Ebbtide's Mystique 2300 Sport Cuddy breezed through all the handling maneuvers.

Ebbtide's Mystique 2300 Sport Cuddy breezed through all the handling maneuvers.



Quite frankly, a lot of 23' cuddy cabins are nothing more than 23' bow riders with closed decks, the end results being cabins that are useful for little more than stowing water toys and Coast Guard safety kits.

Not so with Ebbtide's new Mystique 2300 Sport Cuddy.

The 25'3"-long (with it's optional extended swim platform), 8'6"-wide craft came to our Placida, Fla., Performance Trials with a host of options, including Accon Pull-Up cleats, cockpit cover, Corsa Captain's Call switchable exhaust and custom height-adjustable seats with flip-up thigh bolsters, which brought the as-tested price to $46,515.

Standard fare on the 2300 was a $37,425 price tag and a cuddy cabin with enough headroom for four average-height NBA guards to sit and play cards around the removable dinette table.

Well, maybe that's exaggerated, but the cabin offers an unprecedented amount of headroom and respectable performance for a small-block-powered boat that weighed 4,200 pounds.

Performance

Part of the boat's performance and handling prowess came courtesy of it's 20-degree-transom hull, with four strakes, radiused keel and slightly negative, 4-inch chines.

The outside strakes ran the full length of the boat and the insides terminated about 4 feet from the transom. Ebbtide stayed away from using a pad or notching the transom.

For power, the company chose MerCruiser's 320-horse MX 6.2 MPI small-block, which routed its power through a Bravo One drive with a 1.65:1 gear set. The propeller of choice was a Mercury Mirage Plus stainless-steel three-blade, measuring 14 5/8" in diameter, with a 23" pitch.

That power and drive combination provided a 58.1 mph top speed at 4,800 rpm. It hopped on plane in 4.65 seconds—with no loss of horizon—and reached 47 mph in 15 seconds. It also stayed on plane down to 22 mph. And, thanks to the heavily insulated engine hatch, it did everything quietly.

Acceleration drills from 20 to 40 mph took 8.05 seconds and going from 30 to 50 mph took just a tick more at 8.29 seconds. Not blistering acceleration, mind you, but certainly respectable for the breed.

Top speed aside, Ebbtide's Mystique 2300 Sport Cuddy breezed through all the handling maneuvers, earning high marks from testers. Slalom turns at 20, 30 and 40 mph were poised and predictable. There was no deceleration reaction or steering-wheel torque to speak of, and the boat tracked well at all speeds.

Also remarkable was the manner in which the 2300 handled the wind-whipped waters of Gasparilla Sound. It maintained course with minimal steering corrections and didn't bang or pound its occupants into submission. The boat was, in fact, idiot-proof.

Workmanship

The boat's quiet nature stemmed from its fully handlaid hull and deck. The stringer system was cut from marine-grade plywood, a material Ebbtide president Tom Trabue said helps absorb shock and deaden sound. The wood had a 50-year guarantee against rot, and was fully encapsulated with resin and bias-ply fabric to keep moisture out.

Ebbtide used alternating layers of 24-ounce woven roving and 1 1/2-ounce mat in the hull bottom, and three-quarter-inch and 1 1/2" closed-cell foam coring in the hullsides. The 2300 had 1-ounce mat for a skin coat, which backed the premium AME 5000 gelcoat.

The result was a glossy finish, with mold work that earned almost perfect scores from testers. For dockside protection, Ebbtide installed a black plastic extruded rubrail with a stainless-steel insert and aligned every Phillips screw head—just for good measure.

Deck hardware comprised the aforementioned pull-up cleats, including one mounted at the anchor windlass, a smoked Lexan Bomar hatch, stainless bow rails and Attwood nav lights on either side of the windshield.

Beneath the engine hatch, Ebbtide lag-bolted the MX 6.2 MPI to the stringers. We prefer through-bolting and L-angles, but the 2300 is not typically subjected to the same abuse as offshore boats.

Our testers also felt the rigging was not of the same high caliber as Ebbtide products we've seen in the past. Wiring was loosely supported with a few nylon adels and run in a plastic conduit. However, access to minor services was decent and the entire engine bay was coated generously with white-and-black spatter paint. Deck scuppers kept water from running into the engine bay. Simple and smart.

Interior

In the cockpit, Ebbtide covered the deck with snap-in Berber carpeting, which complemented the upholstery and trim nicely. At the rear, the lounge spanned from the transom-access door across the cockpit to the gunwale and forward to the co-pilot's seat. Beneath the port-side lounge was stowage and a removable 36-quart Igloo cooler.

To starboard, there was a wet bar with a built-in draining cooler, a sink and a grab rail to hold onto while under way. There also were steps to the foredeck, which featured full nonskid treatment and handy grab rails for easy ingress and egress.

Entering the roomy cabin was made easier with a bifolding door that opened to port and a lift-up hatch that kept passengers from having to stoop to enter.

Inside the cabin, there was a Porta Potti on the starboard side. Hullsides were swathed in the same carpeting that covered the floor, and the underside of the deck featured a suspended vinyl headliner.

Overall

Ebbtide crammed about as much boat into a 23' package as is humanly possible. Top it off with near 60-mph top speeds and predictable handling, and it's $46K price tag seems like a steal.

Hull and Propulsion Information
Deadrise at transom20 degrees
Centerline25'3" (with swim platform)
Beam8'6"
Hull weight4,200 pounds
EngineMerCruiser MX 6.2 MPI
Cylinder typeV-8
Cubic-inch displacement/horsepower377/320
Lower-unit gear ratio1.65:1
PropellerMercury Mirage stainless 14 5/8" x 23"

Pricing
Base retail$37,425
Price as tested$46,515

Standard equipment

MerCruiser 5.0-liter MPI engine, chrome through-hull fittings, transom entry gate, two-tone gelcoat, navigation lights, stainless ski-tow rail, bow and stern eyes, stainless cleats and vents, anchor-rope storage compartment, Bimini top and boot, windshield, convenience center with sink, cooler and storage space, removable 36-quart cooler, gas-fume detector, full instrumentation, deluxe tilt steering, carbon monoxide detector, marine carpet, hatch and screen, interior reading and overhead lights in cabin, Porta Potti, table, hanging locker, battery tray and Halon extinguisher.

Options on Test Boat

Upgrade to MerCruiser MX 6.2 MPI ($5,655), Captain?s Call exhaust ($1,300), extended swim platform ($865), cockpit covers ($430), stainless-steel gunnel insert ($330), pull-up cleats ($265), flip-up bolster buckets ($135) and height-adjustable pedestal ($110).

Acceleration
3 seconds17 mph
5 seconds24 mph
10 seconds38 mph
15 seconds47 mph

Midrange Acceleration
20-40 mph6 seconds
30-50 mph8.3 seconds

Rpm vs. Mph
10006 mph
15008 mph
20009 mph
250026 mph
300033 mph
350041 mph
400047 mph
450055 mph

Top Speed
Speedometer58 mph at 4800 rpm
Radar58.1 mph at 4800 rpm
Nordskog Performance Products GPS56.9 mph at 4800 rpm

Planing
Time to plane4.7 seconds
Minimum planing speed22 mph

Fuel Economy
At 25 mph3.4 mpg
At 35 mph3.5 mpg
At 45 mph3.2 mpg
At 55 mph2.7 mpg
At WOT2.5 mpg
Fuel capacity70 gallons

Test conducted at Placida, Fla.

For More Information

Ebbtide Corp.
2545 Jones Creek Road
White Bluff, TN 37187
615-797-3193
www.ebbtideboats.com.