WINTER 2011
The latest edition of Modern Boating magazine is out now!
The latest edition of Modern Boating magazine is out now!
Modern Boating and Big Hat Productions head out for a glorious day on the water to give the Seawind 1160...
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Soft rider
WORDS + PHOTOS: WARREN STEPTOE
Evolution got the details right with its new 500 Sportsfisher.
It's not often I test a boat and find at the end I have nothing but praise for it. Well, it didn't quite happen with Evolution Boats' 500 Sportsfisher either?but you only have to option carpet on the deck to earn it full marks.
Far from being just another 5m fibreglass runabout, Evolution's 500 Sportsfisher in fact manages to set a standard by which 5m runabouts (and a lot of other boats, for that matter) can be judged.
The 5m hull tested here is an all-new design added to the Evolution range at the 2008 Melbourne Boat Show. While it looks pretty conventional on casual inspection, an in-depth perusal discovers lots of little things to get excited about.
SOFT AT HEART
Our test on Port Phillip Bay quickly revealed that this is an exceptionally soft-riding 5m hull with a fine set of sea manners indeed. Evolution principal Paul Junginger showed me why when we hauled the 500 Sportsfisher onto her trailer.
From the keel line to the first strake, this hull is concave, increasing the deadrise angle in this critical area where the hull cuts rough water. There's also a subtle downslope to the strakes to deflect water downwards where many hulls use more or less horizontal strake angles.
Evolution recommends no less than 75hp for this hull and while this sometimes indicates a hull that will take some keeping on the plane at low speeds, the opposite was true. Powered by a 90hp Evinrude E-Tec, it planed effortlessly at a mere 6.1 knots and 1750rpm, which bodes well for trips home on those days when the bureau gets it all wrong and the weather turns bad.
At higher speeds too I couldn't fault the handling after a vigorous workout. Cruising revs from the upper 2000s to upper 3000s produced speeds from around 15 knots up to the mid-20s and it only needed 4500rpm to reach 30 knots. It was an impressive performance all round.
FULL OF IT
Inside, the entire below-decks area of the all-GRP hull?including inside the stringers?is forcefully (closed cell) foam filled (Paul tells me at 2000psi), leaving no space for water in the event the hull is penetrated. Many other hulls use loosely fitted flotation, which allows space for bilge water. This foam fill makes the boat notably quiet over the water and it's a fair assumption it will contribute mightily towards structural integrity too.
Inside, there are rod racks along each side (in the side pockets, I fiddled a seven-foot rod in and out of one a couple of times in celebration) plus one of those neat snapper racks across the back (it's optional).
read on below advertisement
This particular southern invention is rapidly spreading north because it's a darn good idea, albeit only for some styles of fishing. But there it is; you can carry a heap of rigged rods in this boat.
Inside the cockpit/fishing area, Evolution has gone to some lengths to ensure your toes go under the sides all the way around.
Awkward helm ergonomics are another of my pet bitches. In this boat, the bimini is mounted high enough to stand up underneath and the helm seat is on a slide so it can be quickly shoved back out of the way to stand at the wheel if necessary. If you're going to use this boat a lot on rough water or for bar crossings, I would suggest fitting a beefy grab bar to reinforce the windscreen frame.
The walkthrough to the bows is high enough to support you while anchoring. The set-up of anchor well, fairlead and low rail is spot-on. A solid cleat is neatly mounted underneath the hatch. Stowage space below the foredeck is accessible either from the helm area or through access ports in the walkthrough.
Deep bucket seats leave you seated in all bar the roughest weather.
FISH, FOOD AND DRINK
Now for another pleasant surprise?when Paul offered me a cold drink, he opened a hatch between the seats to reveal a below decks icebox. In addition to which, a central hatch aft lifts to reveal a fish box, actually a Nally-style tub that can be lifted out for cleaning.
An upholstered pad across the aft bulkhead is standard in this boat, as are lockers inside the bulkhead itself to stow batteries and oil bottles away. The bait wells each side of the covering board and workbench are also standard.
A rear lounge, upholstery for the cockpit sides and a tow pole are all optional in the Evolution Sportsfisher model, though they're supplied as standard in the Santa Fe model built over the same hull. In that one, the workstation is optional. A stainless steel berley bucket is optional for either.
The attention to detail and standard of finish throughout the boat is exceptional. I liked little things like the way both seats swivel 180 degrees without catching on anything; every fitting on the boat is through-bolted with nyloc nuts; and every 'glass edge is hand-radiused. Small details? Yes, but good indications of just how well this boat is built, and of the underlying philosophy of perhaps the most exciting new boat on the Australian small boat scene in quite a while.
Five-metre boats?and remember we build some of the best 5m hulls in the world right here in Australia?just don't get any better than this.
« go back
Evolution got the details right with its new 500 Sportsfisher.
It's not often I test a boat and find at the end I have nothing but praise for it. Well, it didn't quite happen with Evolution Boats' 500 Sportsfisher either?but you only have to option carpet on the deck to earn it full marks.
Far from being just another 5m fibreglass runabout, Evolution's 500 Sportsfisher in fact manages to set a standard by which 5m runabouts (and a lot of other boats, for that matter) can be judged.
The 5m hull tested here is an all-new design added to the Evolution range at the 2008 Melbourne Boat Show. While it looks pretty conventional on casual inspection, an in-depth perusal discovers lots of little things to get excited about.
SOFT AT HEART
Our test on Port Phillip Bay quickly revealed that this is an exceptionally soft-riding 5m hull with a fine set of sea manners indeed. Evolution principal Paul Junginger showed me why when we hauled the 500 Sportsfisher onto her trailer.
From the keel line to the first strake, this hull is concave, increasing the deadrise angle in this critical area where the hull cuts rough water. There's also a subtle downslope to the strakes to deflect water downwards where many hulls use more or less horizontal strake angles.
Evolution recommends no less than 75hp for this hull and while this sometimes indicates a hull that will take some keeping on the plane at low speeds, the opposite was true. Powered by a 90hp Evinrude E-Tec, it planed effortlessly at a mere 6.1 knots and 1750rpm, which bodes well for trips home on those days when the bureau gets it all wrong and the weather turns bad.
At higher speeds too I couldn't fault the handling after a vigorous workout. Cruising revs from the upper 2000s to upper 3000s produced speeds from around 15 knots up to the mid-20s and it only needed 4500rpm to reach 30 knots. It was an impressive performance all round.
FULL OF IT
Inside, the entire below-decks area of the all-GRP hull?including inside the stringers?is forcefully (closed cell) foam filled (Paul tells me at 2000psi), leaving no space for water in the event the hull is penetrated. Many other hulls use loosely fitted flotation, which allows space for bilge water. This foam fill makes the boat notably quiet over the water and it's a fair assumption it will contribute mightily towards structural integrity too.
Inside, there are rod racks along each side (in the side pockets, I fiddled a seven-foot rod in and out of one a couple of times in celebration) plus one of those neat snapper racks across the back (it's optional).
read on below advertisement
This particular southern invention is rapidly spreading north because it's a darn good idea, albeit only for some styles of fishing. But there it is; you can carry a heap of rigged rods in this boat.
Inside the cockpit/fishing area, Evolution has gone to some lengths to ensure your toes go under the sides all the way around.
Awkward helm ergonomics are another of my pet bitches. In this boat, the bimini is mounted high enough to stand up underneath and the helm seat is on a slide so it can be quickly shoved back out of the way to stand at the wheel if necessary. If you're going to use this boat a lot on rough water or for bar crossings, I would suggest fitting a beefy grab bar to reinforce the windscreen frame.
The walkthrough to the bows is high enough to support you while anchoring. The set-up of anchor well, fairlead and low rail is spot-on. A solid cleat is neatly mounted underneath the hatch. Stowage space below the foredeck is accessible either from the helm area or through access ports in the walkthrough.
Deep bucket seats leave you seated in all bar the roughest weather.
FISH, FOOD AND DRINK
Now for another pleasant surprise?when Paul offered me a cold drink, he opened a hatch between the seats to reveal a below decks icebox. In addition to which, a central hatch aft lifts to reveal a fish box, actually a Nally-style tub that can be lifted out for cleaning.
An upholstered pad across the aft bulkhead is standard in this boat, as are lockers inside the bulkhead itself to stow batteries and oil bottles away. The bait wells each side of the covering board and workbench are also standard.
A rear lounge, upholstery for the cockpit sides and a tow pole are all optional in the Evolution Sportsfisher model, though they're supplied as standard in the Santa Fe model built over the same hull. In that one, the workstation is optional. A stainless steel berley bucket is optional for either.
The attention to detail and standard of finish throughout the boat is exceptional. I liked little things like the way both seats swivel 180 degrees without catching on anything; every fitting on the boat is through-bolted with nyloc nuts; and every 'glass edge is hand-radiused. Small details? Yes, but good indications of just how well this boat is built, and of the underlying philosophy of perhaps the most exciting new boat on the Australian small boat scene in quite a while.
Five-metre boats?and remember we build some of the best 5m hulls in the world right here in Australia?just don't get any better than this.
« go back