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
For overnighters, the Flyer's forward casting platform can be optioned with a sunbed cushion set. It converts the platform into an open-air double bed of just less than 2m by 1.85m. No 5.5m half-cab I'm aware of offers that. I prefer the open set-up over the stuffy stink of most cabins in boats this size. If the overnight weather looks questionable, the bow rails are high enough to rest under with a tarp affixed.
Another attraction of cabins is they offer safe dry storage for your gear. This is where most centre consoles lose the race, but not the Flyer. Unlike the tiny consoles found on too many boats, the Flyer's console steps down into the hull creating a space two people can sit inside. It smashes the console space (often only the size of a carton of beer) of its rivals and was a major factor in my choice.
Entry to the console is via a two-part polyester door with hatch cover. Inside, the port and starboard seats house a storage compartment each. The area left between these seats is big enough to accommodate a toilet. I bought a Coleman chemical toilet. It's something lady passengers appreciate, it was inexpensive and I can remove it for serious fishing when I need the space for camera gear.
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I added an interior light in the console for my overnight adventures. The house and crank battery both live aft in the console, under the entrance and out of the way.
While spacious on the inside, the topside of the Flyer's console leaves a challenge to fit marine electronics. There is always a solution: the hatch cover for the console door now lifts up to reveal a section of Starboard added to mount the Fusion stereo and Lowrance VHF marine radio. This keeps them out of the weather and within reach of the skipper. This addition works well, and also leaves space on the dash for the Lowrance HDS-7 sounder/GPS unit. This is affixed to a RAM mount—a strong, marine-friendly multidirectional mounting system that has a bracket that attaches to the Lowrance's standard mount—and places the screen directly over the wheel. It is easily removed for house storage to avoid theft. A mounted compass and 12V plug are standard. I added a six-button switchboard below the wheel for accessories.
The flyer comes with a sporty steering wheel, but I replaced this with a stainless Edson wheel with a power knob—an expensive luxury, but I'm a fan of the power knob for ease of steering. I also regard it as necessary because the small space between the throttle and steering wheel is an area the Flyer's design fails. The power knob avoids sore knuckles.
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Another attraction of cabins is they offer safe dry storage for your gear. This is where most centre consoles lose the race, but not the Flyer. Unlike the tiny consoles found on too many boats, the Flyer's console steps down into the hull creating a space two people can sit inside. It smashes the console space (often only the size of a carton of beer) of its rivals and was a major factor in my choice.
Entry to the console is via a two-part polyester door with hatch cover. Inside, the port and starboard seats house a storage compartment each. The area left between these seats is big enough to accommodate a toilet. I bought a Coleman chemical toilet. It's something lady passengers appreciate, it was inexpensive and I can remove it for serious fishing when I need the space for camera gear.
read on below advertisement
I added an interior light in the console for my overnight adventures. The house and crank battery both live aft in the console, under the entrance and out of the way.
While spacious on the inside, the topside of the Flyer's console leaves a challenge to fit marine electronics. There is always a solution: the hatch cover for the console door now lifts up to reveal a section of Starboard added to mount the Fusion stereo and Lowrance VHF marine radio. This keeps them out of the weather and within reach of the skipper. This addition works well, and also leaves space on the dash for the Lowrance HDS-7 sounder/GPS unit. This is affixed to a RAM mount—a strong, marine-friendly multidirectional mounting system that has a bracket that attaches to the Lowrance's standard mount—and places the screen directly over the wheel. It is easily removed for house storage to avoid theft. A mounted compass and 12V plug are standard. I added a six-button switchboard below the wheel for accessories.
The flyer comes with a sporty steering wheel, but I replaced this with a stainless Edson wheel with a power knob—an expensive luxury, but I'm a fan of the power knob for ease of steering. I also regard it as necessary because the small space between the throttle and steering wheel is an area the Flyer's design fails. The power knob avoids sore knuckles.
next page »
« go back
