SUMMER 2009/2010
The latest edition of Modern Boating magazine is out now! To get your copy delivered to your door, simply click on the link
The latest edition of Modern Boating magazine is out now! To get your copy delivered to your door, simply click on the link
Modern Boating and Big Hat Productions head out for a glorious day on the water to give the Seawind 1160...
The ultimate sportfisher project
After countless boat tests, fishing trips and Modern Boating project boats, the author pulls out the cheque book and creates his own dream sportfishing machine
WORDS: DANIEL TILLACK
PHOTOS: DANIEL TILLACK, NICK WOOD, AL MCGLASHAN
The perfect sportfishing boat doesn't exist; you have to make it. That's because the fishing genre is hard for boat builders, who know it's more profitable to make one-size-fits-all boats, and every angler wants something different. Plus, not enough boat builders know the difference between sportfishing and dropping a bait over the side.
However, there are plenty of great boats that can be tweaked to suit your tastes. The trick is knowing every boat is a compromise and deciding what features you want before you start. Be patient: I found the hull for me after 18 long months of searching. Initially, I had only been considering 'fishing' boats. Then I came across the Beneteau Flyer 550 Open.
Beneteau's Flyer 550 Open is a 5.2m centre console and unlike any boat I had previously seen in that size. It met all my criteria: 360˚ castability; comfortable offshore and in an estuary; more storage than any centre console in its size; overnight sleeping arrangement; safety; reasonable tow weight; wake-toy capable; and missus-friendly—which is the hardest task for a centre console.
read on below advertisement
All I had to do was figure out how to turn this canvas into a fishing masterpiece.
Beneteau has many factories throughout the world and has been building boats for more than 100 years, everything from the small Flyer range up to trawlers and 58ft cruising yachts. The French company was wise enough to outsource the design of the Flyer to experts, Volanis, with a brief to maximise the space. Mission accomplished. It's the best centre console format I have seen in a boat less than 6m. But there were several things to consider.
CABIN OR CENTRE CONSOLE?
That's the question that haunts every sportfisherman who decides to buy a boat. To decide, think about the type of fishing you enjoy most. I mostly cast lures, and I decided I didn't want to spend my days pushing and squeezing past people and leaning out the side to make a cast. Cabins have their place, but in a small boat they just waste half the space. I'm happy to sacrifice the weather protection a cabin offers for the convenience of being able to cast in comfort. I should add that I'm a fair-weather fisherman these days: I have been spoilt enough in fishing that I no longer have any interest in bashing through rough seas and strong winds to catch fish. I'll fish protected waters when it's rough, and enjoy heading offshore in pleasant conditions. If the weather blows up unexpectedly, the Flyer's performance is good enough to handle it and minimise the spray. However, there's no such thing as a 100 per cent dry centre console.
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WORDS: DANIEL TILLACK
PHOTOS: DANIEL TILLACK, NICK WOOD, AL MCGLASHAN
The perfect sportfishing boat doesn't exist; you have to make it. That's because the fishing genre is hard for boat builders, who know it's more profitable to make one-size-fits-all boats, and every angler wants something different. Plus, not enough boat builders know the difference between sportfishing and dropping a bait over the side.
However, there are plenty of great boats that can be tweaked to suit your tastes. The trick is knowing every boat is a compromise and deciding what features you want before you start. Be patient: I found the hull for me after 18 long months of searching. Initially, I had only been considering 'fishing' boats. Then I came across the Beneteau Flyer 550 Open.
Beneteau's Flyer 550 Open is a 5.2m centre console and unlike any boat I had previously seen in that size. It met all my criteria: 360˚ castability; comfortable offshore and in an estuary; more storage than any centre console in its size; overnight sleeping arrangement; safety; reasonable tow weight; wake-toy capable; and missus-friendly—which is the hardest task for a centre console.
read on below advertisement
All I had to do was figure out how to turn this canvas into a fishing masterpiece.
Beneteau has many factories throughout the world and has been building boats for more than 100 years, everything from the small Flyer range up to trawlers and 58ft cruising yachts. The French company was wise enough to outsource the design of the Flyer to experts, Volanis, with a brief to maximise the space. Mission accomplished. It's the best centre console format I have seen in a boat less than 6m. But there were several things to consider.
CABIN OR CENTRE CONSOLE?
That's the question that haunts every sportfisherman who decides to buy a boat. To decide, think about the type of fishing you enjoy most. I mostly cast lures, and I decided I didn't want to spend my days pushing and squeezing past people and leaning out the side to make a cast. Cabins have their place, but in a small boat they just waste half the space. I'm happy to sacrifice the weather protection a cabin offers for the convenience of being able to cast in comfort. I should add that I'm a fair-weather fisherman these days: I have been spoilt enough in fishing that I no longer have any interest in bashing through rough seas and strong winds to catch fish. I'll fish protected waters when it's rough, and enjoy heading offshore in pleasant conditions. If the weather blows up unexpectedly, the Flyer's performance is good enough to handle it and minimise the spray. However, there's no such thing as a 100 per cent dry centre console.
next page »
« go back
