlounges. However, there was more to the Hustler than just watersports. Being based on the strong and efficient deep-vee 570 hull, she easily converted to a serious rough-water contender. They’ve even been fitted with towers and outriggers for offshore gamefishing action!

Kevin Nichols tells an interesting tale about the Cruise Craft Hustler. It was at the 1981 Adelaide Boat Show where he spotted a pair of feet in brown shoes on the opposite side of his Hustler. It turned out to be Barry Spooner from International Marine / Caribbean, measuring the hull with the palm of his hand. Kevin offered him a tape measure and they both had a good laugh. The Caribbean Calais was born not long after.

Cruise Craft Hustlers were built in MkI and MkII models between 1981 and 1990 and they had a specified horsepower range of between 90-185hp. They went really well with 175hp Johnson Faststrike outbaords motors and Mercury engines. However, they still did okay with the 135hp Mercury or 140hp Johnson / Evinrude outboard motors.

Originally published in TrailerBoat #281, April / May 2012. Why not subscribe today?  

Cruise Craft Explorer 685 Review

Explorer returns 

Cruise Craft’s new model can be a family cruiser or top offshore sportfishing package – discover the options.

WORDS + PHOTOS: WARREN STEPTOE

The Cruise Craft Explorer 685 deviates from the company’s well-established traditions. Until now, Cruise Craft Explorer models have always favoured cabin space over cockpit area, while its Outsider models go the other way and feature walk-around decks.

But now the Explorer 685 also has narrow walk-around side decks down each side of the cabin and a bigger cockpit than the preceding Outsider 685 – a boat that was quite a standout among its peers.

Whether or not this is merely a ‘refined’ version is a moot point.

There is an all new cabin and deck mould with both more cabin and more cockpit space and narrow side decks.

Rough Water Handling Any changes to the hull itself are subtle and on the water she still handles superbly. Like the Outsider 685, the Explorer 685 still doesn’t ‘rise’ onto the plane, but passes a point where the hull breaks free of the water’s grip.

This is one thing that made the Outsider 685 an exceptional rough water boat, because it doesn’t waste time ‘flapping its bow in the air’ in transit between displacement and planing speeds.

Cruise Craft would have been silly to change anything about that characteristic and they’re certainly no fools! The Explorer 685 version is simply one of the best rough water outside fishing boats built in this country today.

We were able to run two Explorer 685s side by side during this test, one a basically equipped boat powered by a single Yamaha 225hp four-stroke and the other an all bells and whistles rig fitted with a pair of Mercury 135hp Verados.

Single or twins Stepping from one to the other confirmed what I had suspected.

The single outboard hull was more nimble in tight, slow speed turns, while the twin installation’s movement showed that it carried substantially more weight on its stern.

The twin Verados were only 2.1 knots faster than the single Yamaha, which shows how much extra drag is involved in a pair of lower units as opposed to a single one.

But anything lost on that ‘swing’ was regained on the available power ’roundabout’ in the low to mid range.

There’s also a gain in safety by opting for a twin installation. Many Explorer 685s are likely to be operated in remote locations like the Great Barrier Reef and the Top End. So any minus points incurred by the substantial extra cost of twin motors has to be weighed against the safety of a separated system.

Forgetting about budget, the single offers simplicity, while the double offers safety – you decide.

Over the course of a day on the water, which actually includes some fishing (how else can you properly test an offshore fishing boat?) we got to give both boats a very detailed going over.

The Explorer earns a big gold star for good attention to fine detail.

All Cruise Craft boats are beautifully built, but even by those standards, the new Explorer 685 is outstanding. Top to toe excellence

Extensive use is made of individual mouldings to finish off the interior and the result is excellent. Full marks to Cruise Craft for achieving a package that meets the imports head on.

As a local, it’s gratifying to note that returning across Moreton Bay from South Passage after a brisk sea breeze built the usual wicked little wind chop – the GPS SOG readout flickered around 50 knots. But the hull acted as a tight unit with no creaks or crunches, something few boats in this country have achieved, imported or otherwise.

I won’t describe all the details that you can see in the photo spread, but there are some I must elaborate on.

The Explorer 685’s cockpit floor now has enough camber built into it to drain any water on the deck into a channel down each side, so it runs to a collection point and is pumped overboard. Which is how a fishing boat should be built.

Unlike others in the Cruise Craft range, the Explorer 685 does not lean towards either family cruising or serious fishing, although fiddling with the options list can easily make her one or the other.

Priced at $98,830 this Cruise Craft is by no mean an inexpensive boat, but you have to remember she’s fully rigged for sportfishing, right down to her LMS337C sounder/GPS combo unit.

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550 cruise craft outsider

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Hi does any body own or fish in one, I am looking at buying one and I'd love some info on ride stability etc. Thank you

Re: 550 cruise craft outsider

Mate if it's a 550 it must be from 1997 to around 2002 roughly mind yiou i have the explorer model 2001 absolutely amazing boat i imagine the outsider is a bit more heavyier and handle chop alot better but i wouldn't give my explorer up unless for the 685 explorer

VHF CHANNEL 21 CALL SIGN : JT OR SC552(social club member) There is a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges Up here we Use Hussar as baits for real RED FISHS (SHSIIFDER)

Thanks mate,just had a look and the outsider and explorer share the same hull apart from the cabin and there is about 40kg less weight in the explorer. Very nice rig you have there,how does it cut through the 1.5 m chop.

aBSOLUTELY AMAZINGLY BUT DOESN'T LIKE GOING STRAIGHT INTO IT PM AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE LINK TO MY VIDEO'S MATE YES YOU ARE RIGHT I THINK BY MEMORY THE EXPLORER IS 750MM LONGER IN FISHING ROOM AND THE OUTSIDER IS 750MM LONGER IN CABIN SPACE I DO HAVE ALL THE SPEC'S AND I CAN GIVE YOU A LINK TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEENT BOTH MODELS

Gozz.......is this the gozz from fishnet?......E-Tec???.......this is the old Rustyshakelford....

..Greg...."Termites pay the bills"..... Trailcraft 475...75 Hp E-Tec

I have spent a fair bit of time in GBC'c old 550 outsider and it was a pretty good fishing platform, very stable for it's size. GBC's outboard was a bit over propped and this combined with the fact that he's a fairly laid back fella and was never in a hurry contributed to a good ride at about 18-20 knots( not good for the motor though) but if there was anything less than good conditions and you were in a hurry the ride was bloody terrible ( they dont get the name bruise crafts for nothing) the boat planned at a low speed which was the compensation and again if it got rough you could come home quite slowly and be comfortable. Gbc now owns a signature 545 centre consol and the ride of this boat is very very good and the faster you drive it the better it gets. For a similar sized boat the ride quality is chalk and cheese but the signature has less fishing room and is not quite as stable , every thing is a trade off There are plenty of boats i would bypass to get a 550 outsider but there are also a few around that i would bypass a 550os for . Ian

Alcohol doesn't agree with me, but i sure do enjoy the argument!!!

Hey Gozz, I had one for about 3 years here in Townsville with a 130 2 stroke Yammy. Lot of offshore work out to the reef for diving and fishing.....once took her to the back of the slashers (118km out) but usual trips 80km each way. We dont get swell here but lots of chop. Brilliant boat, very stable from wide beam, good in following sea. I agree with the comments about banging (straight) into chop but the only boat I have found that copes with that are Kevlacats (or big Riviera's !!)......very deep vee Haines do have better ride but I find they rock and roll more at anchor. I was very happy with the build quality and finish and if I was into another trailer boat would like to look at a 685.....although the cat would probably sway me. cheers, Mike

Thanks heaps for your replies,just waiting to hear from seller,he's gone away until early next week. Any more info would be great while I'm waiting.

Ditto what finding time said - Honest enough hull, good layout, good stability, excellent bow/stern recovery (due to the fact that they are fat). Wouldn't say it was more stable than the signature - sigs sit very low at rest. Good enough for what they are - if not completely overpriced these days. If you want to do big offshore miles quick you'll end up hating it - buy something sharp like a haines/seafarer/sig. I'd have another one if I didn't continually cross the top of Moreton Bay to go fishing - they hurt you in 3ft chop, and are harder to keep in the water at any speed compared to the other hulls mentioned. Having said that, they will plane slower than a punt, and shoulder most rough stuff. I capped more than a few waves with mine (hence the hipped sheerline in the 575 update), filling the cabin well on a couple of occasions and stalling the motor. I'd install a very good bilge pump cause capping a wave at speed = lots of water. They aren't notorious for it, maybe outsider owners are tight lipped about it - maybe I was unlucky or pushing it too far? Lastly I'd say buy it with confidence that it won't cost you money. They are worth more now than they were a few years ago when I sold mine. The build quality is O.K. (screws still rattle out, and the pinch mouldings coming loose and being uncleanable will drive you mad) - certainly no less than the other majors apart from seafarer who were a cut above at that time. Feel free to ask any questions - I'll be blunt and honest. Oh, and the anchor well is not good at best. Access is bad, and the well is open to the cabin, so when you cap waves, the little lid flies open and all your precious stuff you keep on the cabin shelves gets a bath. C.J.

Agree totally with GBC about the pricing...and also about the resale...I sold mine for nearly what I paid and I was the 2nd owner. I never copped any greenies over the bow (luckliy) and in terms of the mouldings (mine had screws replaced with nuts and bolts...so fair call CJ. If I was doing big offshore miles (and wasnt after bells and whistles inside) Id go for a cat, cheers, Mike

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