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Since he formed his boat building operation in the 1980s, Col Allison has struck a solid reputation with fishing enthusiasts for his range of practical fishing boats. This reputation is quite justified too, given a string of excellent sea-boats such as the Ocean Angler 244 and Fisherman 21, 189 and 175 series.
The more recent Fisherman 189 has particularly struck a core with offshore fishing enthusiasts for its good open water boat handling, and super practical cockpit.
This design seems to fall at the "right" size for offshore conditions, without needing the expense of a big four-wheel drive to tow. All up weight is a reasonable 1270kg, or about 1400kg in a loaded condition with fuel and fishing gear aboard. Especially with the advent of the new national trailing regs, this places the Allison well within the range of popular cars like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon. This is good news for those who drive these cars and don't necessarily want to trade up to a big 4WD just for the towing.
Considering this is a true offshore boat the running costs are going to be quite reasonable, especially when going for a four-stroke motor. For example, we used a new 10Ohp Yamaha four-stroke in our test and got the boat out of the hole and really flying over the water. Admittedly we were driving the boat in a 'light load' condition, but even so our top speed of 34 knots was very impressive.
I believe this motor would be more than adequate for typical offshore fishing needs and would handle heavier loads as well.
My estimates of fuel consumption would have given us a safe range of at least 120 nautical miles on the standard 150 litre tank. Note that I say 'safe' range because you should always leave a good 20 percent or so of fuel over as a safety factor in your calculations.
In any event you'll have more than enough fuel to cover a long offshore day trip.
Design:
The Fisherman 189 is a development of the Allison Fisherman 175 which appeared around 1994 and was a well regarded fishing rig right from the start. There's a few changes but the main difference with this model is the full-depth pod fully integrated into the stern. The combination of pod and moderately deep Vee hull seems to work very well and the boat slips easily from displacement mode to high speed planing.
Serious fishos will be attracted to this boat because of the no-nonsense, tough and practical design. The boat feels solid in the water and the deep sides give it plenty of freeboard for rough, open water boating. Owners of this design say it can fish outside in quite big seas with a 25 knot wind blowing. In contrast you wouldn't get too many trailer boats this size staying out to fish in these conditions.
Looking at the design in general the 189 is an appealing mix of modern and traditional style craft. The clean, uncluttered lines are easy on the eyes and not likely to date too quickly.
The hull has quite a high freeboard, however, the height is disguised in the lower gunwale line. The benefit of the extra freeboard is the cockpit has plenty of depth (78 cm), to ensure safe body support when you're hooked up and battling a big one in a seaway.
Another interesting feature is the cuddy being blended into the foredeck so you're hardly aware it's there at all. Structurally the boat is strengthened considerably by the deck line curving across from gunwale to gunwale. This is further helped along by the full bulkhead behind the dash that doesn't have a cutout to weaken the structure.
Allison Boats have a background of building bigger, offshore cruisers and it shows in the way they have constructed this boat. When you're offshore in questionable conditions you'll certainly appreciate the extra strength in hull lay-up and fittings.
Another top feature is the fibreglass cockpit floor. The 'glass floor not only is stronger than a plywood one, but more practical in the long run in terms of avoiding dry rot. The 'glassed floor is also practical in terms of providing a non-skid and easy to wash surface. The side pockets are also moulded fibreglass so the whole area is very easy to hose down and keep clean -just the way it should be in a fishing boat!
Note the cockpit is not self-draining, but the floor has side gutters to drain floor water off to the stern bilge sump where it can be handled by the automatic bilge pump.
From a trailing point of view you'll be able to use a single-axle trailer, provided it has brakes. You can also use a Falcon or Holden Commodore, though maybe not some other popular cars like the Camry or Magna unless you keep the boat very lightly loaded.
Performance: The hull itself features a deep forefoot and sharp entry which flows back to a moderately deep Vee bottom with wide chine flats that gets it on the plane quickly.
In practice we found the boat rode very easily and comfortably at speed into a steep wind chop. There was a gale blowing the day of the test and this gave us a very good session for rough water handling.
This is a powerful boat and it ran nice and dry at all times, even when we took the white caps side on. I've driven the Fisherman 175 in rough bar conditions and, if anything, I'd rate this one even better at handling rough water and tracking in a straight line.
What is also pleasing about the Allison 189 is the high stability of the hull at rest, even when the wind is blowing dogs off chains. We had two guys to one side and the boat hardly heeled at all. It's definitely a great, safe fishing platform in this regard.
The Yamaha four-stroke was a most impressive match and frankly did a better job than I would have thought of such a size of motor. We got surprisingly good acceleration for a four-stroke motor and the boat jumped onto the plane very quickly.
This 1.6 litre (four-cylinder), motor develops an impressive 73.6kW of power which is a touch more than many two-stroke motors in the 10Ohp class. Admittedly the motor is heavier in weight (162kg), though interestingly only 9kg heavier on the transom than the Ficht 90hp motor.
The bottom line attraction of the Yamaha though, to my mind, is its quietness and smokeless performance. The motor is so quiet at low speed you sometimes think it is not running at all. Believe me, once you've had a taste of such a well mannered motor it's hard to go back to conventional two-strokes.
Apart from this motor you could look at a number of power choices in the 1OOhp - 125hp band that will be suited to this boat, including obviously a number of two-strokes.
Deck Layout:
There is a moulded bowsprit to keep the anchor away from the bows and allow you to carry it on deck. There is a solid bow roller fitting and a Tee bollard and split, stainless steel bow rail in the standard package.
You also get a separate anchor locker on deck with a solid safety latch. The forehatch is quite large and will allow the crew to get to the cabin via the foredeck. The cuddy deck is topped by a strong alloy windscreen which has the benefit of being sufficiently high enough to give good spray/wind protection for the driver.
Back here you've also got plenty of dash space to mount electronics as well as spread out the coffee cups and chart. The helmsman gets a raised instrument binnacle to make for easy viewing of the engine gauges, particularly when standing behind the wheel.
The helm and passenger seats are comfortable bucket types mounted atop storage consoles that give you locker space under for lure shelves and/or safety gear. The helm station is particularly comfortable thanks to there being plenty of room to stand behind the helm. The seat is adjustable to suit leg length and you get footrests which double as stowage boxes.
You don't get a glovebox, but the footrest lockers and side pockets stowage make up for that point. Crew safety is also well taken care of with a wrap-around grab rail around the inside of the 'screen and a large passenger grab rail in front of the passenger seat.
Moving back behind the seat boxes you find a roomy cockpit with excellent non-skid floor and square-topped gunwales - just the right height for fishing. You get four stainless steel rod holders as standard, but there's plenty of room to add extra rod holders if you want them.
Back aft there is lift-out quarter seats so you can fish right into each stern quarter. There is also a live-bait well moulded into the rear deck. This well is oval shaped to allow the fish to swim more easily, it also has an overflow and bottom drains already fitted. All you need to add is the electric pump.
There is a polyethylene plastic cutting board atop this live bait tank, though some fishermen might still like an overhead cutting board so they can always reach the live-bait tank underneath.
Back aft you find recessed mooring cleats and the pod stern with fibreglass landing boards either side. This is all part of the standard package, along with the stainless steel grab rails that make it easier to get aboard.
The only real points of criticism with the cockpit was the lack of gaff/rod racks above the side pockets and the fact that the throttle box was not flush-mounted at the helm. However, both points could be addressed at the dealer level.
The cuddy cab is surprisingly roomy and comfortable with its upholstered seats and backrests. The short seat mightn't be big enough for overnight sleeps, but more than comfortable enough for a quick snooze, or just to get out of the weather. There is also under-seat stowage as well as the stowage shelves.
Summary:
The Allison Fisherman 189 makes a very appealing fishing rig for the guy looking to get into offshore fishing without spending a fortune. The boat strikes a good compromise between the maxi and smaller sized boats and will be quite economical to run with a four-cylinder motor.
We shouldn't forget that this model would also make a decent family boat, especially with its roomy and comfortable riding hull. There's loads of cockpit space for day cruising and with those quarter seats and cabin seating you've got plenty of room for the whole family.
I was very pleased to see this boat coming standard with a stainless steel targa/bimini and rocket launcher. You also get clears as well as navigation lights, 27MHz radio, and basic safety gear all in the standard package.
Allison have taken a very responsible attitude with this model. They've not only equipped it for offshore fishing but ensured it comes with decent seating and sun-shade protection for the crew.
The finish on the Allison Fisherman 189 should certainly meet the buyer's expectations for this price range, and most I'm sure will be taken by the new silver/grey topside decals. You can also easily add your own individual touches in terms of choosing different colour schemes and extra decals.
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