Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions

Standard and Optional Equipment

Systems
Head: Fixed
Shore Power
Washdown: Raw Water
Windlass
Galley
Refrigerator
Exterior Features
Ice Chest
Outlet: 12-Volt Acc
Swim Ladder
Canvas
Bimini Top

= Standard = Optional

The waters off Washington State are some of the most treacherous in the world, making them the perfect proving ground for offshore boats and the home of Glacier Bay boats. Over the past few years, these outboard-powered catamarans have gained a loyal following among anglers who want to be able to fish in comfort even on days when mono-hull boats can’t leave the dock. Just one ride on a catamaran is all it takes to demonstrate their superior handling in rough seas and ride comfort over a similarly-sized mono-hull.

Instead of riding up and over waves like a mono-hull, a cat’s two hulls pierce waves and chop smoothly, maintaining a stable ride. Add in better fuel efficiency so you get more miles per gallon than a mono-hull, and it’s no wonder catamarans are the hottest boats on the market, with Glacier Bay catamarans considered among the best built of all sportcats. When you consider that these hulls have proven themselves on epic voyages from New York to Bermuda and making the 1,300-mile Trans-Pacific crossing from Hawaii to Midway Island, they are more than up to whatever adventure you can throw at them, and safer than a floating Volvo.

Until recently, Glacier Bay boats were almost entirely thought of as offshore fishing boats, designed strictly to satisfy the unique needs of anglers, but the proven hull of the 2640 Renegade is now available with a family-friendly deck layout. Packed with amenities like a wet bar and acres of seating, this model is perfect for taking the family diving, playing with towable water toys, or just cruising along and enjoying the scenery. Of course, because it is a Glacier Bay, you can still take it fishing if you want.

The layout is brand new, and very well thought out. Starting at the transom, the first thing you notice is a swim platform bridging the area between the twin outboards. Equipped with waist-high handrails, it leads straight out to a folding boarding ladder. If you dive, this platform makes getting onto and out of the water about as easy as it gets without resorting to a crane. The platform also comes in handy when you dock stern-to, since you now have a stable surface to walk on instead of hopping from the transom to the dock, hoping to avoid the stretch of water beneath you. It also makes a great place from which to service the outboards, as you can now stand right beside them.

The inner wall of the transom features a built-in multi-drawer tackle station, port and starboard battery compartments, and battery switch, housed in a watertight compartment. The aft cockpit is equipped with a large galley area, complete with sink, prep surfaces, and spacious cabinet storage. Amidships is a large semi-protected seating area. Adding the easily removable table converts this section to a veritable waterfront café. Where you’ll never have to wait for a seat. To make sure you can answer Nature’s call no matter where you may be, an enclosed head is on the port side of the helm, equipped with a vent to let light and fresh air in.

At the helm, the skipper’s seat is set atop a cavernous storage locker that has ample room for water toys, miscellaneous boating gear, or any Blue Marlin you may come across – this is a Glacier Bay, after all. A full complement of gauges keep you apprised of boat performance. A built-in refrigerator lives at juncture between the helm area and the bow seating area, where it’s within reach of just about anyone on the boat. The bow seating area is lushly upholstered, and by adding a cushion, converts into a sunpad, or the table can be mounted out here for outdoor dining.

Our test boat was equipped with twin Honda four-stroke outboards, which meant we had to keep checking the tachometer to make sure they were running – these are QUIET. When we gave it some throttle, the boat leapt on plane, making short work of the messy chop we were in on that windy day in Miami. Unlike some outboard-powered catamarans which “sneeze”, which is to say they trap a wet, messy mist under the bows as they power forward, which then blows back into the cockpit, this Glacier Bay was dry as a bone, with the bows curling the water off to the sides and well away from the boat. It also tracked like it was on rails, taking high-speed turns smoothly with no tail-wagging or adverse heeling.

All in all the 2640 Renegade SX is a well-mannered boat, even if the weather is not behaving, and as one of the best platforms for taking the family out on the water. You may like your boating wet and sloppy, and not need the proven benefits of a cat design, but if the rest of the family would rather be safe and dry, the 2640 deck layout is the way to do it.

For further information please visit www.glacierbaycats.com.

By Capt. Bill Lindsey

Test Captain