Boat Review - Karnic Bluewater 2250

It’s been a good two years since I reviewed the first imported Karnic trailerboat from Europe, supplied by Stefan Boating World in Coomera, Queensland. Built in Cyprus to be precise, the Karnic boats brand — or at least Stefan Boating World’s selection of Karnic boats — are fine-tuned to suit the Australian market with a range of fishing centre consoles, cabin-style trailerboats and even a cruiser line on offer.

One of the latest Karnic boats and one that I can most certainly see becoming a popular sight on our waters is the Bluewater 2250, suiting the avid offshore fisherman and being just as good as a family entertainer.

It’s stylish in looks, has a healthy sized cabin with head, large cockpit, hardtop and a very cool deck layout that can be left open for big days offshore with the mates or transformed into a family entertainer simply by adding a few of the many seating options supplied as standard. Surprisingly, you can get into one of these for around $70K, so read on.

Layout and design

When climbing aboard the Karnic Bluewater 2250 for a closer look the deck was set up to suit a typical day out on the water with family and friends. Of particular note were the full-length infill benches extending right through to the side steps of the cab walkaround and a drop-in table making it as good as it gets for trailerboat sociability, and this is all supplied as standard on the Karnic Bluewater 2250.

If that seating arrangement isn’t needed, then leave the infill benches at home and keep the smaller port and starboard stern seats for passengers, or simply just leave the lot behind or in the cab to create an open dancefloor for the big fishing days. Having a small family myself, I know for a fact that my wife would appreciate having this kind of seating option available, rather than her regular spot, which is sitting on an old icebox at the back of my boat!

The next feature to catch my eye was the captain’s double helm seat which, when flipped forward, revealed a small gas cooker and plumbed sink. This is a feature not normally included as standard on trailerboats and it’s one that definitely appeals to me as there is nothing better than a breakfast cook-up or fresh fish if available. If anything, I would prefer a small extension bimini on the hardtop to cover this area.

Walkaround bow

With a 2.5m beam the cockpit and helm section is quite spacious and still leaves enough room for a decent walkaround to the bow. The dash layout is kept low for good vision through the screens, with plenty of space for gauges and small electronics. A new Garmin GPSMAP 820xs is fitted and is an ideal-size unit for the boat as the large screen can be split into a number of configurations enabling you to view sonar, GPS and engine diagnostics simultaneously. The only issue I had was it being mounted directly above the gauges and in front of the screen, which did restrict vision when seated and driving. Personally I would have tried to mount it to the side somehow or gone for the optional flush-mount dash setup to eliminate this.

On the port side is access to a generously-spaced and deep cabin with sidepocket storage and under-bunk mounted head that’s flushable. Again for the family this a great feature to have on board.

Handling and ride

Loaded with the latest 200hp four-stroke Yamaha outboard motor, the Karnic Bluewater 2250 is nippy out of the hole, and gets to a wide open throttle speed of 38kts which is flying along – and impressive considering it’s a four-cylinder. Surprisingly she only chews 75lt/h at WOT and although it sounds a lot, it’s not really considering the boat’s size. Let’s face it, WOT is not normally the preferred way to drive a boat...

Back at civilised speeds of 20-25kts, you can expect a comfortable ride in moderate conditions offshore and a very economical fuel burn of 21-25lt/h. With 200lt of fuel on tap, long range travel is no issue on the Bluewater 2250.

As tested offshore from the Gold Coast in moderate to choppy conditions, I found the optimum cruise speed to be around the 20kt mark, while sitting back and not having to manhandle the steering and throttle to maintain a good ride.

Opening her up to higher speeds offshore was also no issue for the Karnic, but you would need to stand and drive and work the throttle a bit to maintain a better ride.

Having a very deep-vee and fine entry off the bow, I did notice a fair amount of spray deflecting outwards and in a quartering sea – with a bit of wind – you do cop some spray. Fine tuning on the trim helps a bit and if anything I would definitely go with full clears for the added protection.

Fishability

Settling down to idle and slow troll speeds, I was impressed with the stability and again the fuel burn on the Bluewater 2250. At 1500rpm you can sit at a troll speed of around 7kts and burn a mere 4.8lt/h. At rest, stability was very good and great for long days of bottom-bashing offshore.

Like all boats, there is always a compromise and with the 2250 being a bit more of a stylish family boat it doesn’t have that perfect fishing weapon layout, but for what it is, what it has and what it could have, this Karnic is not a bad package at all.

You still score a baitboard, plumbed livewell, inbuilt icebox and medium-sized killtank, as well as some flush-mounted rodholders and a few tackle drawers below the cooker.

The Trade-a-Boat verdict

The Karnic Bluewater 2250 is a really nice all-rounder with great family appeal, and is not too bad on the fishing side as well. On top of the additional features as standard, the finish is pretty good and it’s a hell of a lot of boat with a reasonable price of $70,000 as standard, and a price of $78,000 as tested and loaded with a few extras.

Karnic Bluewater 2250 sea trials

Single 200hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard

* Sea-trial data supplied by the author.

Karnic Bluewater 2250 specs

Karnic Bluewater 2250 price: $77,999

Price as tested

OPTIONS FITTED

Hardtop, 200hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard motor, GPS sounder upgrade and blue decal kit

PRICED FROM

$69,999 (BMT)

GENERAL

MATERIAL GRP

TYPE Planing monohull

LENGTH 6.9m

BEAM 2.5m

WEIGHT 865kg (hull) 

DEADRISE 20°

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE (DAY) 6

REC. HP 150 

REC. Max HP 225

FUEL 200lt

WATER 45lt

ENGINE

MAKE/MODEL Yamaha F200 XCA outboard motor

TYPE Inline four-cylinder four-stroke petrol outboard motor

RATED HP 200

DISPLACEMENT 2785cc

WEIGHT 227kg

GEAR RATIO 1.86:1

SUPPLIED BY

Stefan Boating World

27 Waterway Drive,

Coomera, QLD, 4209

Phone (07) 5665 8400

Email email@stefanboatingworld.com.au

Web StefanBoatingWorld.com.au

See the full version of this review in Trade-A-Boat #469, on sale September 3, 2015. Why not subscribe today?