Whittley Marine Group of Melbourne have turned out some very desirable boats throughout the last couple of decades.

Currently, the company’s range of fabulous Cruisers, the blue water biased Sea Legends and value for money Clearwater Range are still turning heads wherever they appear whether that’s on the road, at the ramp or on the water.

Whittley always have that special something that creates pride of ownership. Moreover, a casual glance at the Clearwater 1750 reveals an impeccable finish. Joins in fibreglass mouldings don’t exist, all corners and mouldings are neatly rounded. On the exterior we see the transom’s neatly swept back lines highlighting the attractive and contrasting toning on the side panels.

Let’s take a closer look at the CW 1750. At 5.2m long, 2.11m wide it’s small enough to be towed with the family sedan or wagon, yet large enough to take up to 4 anglers out for a day on the bay, work for a feed of fish within an estuary or head offshore for some reef fishing and light game work. It’s undeniably an ideal rig for a family group to enjoy as a day cruiser thanks to the handy features and high comfort levels.

Stepping aboard the CW 1750, it’s obvious that attention to detail is evident from stem to stern and from the ease of access up front to the large storage areas there is little in the way of compromise; always a factor with boat ownership. In the grand scale of things, the rig’s cuddy cab is not too large to inhibit fishing yet it’s great for a rest or stowing gear. The cockpit is not at all cluttered thanks to smartly designed side storage pockets and the work area also having a good share of the craft’s interior dimensions.

With a sensible-sized bowsprit and a split bow rail up front of the cab, there’s easy access to the Whittley’s large anchor well. This is largely due to the screen and cabin hatch hinging to the side to create a wide foredeck companionway. A moulded step in the bow allows a deckhand to safely stand braced against the companionway to work the pick while entry or exit could not be easier thanks to the split bow rail and inner cabin step.

The cuddy cab is equipped with a 5-piece windscreen and accompanying grab rail, neatly blending into the aft section in fine style.

The cuddy was set up with well-padded paired bunks each side of a deep foot well and a large storage box under each bunk. There was overhead shelving all round and thanks to a cut out in the bulkhead moulding down low in front of both skipper and first mate there’s sufficient room for a passenger to lie down and stretch the legs out. The well-designed cut out also served as a footrest.

The bulkhead section ahead of the first mate was equipped with 3 levels of storage. Uppermost was a glove box with 2 other shelves below. There was a grab handle by the mate’s arm.

The bulkhead section to starboard was neatly fashioned as the craft’s dash. On the uppermost level paired Yamaha multi-functional gauges were joined by a compass. The next level down was taken up with the craft’s Fusion radio, a Raymarine Dragonfly sounder plotter, while the wheel linked to non-feedback steering was a little lower again with a bank of switches nearby. Forward controls for the engine were handily side-mounted.

Seating for skipper and mate consisted of supportive, swivelling, pedestal-mounted buckets with the Clearwater logo on the rear. From the skipper’s seat, I noted virtually unlimited visibility and a high degree of comfort thanks to the handy footrest below.

The main cockpit with its clip-in carpet was surprisingly large. The first item of interest for the angler would be the under floor fish box located between the forward seating. The next would be the size of the inbuilt side pockets, which took up virtually all of each of the cockpit sides. These pockets were recessed into the 750mm high sidewalls and came equipped with paired rod racks, providing safe rod tip storage within the sides. Below these racks was quite wide and deep off floor shelves, with a toehold under them to assist an angler playing a fish. Paired stainless rod holders were set into each gunwale as were cleats astern.

Aft seating consisted of a removable 3-piece folding lounge, which if fishing is designed to be easily removed. The backrest section, with the lounge removed, would make a great brace point for fishing astern.

The full height transom came set up with bait wells – or storage boxes for ice and drinks – within each neatly rounded corner while the craft’s battery and fuel filter were freely available below. Boarding platforms and handrails were featured each side of the 90 HP Yamaha with a telescoping ladder linked to the port platform.

Engines ratings for the CW 1750 were 70-125 HP, which saw the 90 HP Yamaha 2-stroke a fair distance from top power. It did an excellent job of powering the craft’s 665kg hull with its 17° deadrise. The engine started first turn of the key and was not too noisy or smokey, despite the fact it was ‘old’ technology. The truth is that these conventional 2-stroke motors still work well.

The craft easily planed with 2 aboard at 20 .7km/h at 2600rpm quite smoothly. Bumping up to 3000rpm saw 33.2km/h on the GPS, 4000rpm got us up to 43.7km/h, at 5000rpm we were 59.4km/h and an open throttle speed at 5300rpm of 64.6km/h. The feeling I had from the Yamaha’s response was that the engine would just as easily have powered the craft even with a couple more people aboard. It certainly did not require much throttle movement to quickly gain more speed, that’s for sure. The hull’s ride impressed me. Even powering into 0.5m chop at full throttle produced no pounding or bumps and with very little displaced water evident. I feel that the 1750 would make an excellent offshore or bay rig with little to worry about if things turned nasty.

The stability of the Whittley was also an important point. The hull featured a 17° ‘V’, a rounded central bilge section, with several strongly formed strakes moulded into the under water surface. The end result was excellent inherent stability with even both of us to one side causing little leaning to develop. Our turns were pin-sharp with some decent G-forces being produced in the sharper turns and without the slightest prop slip whatsoever.

I saw the CW 1750 as a great all rounder for either serious fishing or family boating pursuits. The level of features aboard and the sensible layout created a high level of creature comfort for virtually any manner of boating. A family of 4 would really enjoy time aboard, as would up to 4 anglers heading out for a day on the water. A Bimini top is included within the package, as is safety gear for 5 persons. On a Mackay or Whittley trailer and with a tonneau travel cover, Fusion RA 205 radio, GME radio and aerial with front and side clears the rig would come home for around the mid forties, surely great value for money. Whittley Marine can be contacted by phone at (03) 8339 1800 or on the net at --e-mail address hidden-- to located your nearest Whittley dealer.

Technical Information