A RECENT phone call from Leon Lee of LeeCat tweaked my interest. “Brother, have got a boat that’s going to blow you away,” he said. The upshot of this conversation was that the walkaround version of the Lee Cat Expressa 900 (see review in SKI-BOAT May/June 2008) stopped off in Durban for a review enroute to Richards Bay before finally heading for Madagascar’s Nose Bé.

Following a long tow from the LeeCat factory near Port Alfred, the Expressa 900 Walkaround was slipped into the water on the public slipway alongside Durban’s Point Yacht Club. This is where I first set eyes on her as she eased her way through the moored craft out into Durban Bay. Aboard the photo boat I watched with interest as both craft got onto the plane and, after obtaining harbour clearance, headed for the ocean and a lumpy north-easterly sea that awaited us.

Watching her run these few kilometres allowed me to see how her hull worked the troubled water. I find this facet of a craft’s performance to be invaluable in forming a general impression of the boat, especially when it’s later correlated with the feel of actually skippering her at sea. I liked what I saw. In fact, it encouraged me to get the photoshoot over and done with as quickly as possible so I could get behind her helm and have her completely under my command.

Leon explained that he and his brothers at LeeCat were so happy with the forward console version of the Expressa 900 that they decided to design a new top deck that would incorporate a walkaround. This would make the craft more versatile for general gamefishing as opposed to being dedicated to the top end of the big gamefishing fraternity. The brothers were so happy with the redesigned craft both in appearance and performance that they were more than anxious for me to review her before she headed overseas to go on charter in Nose Bé.

As the LeeCat Expressa 900 Walkaround was due to pass Durban during her delivery to Richards Bay for the fitting of Nobeltec instrumentation by Kas van der Merwe, the opportunity of running her in the waters off Durban was irresistible.

A 30-footer — nine metres in mettric terms — is a big boat, and she looked even bigger on the road trailer that had carried her all the way from Port Alfred to Durban. It’s a rig that certainly turned heads while parked at the Point Yacht Club, and I have no doubt it also impressed many motorists as they passed her on the road. Indeed, she is a striking looking craft both on the trailer and on the water.

@Venture, as she has been named by Jan Griesel, her new owner, is destined for the adventure of a lifetime. Jan’s plan was to take his craft by sea under her own power from Richards Bay to Nacala on the northern Moçambique coast, then directly across the Moçambique Channel for approximately 200 nautical miles to her eventual home in Nose Bé.

With this in mind, I took the helm of @Venture to put her through her paces in the rough north-easterly sea. I wanted to evaluate her performance for fishing off our coast, and also to get an indication of how she would cope with the long sea voyage she was destined to undertake.

The sea conditions that we had been dealt were not nice in that the previous day’s stormy north-easterly had left a very lumpy ocean. Add to this the fact that the north-easterly had resumed its blow, increasing in strength throughout the morning. Combine a 30ft hull with a bumpy swell — often less than 20ft apart — and add 3 000 revs on the craft’s twin 200hp Suzuki 4-stroke motors, and one can expect a very interesting passage over the ocean.

That’s exactly what happened. With 15 knots of wind on the starboard bow I gradually eased @Venture’s throttles forward until we achieved an SOG of approximately 20 knots. It was an interesting start, because during the first kilometre I worked up speed gradually. I wanted to get the feel of the craft and also to judge what motor trim would produce by way of softness of ride, while still maximising her forward thrust. To begin with, at a speed of about 12 knots, we were being thrown about quite a lot as her fine entry prows were having to take on the out-of-synch swell each and every time. Increasing speed had the effect of her getting on the plane, thus carving the tops of the swells as she virtually flew over them. This is where she really came into her own.

I had set a course up the coast towards Umhlanga lighthouse and enjoyed the ride so much that I opened her up to over 4 000rpm. Not only was she flying — literally and figuratively — but she was also able to keep up the pace. I was, however, hypersensitive to the craft itself, especially since her owner was aboard, and I was reluctant to sustain the run. We dropped back to a speed of 20 knots, which relaxed all those aboard and allowed me to enjoy the ride while playing around with trim settings, in the process maximising her performance.

Then came the big test — head-on into the prevailing sea and wind in a test that is hard on both craft and crew, but is an essential trial if the craft is to cover in excess of 2 000 nautical miles across the ocean. During such a voyage she is going to have to take on a hard sea for long periods of time.

I initially dropped her SOG to 14/15 knots and headed directly into the north-east. Could I keep up the speed for hour after hour?, I asked myself. Yes, was the answer, because all those aboard were barely holding on. The more I pushed up the speed, the quieter the talking aboard became and the firmer the handholds. So I concluded that whilst the craft could have proceeded at about 20 knots, neither she nor her crew would have enjoyed it.

On a reciprocal course I trimmed up her bow and ran with the sea and wind directly on her transom. She liked a lot of trim and weight aft and then raced forward, providing us with a smooth and effortless ride, surfing the swells and cleaving the wave tops with her fine entry that threw the spray wide and far aft.

Although the swell was not that big, I gained the impression that even in a very big westerly following sea, she would not broach if correctly trimmed and weighted.

With the so-called long-range requirements of the craft effectively tested, I was then able to put her through her paces under what I would call local fishing conditions.

The twin 200hp Suzuki 4-strokes, pushing 19 pitch counter-rotating props, provided the Expressa 900 Walkaround with incredible performance, both out the hole as well as when I demanded instant thrust while planing in the mid-range speeds in rough water. I ran her through a number of trials in the big swells that were peaking over Limestone Reef where I was playing with her as if she was a smaller ski-boat. I was pleasantly surprised not only with how quickly I could bring her about, get her out of the hole and back onto the plane to face the following oncoming swell, but also with the way she maintained her momentum after cresting the wave.

Through the full range of trolling speeds her hull was stable in the water and did everything I expected of her. With her size and weight, her forward momentum was excellent and was constant, as is traditionally required when pulling lures.

As a sportfishing craft for light tackle fishing, flyfishing, dropshotting and deep jigging, she is ideal. On the drift she lies side-on to the wind and sea, and is stable, therefore allowing anglers to utilise the full length of her gunnels right up to the bow area. Even in the rough sea I found it easy to move up to the forward area as if I was either following a fish or moving forward to cast, work a plug or deep jig.

With any walkaround one understands that the primary sacrifice is cabin space. My criteria in this regard is simple — assess what you as an individual require from the cabin/saloon arrangement on a craft, and then relate it to the fishing practically before deciding whether you want a walkaround or a forward console craft. Elementary, you say. Yes, but most people walk into the cabin area of a walkaround and talk size and size only, before thinking the entire practical situation through.

I spent a good deal of time on the craft with a crew of four and encouraged them all to use the cabin space. I was pleasantly surprised at how much room was actually available. Whilst fishing I guarantee the perception of spaciousness would increase as crew movements to and from the fish deck area increased. My final assessment in this regard is that the layout was very practical and would supply more than adequate protection for the entire crew in adverse weather conditions.

Within the helm station area the central positioning of the skipper’s domain proved to be both efficient and comfortable throughout the full range of trials. Even though I missed the electronics that still had to be fitted in Richards Bay, I had sufficient instrumentation to allow me to appreciate the twin Suzuki 200s’ performance, as well as their ability to make the Expressa 900 Walkaround’s performance in the water extremely exciting.

Inside the protected confines of the saloon area and the forward cabin sector there is adequate lounging space and comfortable seating. Here one can while away the non-productive periods of the fishing day and, more essentially, it provides protection for all aboard — and a firm handhold during the long runs to and from the fishing grounds.

However, it is the fish deck on a craft of this size that always captures my attention, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from a practical viewpoint for the style of fishing it is to be used for. This craft is destined for Madagascar, and therefore light tackle gamefishing would be the order of the day.

Centrally situated on the fish deck is a console-styled rod holder that can be converted to a fighting chair base with little effort. Cupboards are built into the console, as is padded seating, and yet there is still plenty of space for two anglers buckled into two good fish to pass each other between the console and the gunnels and/or transom. I liked the transom configuration, as well as the padded inner gunnel facing panels. Add to this the multitude of storage lockers in the gunnel and transom sides, and one has a fishing cockpit that is very user friendly indeed.

Right up front, having bypassed the cabin using the walkaround area, a useful foredeck area has been provided for anglers to ply their sport with a fly, popper or jigging outfit. Here they are safe within the confines of a substantial stainless-steel bowrail with supports on the curved front face of the cabin.

The Lee brothers have designed a tremendous number of extras into this craft, and if you inspect the finish and hardware closely you will be more than pleased with what you see and feel.

The Expressa 900 Walkaround is a very fine craft indeed, that will prove to be both an extremely stable fishing platform as well as a most seaworthy craft. Any owner will take great delight in her appearance, as well as her performance.

Tested by Heinrich Kleyn

ALMOST every year most of the big boat building companies make serious changes to some of their boats, both to try keep up with the demand of their customers, and also to stay ahead of their competition. We see evidence of this at the annual National Boat Show in Johannesburg where there are a few new designs on display, as well as numerous upgrades and modifications to older boats.

At the beginning of this year I was involved in the testing of a custom-built 8-metre Lee Cat Walkaround, and recently I was invited to test the new improved Lee Cat 800 Walkaround. I was keen to see what changes they had made and couldn’t wait to put her through her paces.

The impression I got of this new 800 Walkaround is that she still has that distinct Lee Cat look, just more modern and neater. She’s similar to the previous 800 Walkaround, but when you see the two craft together in the water, a vast difference is immediately apparent. Although they’re the same size, the new 800 Walkaround just looks so much bigger. This is not just a boat, it’s an investment.

While the hull of this Lee Cat has stayed the same, they have raised the deck, and by doing this they have managed to give her more flotation. Talking about flotation, Lee Cat is moving away from using bottles and foam to fill the hull. To improve strength and flotation they now fill the hull with an imported high-tech foam.

By raising the deck, they have also raised the gunnels which means you will automatically have a drier ride and, while fishing, will be more comfortable leaning against the gunnels.

On to the console … The whole front console is a single solid moulded piece, although the front could be changed to look more like a sportfisher by adding stainless-steel. The deck inside the console area has also been changed and non-skid flooring has been moulded in. The back of the deck is now rigged more like that of a serious fishing boat, but it could be changed to facilitate diving for dive charters.
Everything on this boat is done by very professional people. When you order a boat from Lee Cat, they are prepared to go the extra mile for their customers and build the boat to your liking.

We’ve always known that Lee Cat produce good, strong craft, but this boat’s trip down from Joannesburg to Durban proved the point: their hulls are really tough!

While towing You Wish down to Durban after the boat show, Carl Lee was involved in a slight accident. A big truck on the road behind them went out of control, crashed into the engines of the boat, breaking one off completely and badly damaging the other one. The force of the impact dislocated the trailer’s hitch as well, and by the time Carl had realised what had happened, the boat and the trailer were overtaking him on the left-hand side of the tow vehicle — and straight into a cement barrier.

How badly was the boat herself damaged? Hardly at all. The engines were a write-off, but aside from that there were only a few scratches here and there that could be repaired very easily.

They finally made it to Durban in time for the test — with the boat still on the trailer which had been reattached to their truck. I tested this boat after the engines had been replaced and I could not fault them visually nor on the ride.

The weather was horrific on the day of the test, and when we left the harbour I knew it would be a huge challenge to take pictures in this kind of sea. We had a big easterly swell that was all over the place, so it took a great deal of concentration and effort to get her lined up for the photographs.

I was accompanied by Carl from Lee Cat and one of their representatives in the Seychelles, Robert Clarke. It’s always useful to have somebody on the boat that’s involved in manufacturing the craft. While you’re testing the boat, all sorts of questions do pop up, so it’s great when you can get the answers you need straightaway.

The new Lee Cat 800 Walkaround I tested was fitted with two 150hp Suzuki four-stroke motors with counter-rotating props. I test many different engines and I like feeling the power of these big engines and experiencing how quietly they run. It’s amazing how responsive these motors are, even on a big boat such as this.

With a top speed of just over 30 knots at sea, an impressive out-the-hole ability — even after a turn as tight as she was able to do — and a planing speed on one motor hovering around 20 knots with the starboard motor trimmed right up, I believe she is more than adequately powered. Caution may dictate a higher choice of power, though, especially if you load a crew of five or six persons and traditionally launch from a beach.

Personally, I would probably increase the power to twin 175 or 200hp motors because I believe in being overpowered rather than under-powered.

The lowdown torque on the motors was impressive, and these 150hp Suzukis ran extremely quietly and smoothly on idle and through the range of trolling speeds. They also started instantly at the turn of the key. Indeed, they were a pleasure to use through all phases of the review.

Throughout my time with her at sea I constantly compared the ride of the old Walkaround 800 with that of the new improved 800 Walkaround. Seeing as they had an identical below-gunnel hull design, was there really any difference?

Initially I felt there was no difference, but the more I played with the new craft, the more I began to feel that both during trolling trials and at speeds up to 17/18 knots, her hull-over-water performance was a lot lighter and easier to control with the trimming facilities available, as well because of the change in flotation medium. She was easy to trim at low-to-moderate speeds, and I was able to get her to cruise steadily and very comfortably over long distances.

The controls allow either separate motor trim or, at the flick of a switch, trimming of both motors in tandem. The latter has a role to play, but it is the lazy man’s method of trimming. I believe that constantly playing with the individual trim buttons better orchestrates the craft’s forward momentum over the vast variety of sea conditions one experiences.

Testing a boat in these conditions is actually ideal because it allows you to see what a boat really can do. Cruising at about 20 knots, the change of course had no substantial effect on the ride of the craft. Hydraulic noise from the tunnel hardly increased, and only a negligible degree of pounding was experienced — not bad considering the sea we were riding in and speed of the craft. All that is needed to perfect the ride is a skipper who knows what he is doing and knows how to read the sea, and the rest of the crew will have a smooth, comfortable ride.

The ride back into the harbour entrance was also a breeze. Remember that this area is notorious for peaking swells when the flow of water on an outgoing tide conflicts with the prevailing swell and wind. After I marginally lifted her bow and held her port transom tight into the water by marginally trimming up the port motor and trimming down the starboard motor, she rode beautifully.

A craft’s reaction throughout the various trolling patterns and speeds is critical, because it is during the long trolling hours we spend at sea that comfort is really important. The 800 Walkaround sits firmly in the water and is not subject to excessive lateral rolling, especially during the slower trolling speeds from 1.5 to 5 knots. Faster than that, as required when pulling marlin lures, the speed allows for the trims to be brought into effect to obviate lateral movement. During the 360° large troll trials I undertook to engage the sea at every conceivable angle, she did everything I asked of her, comfortably and dry and stable enough for the crew to work the deck.

On the drift she lies side-on to the wind, thereby suiting the jiggers and dropshotters, whether they are in the aft fishing area or right upfront in the bow lounging area. Boarding her from the sea could also be done comfortably if you wanted to convert her into a diving charter boat.
The aft deck design follows the traditional ski-boat layout with a large, removable coffin-style fish hatch, seating and rod holder that is bolted into position. There are no below-deck hatches in the sponsons other than the sealed areas for a 150 litre fuel tank in the aft of each sponson.

In the false transom on both sides of the craft are two good-sized livebait wells, plumbed to ensure a constant supply of water to keep one’s valuable livies healthy all day.

Using the walkway between the gunnel and the side of the dodger cabin, access to the forward area of the craft is relatively easy. There is open access to the anchor, so working it would be very practical.
The fully-enclosed helm cabin provides comfort and protection from the elements, be it rain, sea spray or sun. This area primarily houses the helmstation and forward dry lockers, plus seating designed to be practical for a fishing boat and those who fish on her. Good headroom and the tinted glass on three sides ensure that the inside of the wheelhouse is largely free from glare.

Helm stations tend to be largely personalised within the constraints of the moulded front bulkhead, and the 800 Walkaround is no exception, other than the basic layout which has been developed by the Lees after years of experience. As I mentioned before, this area could be changed to a stainless, more sportfisher-like look if preferred.

I personally found the centred helm position to be very practical in certain circumstances, but it took a bit of getting used to because it was different from the conventional side placement. The central positioning is positive in that it allows one the ability to spread the instrumentation gauges and radios on both sides of the steering and throttles, all within easy reach of the skipper.

Lee Cat Boat Builders have continued to enhance the quality of their finishes both in the mouldings as well as the hardware they incorporate into the craft for the recreational and charter boat markets. You Wish, the latest out of their Port Alfred factory, is a prime example of the lengths they go to to produce a craft that is sound in construction, is aesthetically pleasing, practical in use and has great finishes, both with regard to the basics and accessories.

If you’re looking for a top quality, solid, stable and seaworthy craft, make sure you have a look at the Lee Cat 800 Walkaround.

LEE Cat’s Xpressa 800 is a mean machine. I was surprised, though, because when I first saw her parked on her trailer in Port Elizabeth harbour, she looked completely different to the 8m Lee Cat Sportfisher that I tested four years ago in wild seas off East London.

While flying into PE, our plane banked over Algoa Bay, giving us a bird’s eye view of the ocean and bay that still had the remnants of the previous day’s big swell and strong wind. Although the sea was unsettled, it was infinitely better than the sea I had to contend with when I last reviewed a Lee Cat.

Leon and Carl Lee were extremely hyped up about their new craft and were eager for me to inspect her even before she was put into the water.

The Xpressa 800 is a stylish, almost racy looking craft that has been styled, constructed and finished to a standard that will rank with the other top class outboard-powered, offshore sportfishing craft built in South Africa. Indeed, that was precisely the Lee brothers’ — Leon, Carl and Joe’s — ambition when they set out to design and manufacture this, the latest model to emanate from their factory at Port Alfred.

Have they achieved that ambition? Read the following review of the Xpressa 800 and you will no doubt come to the same conclusion I did when I was churning up the ocean in Algoa Bay: “By gad, I believe they’ve done it.”

While the Lee brothers were getting their craft into the water, I headed to sea on the most unusual craft I have ever used as a photography boat — a converted chokka trawler, Bogenfels, owned by Gert Schoeman. He intends using it for fishing charters off Moçambique. (See story on page XXXX.)

At the steady 8 knots we were cruising, it didn’t take the Xpressa long to catch up with us as she sped around the western pier and across the bay towards us. She was a beautiful sight in the early morning light.

Carl had already explained in detail the changes they’ve made to the hull and its straking, as compared to their 8m Sportfisher. He believes these modifications will improve both the ride and the craft’s attack on the sea whilst planing. Although he felt top-end speed had been marginally sacrificed, it was a minimal loss when compared to the benefits achieved in the improvement of the craft’s overall ride at all speeds.

When the Lee brothers started putting their new craft through her paces for the camera, it came as no surprise to me that she not only has the basic looks of her lineage, but also had a very similar ride as she planed across the surface of Algoa Bay.

I also believe that because of her unique strake and hull design, she reacts only marginally to motor trim, rather using that design to produce her special ride. Her ride is soft, but there is still sufficient inverted straking, just aft of the entry area, to cleave the water and send spray wide and aft.

Crossing from Bogenfels to the Xpressa 800 was not that easy, but once I’d accomplished the task I was very keen to experience this craft firsthand. I said earlier that the overall appearance of the craft was “racy”. Studying her later in the photographs, this impression once again dominated. Now it was time to see if she felt as good as she looked …

The long swell and light wind chop created the ideal sea to commence the run I intended taking, passing the famous Bell Buoy and heading on a bearing that would, if maintained, take me to the tuna hunting grounds a further 30 miles out to sea.

Leon and Carl had decided on twin 140hp Johnson outboard motors, swinging 19” pitch stainless-steel props. This combination provided sufficient out-the-hole acceleration and excellent thrust throughout the power range, delivering excellent top-end speed for a craft this overall size. Furthermore, when pushing on its own, each motor was able to get the craft onto the plane. The port motor produced 15 knots at maximum revs of 4 500rpm, and the starboard 16 knots at 5 000rpm.

Once the craft was on the plane, I backed off the throttle just enough so that the craft continued planing without the motor sounding as if it was straining excessively. We could have run a substantial distance like this without damaging the motor, and still covering a lot of water if the need arose.

With Thunderbolt Reef far off to starboard, we were getting further and further out to sea, and further from the protected confines of Algoa Bay. From 12 knots at 3 000rpm, I pushed the throttles up to 4 000 revs to give me a very comfortable ride of 20 knots into the head sea — a speed I could have maintained all the way out to the fishing grounds.

Not only was the ride smooth, but the overall motor- and hull-over-sea noise was at a level where Leon, Carl and I could still converse easily and didn’t have to hang on tightly. We could just relax and enjoy the ride. At 5 000rpm we reached 30 knots, but I felt that while practical, this speed was far too taxing for such a long run.

On a reciprocal course, running with the sea, I could have maintained a slightly higher average speed, but I chose the 20 knot comfort zone and retained the economical 3 800-4 200rpm to return.

Out in the deep, however, I spent a lot of time putting her through a range of trials at much lower speeds, in order to gauge her performance during different types of trolling situations.

Seeing that she was designed largely for tuna fishing, it was important to test her while trolling in the 5-6 knot speed range. At this speed, she produced a broad, flat wake that would work well for pulling swimming lures not very far behind the motors. At faster speeds of around 7-8 knots, with the motors running at 2 300rpm, she maintained the steady, even pull that is needed when trolling big konas for billfish. Even directly into a head sea, she trolled well and provided a whitewater wake that was suited to pulling this type of lure.

Remembering the gamefishermen of the KZN coast, I tested her a lot with one motor in idle, as if slow trolling for ’cuda. Right down to 700rpm, she was showing an SOG of a little over 1,5 knots and her steering was positive, although I must admit there was not enough wind to materially affect her steerage.

The Xpressa 800 also responded well in reverse while mooring her. Holding the steering with the motors straight, I was able to accomplish tight manoeuvres in the harbour by using alternate motors in forward or reverse. Out at sea, as if following a big marlin or tuna, I found I needed a lot of power, both forward and reverse, to achieve the stern movement I required.

Pulling her around into a sharp turn and then out of the turn again, as one would do during a surf launch, she manoeuvred fairly well for a craft of this size. Bringing about eight metres of boat at speed — especially a cat with its drag of two sponsons — is never going to be the easiest task. However, by using a lot of power on the outside motor and dropping power on the inner motor, I achieved the necessary performance that would have allowed me to launch this craft through the surf at most of the major launch sites where this sort of manoeuvre is required.

What really impressed me, though, was her overall fishability. Designed as she is, primarily for hunting big tuna, her fishdeck layout has resulted from the Lee brothers’ life-long exposure to fishing for big fish from predominantly big boats. Many extras have been incorporated into the deck area, but I’ll only discuss the major ones in this review. Very importantly, the transom area is clean and clear of obstacles, allowing full access to the trolling boards which is crucial during multiple strikes. Moving around the deck while harnessed to a big tuna, and in fact right around the craft using its walkaround area, would be very practical.

The moveable, above-deck fish hatch which can be loaded through the hinged top is already large, but Carl told me that an even bigger hatch is available for commercial operations. This hatch can be swung through 90° to provide both seating and fish storage facilities for either gamefishing or bottomfishing.

Talking of bottomfishing, a unique anchor stowage locker in the port forward section of the fish deck, together with a workable rope-pulling bracket mounted above it on the gunnel, allows the anchor to be controlled from the fish deck, rather than having the anchor man scramble up to the bow area (see photographs).

The aspect of this craft that really caught my attention from the moment I first saw the Xpressa 800 was its “dodger” cabin. The cabin looked really good, and it worked even better. This craft is undeniably a fishing boat, so the dodger cabin has been positioned in order to maximise the fish deck area, while still providing all the protection and comfort a crew of four or five need during a day at sea.

Within the confines of this cabin is a well laid-out helm station that is centrally situated, offering a good view of all the instrumentation. Whilst I am not a great lover of centre steering — no doubt due to a lifetime of right-hand-drive steering setups on boats and cars — I did enjoy the one on the Xpressa. The all-round view through the big windows gave me good visibility, even when I had a crew member on each side of me. This is a very good indication of the spaciousness, especially since neither Carl nor I are small chaps, width-wise.

Two other noteworthy features are also incorporated into the helm station. The first is an interesting vertical locker with a hanging rod to hold all the life jackets. It’s very neat and easily accessible. The second feature is a pair of small lockers which each hold a fire extinguisher for quick access by the skipper. Just a few months ago Carl experienced a devastating fire aboard a craft at sea, and is now very aware of the importance of these vital items of safety equipment aboard a boat.

In the port side of the helm station, a door leads into the forward cabin which boasts a good sized bunk, a toilet and port-side storage for spare rods. Ventilation for the cabin is via an overhead Lumar-style hatch. During reasonable weather, this hatch scoops air through the forward cabin and into the helm station if the cabin door is left fully open.

Leon and Carl had towed the Xpressa 800 from Port Alfred to Port Elizabeth that morning. While I was cruising at 30 000ft, they were cruising at 100kph, towing their craft with their 3-litre double cab. Apparently she towed beautifully. Having recently towed her to Cape Town and back they should know.

The trailer is sturdy — it has double axles — and is built specifically for slip launching. It also has a protruding aft platform, and this, together with the centre guiding rails, makes reloading her very simple. Using the extended aft platform to climb aboard once she is loaded and pulled out of the water makes this normally difficult task extremely easy.

As I mentioned in the write-up on the 8m Sportfisher, it’s only in recent years that Lee Cat Boats have started targeting the recreational sportfishing market, having hitherto concentrated on the big commercial fishing boat users. This change in direction has resulted in a total rethink on the finishes and styling of their boats.

In order to compete, they had to emulate the quality of finishes and hardware on other similar craft available in South Africa. The Lees have therefore gone out of their way to ensure that the Xpressa 800 is a craft that not only has the looks, but also the quality of finishes that will make any future buyer a very proud owner indeed.

As I said, the Xpressa 800 is a mean fishing machine, and I have no doubt that this craft, which is also extremely well priced, will quickly become popular among the boating fraternity both in South Africa as well as neighbouring countries.