Kosi Cat 23

Reviewed by Erwin Bursik (July/August 2026 issue of Ski-Boat magazine)
Photos by Marcello Richards for RC Photography, and Erwin Bursik

THIS long-awaited “flagship” of the Natal Caravans & Marine’s fleet made her official appearance during the annual Durban Ski-Boat Club Festival in April 2026. There, the Kosi Cat 23 – and 288 other boats – proudly took to the water during the spectacular start of the competition. The Kosi Cat was later displayed in all her glory on the beach, alongside the first place prize craft. 

Having seen her launch earlier in the day, many competitors and spectators took the opportunity to examine the Kosi Cat 23 up close on the beach, and I was among them. Natal Caravans & Marine’s Bill Harrison had already asked me to formally review this new craft for the magazine, and I was very impressed by her looks, so I eagerly awaited the opportunity to get a real feel for the latest addition to the fleet.

Kosi Cat has been around for many, many years as Natal Caravans’ “house brand” and has become a frontrunner in the mid-range ski-boat market in South Africa. I well remember spending a day out at sea off Bazaruto Island in the early 1980s, fishing off a Kosi Cat, and I returned highly impressed with this “small” craft’s ride and fishability as an inshore charter boat.

The last time SKI-BOAT carried a review on a Kosi Cat was in 2012 when Heinrich Kleyn reviewed the Kosi Cat 17 FC. By that stage the original 16 ft and 18 ft 6 in models had already been on the market for a number of years. The 17 ft craft carried many refinements and finishes that gained her a positive share of the South African market.

Our review day soon arrived, and I once again came face to face with the Kosi Cat 23 when we launched her at the Natal Rod & Reel Club’s slipway. Her look, feel and ride proved Bill was justified in saying that she’s a really special craft.

The term “mid-range ski-boat” that I mentioned earlier is perhaps a misnomer, as each craft coming onto the South African market has a predetermined target. In this instance, Natal Caravans & Marine have upped their aim and produced a craft that can hold its head high in the upper range of 6 metre offshore sportfishing craft in South Africa, with regard to style, comfort, and the full range of offshore demands.

With five of us aboard the Kosi Cat 23, we launched from Durban Harbour into a sea that had felt the full effects of the offshore winds that prevail in autumn. The resultant lateral chop challenges any ski-boat proceeding northwards at this time of the year.

When turning a craft to leave Durban’s harbour, one gets a distinct feel of its reaction as the boat moves from the dead water of the harbour into the channel that exits through Durban’s notorious “bar”. This is when the craft one is skippering really comes to life and sets the standard for what can be expected out at sea in what will become the craft’s “playground” for many years to come.

Bill had invited his wife, Dawn, to join us on our review. I was pleasantly surprised, but also felt a degree of apprehension as to whether I could fully test the craft’s performance without damaging Bill’s “fair lady”.

In summation, I didn’t tread lightly as I had a job to do. After the show was over, Dawn still talked to me, so clearly my antics with the craft had not scarred her physically or mentally. Seriously, though, the Kosi Cat 23 has such a soft and comfortable ride that there was no need to “soft pedal” the trial.

The first thing I noticed was the craft’s stability during a full range of slow and speed trials. I was impressed by her ability to attain and hold these trials in a sea that was, as mentioned, hammered by the cross-sea land wind that all of us who fish out of Durban don’t like very much. 

This effect is especially heavily felt when heading into the north-east, as we were, and even more so directly off Umgeni Mouth. In these conditions, the sea is short, rough, and directly on one’s port beam, so the sponsons drop regularly and there’s extra consequential spray from that. That all makes it my least-desired long-range ride. However, messy conditions like this are great for testing a craft’s performance.

The Kosi Cat 23 has a substantial overhead canopy which affects the aerodynamics, but by adjusting the motor trim laterally and by adjusting bow lift, I could reach the required speeds and maintain a comfortable ride, even when pursuing the above-mentioned course in these conditions. 

Nowadays many of the bigger ski-boats have a full cabin to shield the crew, so the question of spray throwing has largely become immaterial. However, this is not the case for the Kosi Cat 23, and I had to utilise chine support, lateral motor trim and attack angle to produce a soft, dry ride. Thanks to the craft’s ability to throw any spray aft and low, I was able to keep Lady Dawn relatively dry.

The next critical performance check was to test how the Kosi Cat 23 would handle the surf launch conditions we experience in South Africa, especially on the KwaZulu-Natal coast where lateral stability and strong out-the-hole performance are major requirements.

In the surf, it’s crucial that a ski-boat be able to “jump” out of the hole and get onto the plane very quickly. With the Kosi Cat 23 I tested, her twin Yamaha 115hp motors did just that with some reserve power in hand if critically needed. I found I had all the torque I needed to dig her out of a tight turn hole, whether it was to port or starboard, hold her on landing, and then immediately power up and face whatever came next.

I felt very comfortable with her throttle controls, and even with self-induced delays I felt the efficient resumption of control and motor torque were more than adequate.

Then there’s the old question: will she manage if one motor cuts out in the surf? It’s a question that has a minefield of variables, but I fully believe that each of the 115hp Yamahas will get you out of trouble. I did a lot of trials with her running on one motor, both with one dragging and with one lifted, and feel happy in the motors’ performance. 

A few years ago I came in at Guinjata on one 100hp motor with the other lifted. There were five of us onboard and it was traumatic, but we made it, so I know what’s required. During our review of the Kosi Cat 23, she covered distances at just on 20 knots on each motor with the other lifted, with five adults aboard.

I performed many trials on her at low troll speed in all directions and then up to high speed trolling (8 knots), and her ride was very comfortable throughout. The Kosi Cat 23 also provides a very stable platform when fishing out on the ocean. For the technically minded readers, she throws a very tight wake at up to 8 knots SOG.

With five of us onboard, I never felt crowded, whether when manoeuvring, trolling or drifting. There was more than adequate space to walk the deck and an above-normal amount of seating.

Being a skipper, the helm station is obviously of utmost importance to me; not only its centralised positioning, but also the visibility and comfort when trolling for hours on end. In addition, I also don’t appreciate being showered by spray. I found the Kosi Cat 23’s console was very well situated and offered unrestricted visibility forward as well as aft, even during tight manoeuvres and while trailering. The instrumentation, especially the sonar displays, was also perfectly sited for me.

With the number and variety of craft I am exposed to these days and the quality and finesse of those presented to me, I am finding it difficult not to nit-pick when it comes to layout and finishes. Having the ability to go back over 40 years of reviewing craft and seeing the incredible innovations of design and finishes makes my task both incredibly difficult and incredibly easy. 

Boat building has changed immensely in recent times with regard to design, as well as the quality of the hull and deck mouldings and the finishes when it comes to the deck layout and hardware being incorporated. As each of us has a different budget and different preferences, and that’s very subjective, I prefer to provide a general overview of the boat’s layout and finishes, and leave the individual buyer to decide whether a particular craft will satisfy their expectations.

My obligation is to use photos and on-water observations to apprise readers of what craft are available on the market, and to assess, as best as I can, the hull-over-water abilities of said craft. All the same, it’s always best for potential buyers to physically get onto the said craft and take it to sea themselves.

That being said, the above-deck features on the Kosi Cat 23, including her helm station facilities, the hatches, seating and storage lockers, have been designed based on years of custom requirements Bill has formulated. As a result, the Kosi Cat 23 is a very well thought-out craft that’s been well fabricated and finished off to a very high standard indeed.

There was good reason that this craft was the centre of attention on the beach at the 2026 Durban Ski-Boat Club Festival, and I think we’re going to be hearing plenty of good things about her from anyone lucky enough to buy one.