Cruise Craft 685 Outsider or Haines Hunter 680 Pat

[crispy]

I have been reading members articles,have a laugh and can relate to the humerous side but certainly read excellent postings on many things. YES I AM A NEW MEMBER and would like to learn of anyone with a Cruise Craft 685 outsider and a Haines Hunter 680 Patriot. I have read no articles on these boats or comparison reviews. My question given a choice which boat would you prefer and why. two outboards or one (I thought 2 x 150 4 stroke honda's ??? using the 80% efficency Hp =240). I am leaning towards the Cruise Craft because there are more items in the standard fitout than Haines. Irealise they are both excellent boats but what are your thoughts. Crispy

[crispy]

I have been reading members articles,have a laugh and can relate to the humerous side but certainly read excellent postings on many things. YES I AM A NEW MEMBER and would like to learn of anyone with a Cruise Craft 685 outsider and a Haines Hunter 680 Patriot. I have read no articles on these boats or comparison reviews. My question given a choice which boat would you prefer and why. two outboards or one (I thought 2 x 150 4 stroke honda's ??? using the 80% efficency Hp =240). I am leaning towards the Cruise Craft because there are more items in the standard fitout than Haines. Irealise they are both excellent boats but what are your thoughts. Crispy

Made typing error I have read the print of many articles and reviews of each boat but have seen no comparison articles.

[Heath]

Flick the member Fletch an email, he owns a 685 Outsider.

I've fished from it several times & its one big boat! Handles an ugly sea perfectly. Plenty of room up front for a nap. Enough cockpit space to fish comfortably as well.

IMO I would go for a single donk, purely to save on servicing costs.

There is also a 685 for sale in the forsale section as well.

[gawby]

Theres somethin about those cruise crafts that just say buy me.
Ive been to several boat shows lately and the cruise craft seems to stand out to me. I think that it will be my next boat.
Graeme

[crispy]

Thanks heath i'll contact fletch and gawby thats how the Cruise craft seems to get me thanks for your quick reply, happy boating. crispy

[skippa]

Graeme,

When ya trade in that old coke can and pickup ya new Cruisey give me a call ... buddy .... mate .... u'll need a new deckie .... eh #;) ::) ;D ;D

Crispy,

damn fine boats those Cruise Crafts, terrific offshore rigs and your right they just scream out buy me.


Cheers,
Tony # 8-)

[bj]

Crispy have sent you a PM.

[youngfisho]

crispy,

if you are keen on spending the money on a boat with twin 150 hondas why not look at a 6.8m noosa cat or similar #Gee you could even get something 7+m #maybe a 2600 series full cabin with the two hondas on the back. #Would run 40 knots plus with the two hondas on the back. #they are fully customizable and are often built to survey specifications. #Would be softer riding and heaps more fishing room, better stability at rest, self draining deck. #Handle bar work with ease, and run along at 25knots in reasonable seas and make use from the 300hp on the back.

Just ask Foxy (who owns a markham 7.0m with i think twin 115 yammie fours)

the photo is of a 23 foot noosa cat


andrew

[toymod]

Stop it im drueling :'(

[Heath]

Theres somethin about those cruise crafts that just say buy me.
Ive been to several boat shows lately and the cruise craft seems to stand out to me. I think that it will be my next boat.
Graeme

Know what you mean!

Heath
Cruise Craft Owner :D

[crispy]

Good to know that the topic has drew some attention and helpfull suggestions. Yes I did consider a twin hull and was very tempted, however the boat has to be trailerable, if the honda 150's are overkill please let me know,Im not a smart arse I genuinelly would like your valued opinion and experience. I would have thought that an owner of a 685 or 680 patriiot would reply with + and _ if any. Are there any 685 or 680 owners in the Port Macquarie area I could contact. I e-mailed Hastings Marine and got a brochure sent as they are the cruise craft agents. Guess what drove down for the weekend, looked in the yard (they were closed) and didn't see a single cruise craft that was on display. Cruise craft only have a few agents in NSW and this is my problem I haven't see a live 685 or 680 anywhere as yet, are they an endangered species. I know an agent may not stock the boat because of price and limited demand simply based on peoples budgets or demands for other craft. crispy

[youngfisho]

any 6.8 to 7.0 m cat should be trailerable provided it is around 2.5m beam or less. Also depends on your towing rig. But the weight difference between the cat and mono shouldnt be that much.


andrew

[Angla]

Every second boat at 1770 seems to be a Cruise Craft 685

I own a 575 Outsider and I can tell you that if 1 is for sale it must be for health reasons as they are rarely for sale IMO

Angla

[Heath]

Crispy,

Contact the Cruise Craft Factory direct. They'll point you in the right direction as far as dealers go.

[finding_time]

Crispy

I have spent a fair bit of time in both the 685 Outsider ( The Bombers) and a Haines 680 Applause( Rob K's) although not a Patriot it's similar. I am not trying to upset any cruise craft owners or haines owners i'm just giving my opinion so please dont anyone jump down my throat.

Both boats are large and comfortable and you do feel like the king of the world when driving them! At rest the Outsider is more stable than the Applause but i believe the patroit has a larger chine which has alleviated the applauses rock abit.When the ocean is flat say winds 15knots and below the ride of both is great as you would expect in such large boats. But in choppy to rough seas the Haines hull is far superior which ever way you are going( eg. beam on, down swell and straight into it)

If i was buying the boat i would get the haines patriot as boat handling is my most important feature but you might prefer the stability at rest or the slightly larger cabin in which case the cruise craft 685 outsider would suit better. I stress again this is just my opinion but i have spent a bit of time in both boats and have no emotional attachment to either. ;)

Ian

Ps. Try and go for a test ride in both but in less than ideal conditions to get a true indication of ride!

[the_bomber]

Hi Crispy

I agree with Ian

I love the outsider but she will not keep up with the haines in the tough going. The outsider does well though and puts a lot of other boats to shame.She will plane at low speeds and be very stable at rest. That I guess is the compromise of hull design. I would rather fish out of the outsider but get there in the haines if it was really blowing.

That being said I would love either with a 250 hp 4 stroke on the back.

Rob

[mark221263]

The head of the Redland boat club in Brisbane has a patriot thats a few years old now.

When talking about an upgrade which will probably be a bit bigger than 6.8m he did mention that if he was shopping around for the 6.5~7m size again he's go with the cruise craft outsider. He didn't back it up with much reason apart from he prefered the fittout and didn't like some of the changes made to the current patriot.

He does a lot of outside fishing and clocks up more than the average hours

Cheers Mark

[crispy]

Tks finding_time, I would certainly like to see and hear from someone with a 685 or 680 in the Port Macquarie area ??? If a members knows of anyone in that area i would appreciate a reply. TKS crispy

[Davo53]

On the subject of big, glass Aussie boats, has anyone had a ride in the new SeaLegend 700? I know its not a walk around, ( or even not Aussie, maybe!), but it seems a logical competitor for the 680 and 685. It seems a nice compromise between a fishable boat , and nice enough to take the missus out in. Most interested to hear of any experiences with it.

Cheers

[bigblue]

i owned a Cruise Craft 650 well known for its legendry build quality of all cruise craft boats, superb stability, the way it handled a sea, and the ease and transition as it got on the plane,

a really great hull made even better with the 625,

would have a 685 if budget allowed,

[Gunfish]

Hi Crispy, if you are in Port Mcq, duck on down the Pacific to Terrace Boating in Raymond Terrace. I was there on the weekend and they have a 680 and 650 patriot on the floor. Awesom boats, give you a horn just looking at them.

Cheers,

Dean.

[buddha]

Crispy,
have you considered a Leeder Tomcat 240, or the Haines Signature 702L?

Anyway,when I at the last Mandurah Boat show (or was it in Frementle??), I spent a bit of time going though both vessels, but I didn't get a chance to do an on-water experience in either.
I thought that the criuse craft was better laid out (my personal preference).
The glass work on the cruise craft just felt better to me.
I love both boats, and to be honest I don't think you'd be too upset if you purchased either as a fishing, or family rig.
They're both big boats, I noted with interest the observation of another posting regarding the difference in seakeeping; I don't recall seeing a head-head shootout on these boats in a magazine; you'd think that someone would do it.
Twins donks woul dbe great, but as mentioned, servicing costs would be exhorbitant.
Maybe go for a 250 with a 15hp auxiliary [?]

Which ever way you go, I think either will return years of comfortable and safe service.

Cheers,
Dave

[insideout]

gday crispy
seems like not so long ago i was in the same position as yourself asking,haines,or crusecraft? 2 fantastic boats anyway you look at it. took them both for a test run, and throughly impressed. i had only one problem which is .....me. i am 6,6 and 125kilo. so without baging these two great boats, sizewise i needed something bigger ,which meant more money,of course.So after test driving this baby i bought it. kevlacat2400 . awesome boat,anyway you look at it. eats anything in its way. paired with 140 suzi 4 strokes, it has heaps of power,and chews very little juice. pricewise more expensive,but,longterm, better for myself and my family. besides, your only on this blue globe for a lifetime, and boys must have their toys!!

[Gunfish]

Insideout,

Great boat mate....someone pass me the tissues..... ;D ;D ;D. If you don't mind my asking what was it worth when you bought it? I'm guessing aroung 100k but not sure.....must be 30k in donks alone. I want one!!!

Have a nice day!

Dean.

[insideout]

gunfish, i dont mind you asking at all............................................... ...........

but if my wife stumbles across this site , and finds out how much i REALLY payed,,,, :o, well you know the rest!! ;) ;)

[finding_time]

gunfish, i dont mind you asking at all............................................... ...........

but if my wife stumbles across this site , and finds out how much i REALLY payed,,,, #:o, well you know the rest!! #;) ;)


And isn't that the truth!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D