Go to any boat show or large dealership, look at a dozen 26’ dual consoles boats, and chances are that a day later you’ll barely be able to remember one from the next. That will be a clear indication that you didn’t see a World Cat 260DC-X — because there’s zero chance of this boat getting lost in the shuffle. Take a peek, and we'll bet you agree.
First things first: the fact that this boat rides atop two hulls instead of one immediately separates it from the pack. As cat fans know (and monohull fans will find out if they take a sea trial) this produces a super-smooth ride in a chop. But beyond this obvious difference the 260DC-X sets itself apart in numerous ways.
Stroll back to the stern, and you’ll discover a transom that’s incredibly svelte. It allows you to get much father aft than most, and when you pop open a couple of beefy barrel latches, it swings down to the deck so you can walk even farther aft. In fact, you can step all the way back and use it as an aft casting platform, or keep going until you’re in-between the outboards, thanks to the extended center platform.
Wait a sec… does this transom arrangement mean you give up the integrated livewell and cooler/fishbox normally found back there? Nope. In a crafty maneuver World Cat widens the aft gunwales and integrates the livewell to starboard and the cooler/fishbox to port. That livewell is lighted, holds 30 gallons, and has a high-speed pickup. When loaded up this can add some weight to one side but it’s easily mitigated with engine trim — and the cat design reacts so favorably to trimming the outboards that tabs aren’t even a necessity on this boat, as they would be on most monohulls this size. In another move we’ve never seen before, behind the helm the 260 DC-X features an integrated tackle station with a swing-out cooler underneath. And for still more uniqueness check out the passenger’s side seat, which has a swing-back seat allowing you to face forward or aft, with a pull-up extension on the end that turns it into a huge lounger or, with the seatback pulled aft, a double seat facing both fore and aft.
This incredibly inventive cockpit is certainly enough to warrant calling the boat unique, but we haven’t moved forward to the passenger’s console head compartment yet. Rather than having a swing-open door, the entire front of the console swings aft. This means you step down into the compartment without having to duck under the common forehead-banging rim, and since a gas-assist strut secures it in place you don’t have to worry about it swinging around, yet opening and closing it is still one-finger-easy.
The bow compartment is all about family fun with wide lounger seats forward and an insert that turns it into a sunpad. Or, it can be all about fishing when you leave the cushions at home and turn it into a casting deck. Speaking of fishing, the hard top sports six rocket launchers, there are four gunwale holders, and the hard top comes ready for outriggers. We also love that the boat comes ready for both fishing and family action with standard raw and freshwater washdowns, and the fresh system with a pull-out shower wand at the transom so you can rinse off after a swim or wash the rods and reels on your way back to the dock.
Have all the 26’ dual consoles you’ve seen in the past year or two blended together in your brain? Are you wondering why there aren’t any really unique offerings that stand out from the crowd? You can change that in a heartbeat, with one look at a World Cat 260 CC-X.
World Cat 260DC-X Specifications
- LOA – 25’6”
- Beam – 9’0”
- Displacement – 7200 lbs.
- Draft (hull) – 1’2”
- Transom Deadrise – NA (cat)
- Fuel Capacity – 180 gal.
- Max. Power – 400 hp
Area Dealers – Bosun’s Marine, Grasonville, MD, (443) 347-6314; Taylor Marine, Milford, DE (302) 251-2506 and Ocean City, MD (443) 647-8265; and Norfolk Marine, Norfolk, VA, (757) 895-7432.