Formula 21

 

The inclusion of a pod, to take either single or twin engines, adds two feet to the 19, giving the boat a LOA of 21 feet. Construction is all handlaid fibreglass with the hull and deck glassed together. The timber stringers are fully encapsulated in fibreglass, as is the 19mm ply floor. Under the floor there's a 260lt stainless steel fuel tank with stainless lines leading aft. There's also an underfloor kill tank and an underfloor insulated esky forward of the fuel tank. This can double as extra kill tank. Two bait bins adorn the transom; under which is a pair of storage lockers. The portside locker contains a saltwater deck wash with a dedicated pump. The Formula 21 also has a handy transom door on the starboard side for easy access.

The boat can be purchased in varying degrees of fit-out, but our version was fully set up for fishing. Power was supplied by a single 200hp Mercury OptiMax, which had more than enough power for the job. Two custom pedestal seats provide luxurious seating for the skipper and passenger. They're gas-adjustable so a perfect helming position is easy to obtain.

The boat features classy Faria gauges, which are mounted for easy reading. GME VHF and UHF radios as well as a GME stereo/cassette provide contact with the outside world.

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Clancy has included an electric windlass in the package, because he reckons he got sick of blueing with his mates about who would go forward and pull up the anchor.

Consequently, there's a reinforced section of the bow holding a stainless steel fairlead for the anchor and chain.

The cuddy cabin is large enough to shelter from the elements in and provides good, dry storage for gear. There's a large forward hatch for easy access to the foredeck when berthing or anchoring at sea.

The fishing aspect of the boat is obvious with rod holders in the gunwales as well as mountings for outriggers and stainless steel rocket launchers overhead. Two powerful aft-facing deck lights for night work flank this rocket launcher. A sturdy bait board with two additional rod holders is mounted on the transom.

Heading out from Rhyll on Victoria's Phillip Island, the comfort and handling of the Formula is instantly apparent. The seats were custom ordered by Adrian to give maximum comfort during those long rides to offshore fishing grounds.

Steering was smooth and light, while the handling of the 21 is precise and predictable. The Formula 21 is no lightweight, but the big OptiMax gets it up on the plane easily and efficiently. The waters of Western Port Bay were as flat as a dunny-carter's hat, so there was ample opportunity to open the throttle to see what she'd do. The 21 skipped along beautifully, with the tacho showing 5000rpm and the speedo indicating 50mph. We eased back for a bit of economy and cruise out onto the open waters off Phillip Island at 4000rpm doing around 37mph.

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