World Cat 235TE: Power to the People
The newest power catamaran from World Cat, the 235TE, is an angler’s dream machine.
Hardcore anglers want to be able to go fishing even when the seas grow rough, which is one of the reasons why many opt for a power catamaran. Power cats can tame the waves in ways most monohulls can’t match, thanks to the air-compressing tunnel beneath the waterline which cushions the blows. Many power cat models, however, are laid out and equipped for casual angling with a healthy heap of family features. You say you’re looking for a cat that’s designed 100-percent for anglers? Take a look-see at the World Cat 235TE.
World Cat 230TE Design and Construction
The layout of the 235TE departs from that of its sister model, the 235CC, in several ways. The fixed transom is quite different than the fold-down setup on the CC version. The (30 gallon) livewell is shifted low and in the center of the transom, integrated into the step to the swim platform. To either side the transom houses cooler boxes on top, and on the vertical surfaces has swing-out tackleboxes that hold a pair of large Planos.
The bow is also quite different, eschewing flanking bow seats for an open bow cockpit with a small forward seat running athwartships. Pop the cushion off and leave it at home, and the seat serves as an elevated bow casting deck. This layout leaves far more open deck space for angling than one would expect, and when combined with the fact that cats carry their beam all the way into the bow, we note that the 235TE may well have more fishing space forward of the console than any other center console boat of its size on the market today. The downside is less seating for non-fishing trips. World cat designs in a creative solution, however, incorporating swing-out bench seats into the bow inwales.
Construction-wise the 235TE sticks with World Cat’s standard playbook. The boat gets a Vinylester barrier coat, is laid up with bi- and tri-directional fiberglass, and a layer of 36-ounce woven roving from chine to chine in each hull. Stringers and bulkheads are glassed into the hull, and belowdecks cavities are foam-filled.
World Cat 230TE Fishing Features
This boat is exceptionally rich with rodholders. There are eight gracing the gunwales from stem to stern, four rocket launchers on the back of the leaning post, five more rocket launchers across the back of the hard top, under-gunwale racks, and three vertical rodracks on either side of the console. In addition to the four swing-out Plano tackleboxes there’s room for additional tackle stowage in a wide drawer under the leaning post; beneath it there’s a slide-out Yeti cooler. In either side of the cockpit deck there are 37.5-gallon fishboxes with pump-outs. And if you plan to opt for an electric trolling motor on the bow note that the stock boat is pre-rigged for it.
Setting aside all those goodies, the layout of the 235TE is undoubtedly one of its strongest angling assets. As noted earlier there’s more fishing room in the bow than you’ll see on other boats in this class. Additionally, with that front seat arrangement you can still enjoy elevated casting for fishing in the shallows. And the stern cockpit has plenty of get-around room alongside and behind the leaning post for working the lines in open waters.
Speaking of fishing in the shallows versus in open water: this boat’s minimum draft is a mere nine inches. Get the bow-mount electric trolling motor and you’ll be equally at home sneaking up on snook in the backcountry as you will be battling the blackfin miles outside the inlet.
World Cat 235TE Performance
The 235TE is packaged with twin 115- or 150-hp outboards. Our test platform had a pair of Yamaha F150s, which didn’t leave us wanting in the performance department. While most efficient cruise (2.6 mpg) comes at around 3000 rpm running in the mid-20s, at a more day-to-day cruise of 4500 rpm we hopped across the wavetops in the mid- to upper-30s. And, we do mean hop — it was gusting over 20 mph when we ran the boat and the Chesapeake Bay was thoroughly riled up. Too riled, in fact to get beyond speeds in the upper 40s because we began to enter the atmosphere as we transitioned from trough to wave. Yamaha has tested the boat on flat water, however, and publishes a top-end of 51.2 mph at 6000 rpm.
That ride proved performance was more than up to snuff, but more importantly, validated the concept of getting a power cat to go fishing even when the seas will have most other boats sitting tied up at the dock. Trying to go 40-plus mph in those two- to three-foot vertical waves would have been mildly suicidal in a 22’7” monohull. But we were able to run at those speeds in relative ease without the usual spine-compressing blows one would expect; we only backed off on the throttle during wide-open speed runs to avoid aerating the propellers (potentially damaging the powerplants). Added bonus: the boat threw very little spray and we remained dry behind the three-sided enclosure at the helm.
World Cat 235TE Specifications
- Length Overall: 22’7”
- Beam: 8’6”
- Weight: 5275 lbs.
- Draft (minimum): 9”
- Transom Deadrise: NA (cat)
- Max HP: 300
- Fuel Capacity: 120 gal.
The 235TE does have some additional features that contribute to creature comforts aboard. There’s a 10-gallon freshwater system, a head compartment inside the console, and a four-speaker Bluetooth JL audio system. And note that fit and finish is a step above the norm. But from an angler’s point of view the importance of all that stuff pales in comparison to the boat’s fishability. And if that’s the lens you look at boats through, it won’t take you long to figure out that the World Cat 235TE is made for people just like you — hardcore anglers who want to go fishing, even when the weatherman’s report will have those less dedicated cancelling their plans.
See World Cat 235 TE boats for sale on boats.com.
