2000 Celebrity 2400CC

By Brian Battershell :

     Ever wonder what it would be like to overnight with a Celebrity? Today's Boating had a chance to spend some time with the Celebrity 240 CC last summer - a 24-foot cuddy cabin with a unique appearance and some features that should appeal to boaters starting off on a cruising lifestyle.

     With a wide-beam profile, complete with curving signature side windscreens, subtle hull colors and graphics, foredeck grabrails and elliptical portlights, the 240 CC looks great under way.

The boat's wide beam creates a comfortable cockpit and the Hydoflow+ hull, with extended planing surfaces aft, working in concert with well-placed strakes, offers a confident and comfortable ride in all water conditions.
     There's plenty of room to sit around the cabin dinette, or, when it's converted to a V-berth, to stretch out and relax. Convenience and comfort is also built into the cockpit. When the designers at Celebrity upgraded the cockpit on the 240 CC, they added swiveling helm and companion seats, on pedestals that are part of the integrated cockpit liner. Another interesting cockpit feature is the Kelron material, a composite panel used instead of structural plywood, that's part of the seat-backs and seat cushions It'll never rot and never absorb water. Speaking of water, it drains easily out of two in-floor lockers. They're located in the cockpit floor aft and because they're drained and lined they can be used for general storage or as coolers.

     The companion and helm seats adjust easily to fit the driver and first mate. High-quality Faria gauges are well-positioned for visibility, mounted in stylish carbon-fibre design insets. The Dino steering wheel also comes in a carbon-fibre motif. Single-lever Mercury controls are mounted close at hand, with padded coamings adding to driver comfort. The Mercury MerCruiser 7.4 MPI V-8 engine pumps out 310 horsepower, with the Bravo Three drive adding twin propeller performance.

     Beneath the sunpad behind the back seat, composite Kelron panels help create usable storage space beside the engine, while the convertible top stores neatly out of the way behind the engine. Curtains keep batteries and the drive's hydraulic unit out of sight, while the seat back closes down and cushions fit neatly into place to form a comfortable aft bench seat.

     Further aft, there's a wide swim platform, with a telescoping boarding ladder to port beneath a hatch, a full width handrail, a ski-tow eye and a drained locker and optional handheld shower to starboard.

    At the front of the cockpit, moulded-in steps make it easy to reach the foredeck. Forward, there's a flat deck, a round hatch and a very spacious anchor and rode locker.

     The boat's cabin is even more spacious, with hard-wearing upholstery, easy-clean vinyl headliner and great sitting headroom. The optional galley to starboard includes a fridge, a small sink and storage drawers to add to your overnighting convenience. A pumpout chemical head is located under the V-berth area.

     For keeping off sun and rain, the Bimini top is standard. Optional side curtains and sloping back cover close in the whole cockpit, for extending your boating days. For storage at dock or on the trailer, the optional tonneau cover is ideal.

     Even a great-looking Celebrity has to undergo objective testing. So I put the 240 CC through its paces. With the 7.4 MPI and Bravo Three working together, the 240 CC accelerates to plane from zero to 30 miles per hour in 6.82 seconds. The twin-prop drive also helps the wide-beam boat hold tight in the corners.

    Stalker Acceleration Testing System trials show a strong steady acceleration curve from a stop right up to 40 mph, where the boat has to work a little harder to reach top speed.

     Cruising speeds range from 33.6 miles per hour at 3,000 rpm to 46.4 miles per hour at 4,000 rpm, with 40.6 miles per hour at 3,500 rpm. At 3,000 rpm, FloScan fuel flow testing shows consumption of 10.5 gallons per hour, giving the test boat a cruising range of about 170 miles.

    Top speed? With the 7.4 Litre MPI turning twin stainless steel 25-inch props at 4,400 rpm, the 240 tops out at 51.3 miles per hour, pretty fast for a 24-foot overnighter. At cruising speeds the sound levels in the cockpit ranges from 85 to 87 decibels, while at top speed, sound levels ranged from 93 decibels at the helm to 99 decibels in the aft cockpit.

    It takes more than just good looks to be a real star and the Celebrity 240 CC's claim to fame may be its versatility. Whether you want a comfortable pocket cruiser or a speedy and spacious dayboat, with radar verified speeds over 50 mph, the 240 CC delivers a great performance.

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Specs: Power/ Performance:


Length ....23 ft., 4 in. (7.2 m)

Beam .......8 ft., 6 in. (2.6 m)

Weight ...4,175 lb. (1,893 kg)

Fuel ..............55 gal. (211 L)

Test boat engine:
Mercury MerCruiser 7.4 Litre MPI, 310-hp, 454-cid V-8,
multiport electronic fuel injection, pushing 26" three-bladed
stainless-steel propellers through a twin-prop Bravo Three drive.

Acceleration:
0-20 mph: 4.4 sec.; 0-30 mph: 6.82 sec.; 0-40 mph:10.7 sec.

Top speed (radar):
51.3 mph/4,400 rpm

Cruising speed (radar):
33.6 mph/3,000 rpm; 40.5 mph/3,500 rpm; 46.4 mph/4,000 rpm.

Sound levels:
at cruise (3,200 rpm), 85 dbA (helm); 87 dbA (aft cockpit);
at top speed, 93 dbA (helm); 99 dbA (aft cockpit).

 


For the dealer nearest you contact:

Central Marine
300 King St Midland ON L4R 4L1
705-526-4251

Holiday World Marine
Hwy 12, Brooklin ON, L0B 1C0
905-655-8176

for other dealers near you contact:

Celebrity Boats Corporation
55 12th St., Box 73 Grand-Mere, Que. G9T 5K7
Tel.: (819) 538-4303
Fax: (819) 538-8185
Web site: http://www.celebrityboats.com/
Call for a dealer near you.