TOURNAMENT 2400 CLUBSPORT REVIEW

It started life as the Mustang 2400 Clubsport, but new management and subsequent rebranding, has made the Tournament 2400 Clubsport the latest success story within the marine industry. Built in a new factory on Brisbane's southside, using Mustang Pleasure Boat's highly-experienced staff, their latest Tournament offerings are boats readers will be hearing a lot more of in the future.

EXCELLENT FINISH

One of the striking differences between this boat in its former guise and that under Tournament ownership; is the contrast in finish. The Tournament team hasn't simply taken an old design and re-introduced it. They've looked at that design and improved on it in any way possible.

The time difference between the re-emergence of Tournament boats and the release of this model has been well spent, developing the moulds to produce a world-class finish and tweaking the interior and finish to make an extremely appealing package. The interior upholstery is now of such a high standard it's more akin to what you would find on a Sea Ray, or similar top-quality vessel.

Another quality easily noticed from the Tournament stable is the level of fitout provided from its dealers and factory. The boats are supplied with features such as top-quality upholstery, covers, and stainless steel fittings and fixtures. It's obvious Tournament Boats take into consideration what a boat is likely to be used for and fit them out accordingly.

AT THE HELM

The helm setup on the 2400 Clubsport is well done. Obviously, with the cruising boat owner in mind, everything falls to hand well. The dash incorporates a recessed drinkholder; unobstructed view of the Mercury SmartCraft gauges; excellent placement of trim tab and smart tab controls; centrally-mounted electric anchor-winch controller and digital depthsounder; height-adjustable steering wheel; extremely comfortable and adjustable helm seat.

The toughened-glass windscreen allows great vision. Steps are moulded into the dash to allow safe and easy access to the foredeck through the centre-opening windscreen.

In keeping with the overnighter and entertainer theme, the cockpit layout enables a social atmosphere. With an L-shaped lounge, capable of comfortably seating two or three people located beside the helm chair, and a removable dining table, which seats four in the rear cockpit, the outdoor's area of this boat is certainly appealing. A sink and storage unit is also located on the starboard side to the rear of the cockpit. Hot and Cold water is provided at this sink, and there's a storage cupboard below.

The cockpit floor was fitted with an attractive and stylish teak finish. Although it's an option from the factory, it's a much more functional and attractive option than the regular carpeted floor.

A starboardside rear-deck door allows easy access out to the boarding platform. This large platform houses a hot/cold freshwater deckshower, fender-storage racks and swimming ladder mounted on the port side.

A classy and functional fibreglass targa arch provides great lighting to the cockpit area and also doubles as a great place to mount speakers for the CD system, aerials and navigation lights. The targa also provides the mounting point for a bimini and rear peak extension with full-clear enclosures, creating a usable cockpit area in all weather conditions.

GOING DOWN

Through a lockable sliding door, the large cabin area below deck is extremely inviting. With a large vee-berth in the bow, galley area to the port side, toilet enclosure to the starboard side and double berth aft beneath the helm and passenger lounge, this setup is perfect to accommodate a family of four easily.

The cabin area is beautifully finished, very inviting and comfortable. Fully lined, with side windows and a cabin top hatch, it has plenty of natural light and ventilation.

The galley area is both compact and functional. A 12V microwave is mounted high alongside a large storage cupboard for crockery and the like. A large flat-top bench is provided for preparing meals and there's a stainless steel sink with hot and cold water. A 12V refrigerator will keep the essentials cold and a large cupboard will consume all the items necessary for a short stay aboard.

The toilet has an opening window for ventilation and natural light. Headroom is a little tight, but simply having the separate, enclosed room is a step ahead of 90 per cent of 24ft Aussie-made boats and will please the female boaters in the family.

The toilet also has a hot and cold freshwater hand-shower and is finished in an easy-to-clean gelcoat. A small medicine cabinet is also provided to house the essential items.

The rear cabin is best suited as the sleeping quarters for the kids in the family. It provides a separate room all of their own, to both sleep them and store their gear. Headroom is restricted, but a window here provides great natural light and ventilation.

For any sterndrive-powered boat likely to be moored, access to the engine bay is critical. Accessed through the forward hinging rear-floor/seat assembly, the engine bay is spacious enough to provide easy access to all essential engine and battery components, as well as the 150lt water and 210lt fuel tanks.

The engine bay is well insulated, which limits engine noise in the cockpit.

Standard power for the 2400 Clubsport is a MerCruiser V8 5lt MPI 260hp engine, driving through an Alpha I leg. The test boat was powered by a MerCruiser 350 MAG MPI 300hp V8 with a Bravo III twin-prop leg. As well as providing a heavy-duty leg, the Bravo III also allows for a twin-prop application, where both propellers are counter rotating to give better acceleration and better manoeuvrability in reverse.

OUT ON THE WATER

The MerCruiser 350 MAG V8 made this boat feel more like a sports car than a family cruiser. Test day provided a mixed bag of weather, including sunshine, rain and a steady 25kts of wind from the southeast. I took this rig out to the Broadwater/Jumpinpin area of the Gold Coast, where the consistent wind chopped up a nasty sea state, but the 2400 took it all in her stride.

The hull/engine combination provided a good turn of speed, with excellent acceleration and wound out to an impressive 36kts at WOT.

The overall performance, considering this boat's clearly aimed at the cruiser market, was extremely good. For a cruising couple, I would even recommend a slight drop in power, back to the base-model MerCruiser V8 5lt MPI 260hp engine, which I think would safely return a top speed in the low 30-knot range, which is more than enough.

Even in the windy and choppy conditions, she rode well and remained dry.

As with all deep-vee vessels of this size, a strong wind across the beam will cause a boat to lean, but by manually adjusting the electric Lenco trim tabs, the perfect trim setting can be found for a smooth, even ride. The test boat was also fitted with a set of smart tabs; automatically adjusting the trim tabs to suit the boats current heal. If you put your trust in them, they are great to work with, albeit with a slight delay in their reaction time.

ON THE ROAD

Let me make this clear first up. This is not the sort of boat mum and dad will easily be able to hook up and drive down the road for a couple of hours on the water on a sunny Sunday. Most owners will opt to store this Tournament in a marina, or a dry stack somewhere, taking the pain and expense out of towing such a rig.

But the 2400 Clubsport is legally towable when setup in the right way. With a beam of 2.5m and an estimated dry weight on a Mackay aluminium trailer of 3200kg, there's no reason why this boat can't be safely and legally towed behind a late-model LandCruiser, or the bigger F-Truck series from Ford.

However, the boat is a big load with a lot of windage and I suspect when full of fuel and water, would be pushed beyond the legal limits of a LandCruiser's recommended maximum towing weight of 3.5 tonnes.

The Mackay Premium aluminium trailer beneath this boat is a work of art. A dual-axle skid setup with central-keel rollers, running a Sensa-Brake system, LED lighting and fully-welded 6mm thick square tube construction, it doesn't get much better than this. With a price tag on the trailer of around $15K, I can see a lot of buyers finding it hard to justify the added cost of towing a boat like this, especially when you take into account the costs of a suitable vehicle and the cost of running it.

THE WRAP

What better way is there during these hard times to bring the family together than to spend a weekend together out on the water? The Tournament 2400 Clubsport does a great job of providing a base for families to re-discover the joys of their own companionship and boating itself. With all the features necessary to provide a comfortable weekend away, and a finish equal to the best in the Australian Boat Building industry, the Tournament 2400 Clubsport ticks all the boxes for me.

Specifications- TOURNAMENT 2400 CLUBSPORT

HOW MUCH?

Price as tested: $155,000 w/ MerCruiser 5.7lt 350 MAG MPI V8; Bravo III twin-prop leg, and Mackay aluminium trailer
Priced from: $112,000 w/ MerCruiser 5lt MPI, and Alpha I leg

GENERAL

Type: Monohull
Material: Fibreglass
Length: 8.6m
Beam: 2.5m
Deadrise: 19°
Weight (BMT): Approx 3.2 tonnes (dry)
Warranty: Five-year structural hull

CAPACITIES

Fuel: 210lt (sub-floor)
Water: 150lt (sub-floor)

ENGINE

Make/model: MerCruiser 5.7lt 350 MAG MPI 300hp
Type: Four-stroke V8 Sterndrive
Rated HP: 300
Weight: 460kg (w/ Bravo III leg)
Prop: Bravo III Duo Prop
Warranty: One year

SUPPLIED BY

Australian Marine Centre,
3491 Pacific Highway,
Springwood, Qld, 4127
Phone: (07) 3808 7333