Test / Cheetah Adventure 690, un catamaran hors-bord baroudeur et polyvalent

© Emmanuel Van Deth

The new Adventure 690 catamaran from British builder Cheetah Marine offers a robust construction and a generous deck layout for versatile use. Let's discover the concept in the first part of our test.

A robust outboard catamaran for rough seas

Cheetah Marine is a family owned and operated boatyard founded by the Stevens family in 1989. Originally, Sean was a professional fisherman based on the Isle of Wight. It was while looking for a boat capable of sailing safely in rough seas that he had the idea of developing his first 6.25m outboard catamaran. He built it in a barn on the family farm. More oriented for professional use, the Cheetah catamarans have since convinced boaters and fishermen, thanks to their marine capabilities. Today, the range extends from 11.20 m to 6.90 m and each series can be declined in several widths, with a choice of a forward cabin or a central cabin and a walkaround deck plan.

An English building on the Isle of Wight

The Cheetah Adventure 690 is the latest model from the shipyard, launched in 2022. Based on the Cheetah 6.9 series, this open catamaran is 6.9 m long and has a 2.5 m wide beam with a very shallow draft of 0.3 m, allowing it to beached. In England, it is called 720, because of its 30 cm longer dolphin.

The catamaran is built in the factory in Ventnor, a seaside resort in the south of the Isle of Wight, UK. The construction is made of contact fiberglass. The bright works are in monolithic and the dead works in PVC sandwich. The particularity of the Cheetah catamarans' hulls is a partitioning every 60 cm, to avoid water ingress in case of impact. Finally, a water-repellent treatment is applied to the windshield to avoid the installation of windshield wipers.

Le Cheetah Marine 690 Adventure sur le salon du Grand Pavois de La Rochelle
The Cheetah Marine 690 Adventure at the Grand Pavois in La Rochelle

An all-terrain boat for adventure

The Adventure concept is to offer an "all-terrain" and versatile boat to practice any kind of activity at sea. Thus, this model will lend itself as well to pleasure boating, fishing, as to water sports with its tilting bulwark and its spacious deck plan. A large scroll adds to the adventurous look and protects the hull in case of impact.

The Adventure concept also allows the catamaran to be equipped with aluminum roof racks, on which paddles and other water toys can be carried, and even bicycles for travel on land. Finally, a tent in the same pack allows you to spend the night on board.

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