Mercruiser Stern Drives

Comeback of classic Mustang

The Mustang brand has had it pretty tough over the past few years. Once one of Australia's most popular range of small launches (or cruisers as the Aussies prefer), it finally slid into receivership just over a year ago.

With much of the world in recession, it was little surprise that the receivers' effort to sell the company as a going concern failed. What was a surprise was that the best-known name in Australian boat-making made a low-ball offer for the Mustang name and assets - and succeeded.

Bill Barry-Cotter founded Riviera and Maritimo, and now runs the latter. Apparently, he also had a soft spot for the Mustang brand and didn't want it to disappear. Mustang once enjoyed the same sort of reputation in Australia as Sea Nymph did here. But Barry-Cotter's low offer proved to be a fairly accurate representation of what he got: the brand's name and not much else. The designs he inherited proved to be of such low value that they were junked.

As Pacific Powerboat 's Barry Tyler reported, Mustang prospered because it built a great family sports cruiser that sold at a competitive price. The Mustang 32 built its immense popularity on this basis: it was the quintessential family cruiser, perfect for a couple and the ideal "step up" from a trailer boat.

It was therefore logical that Barry-Cotter chose to relaunch his new brand with this model, although it was redesigned comprehensively.

At its launch, Barry-Cotter noted that models built under the previous owners were "simply not up to" the standards he expected and said he had no choice but to start again.

He was clearly keen to take the brand back to its roots. But how do you build to the standard he demands while still producing "affordable" models? "It was a constant challenge to make a quality boat, to save weight and to keep the price down," he says.

Tyler, one of the first to test drive the new model, says the new 32 boasts lines that are "very Mustang" although the "heinous 'bubble' design that so characterised the earlier sports cruiser cabin tops" has thankfully disappeared.

He seems impressed that Barry-Cotter has resisted the temptation to "do too much" with the new model.

"When you are a cruiser manufacturer it would be easy to build to those same heady standards, but Barry-Cotter has instead adopted an almost restrained approach."

The integral boarding platform is a good example. Instead of upping the ante with pushpits, grab rails and gear, the area has just a single feature seat. Large enough for comfort (and to contain the gas bottle), it is also small enough not to intrude on those fishing or getting in and out of the water via the secreted swim ladder.

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