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Anglers in the market for a big alloy sportfishing boat would be very hard pressed to find a better quality boat than those from Sportfish in Queensland.
Every Sportfish boat I've ever laid eyes on has been superbly finished, and very well appointed ? particularly for the serious fishermen. And there is a very good reason for that. Company chief, Dave Mackenzie is a fisherman himself, so he knows what fishermen want, and what should be incorporated in each of the boats he builds. Quite apart from that though, Mackenzie is not as one-eyed as some manufacturers, and will listen to other people's input regarding possible changes or improvements that could be made to his big range of boats. This is a refreshing change from manufacturers beset with 'tunnel vision', boat builders who are convinced their way is the only way something can be done, and how dare you make a criticism ? But, I digress.
During the past decade or more, Dave Mackenzie has built up a large range of boats encompassing 4.5 m open plate alloy runabouts, right up to 10 m custom built cruisers. In regular production are Sportfish boats up to 8.0 m in configuration ranging from centre consoles to full half cabins. By far the most popular of these different layouts, is the cuddy cabin, a design which usually has a short cabin, but a large fishing cockpit.
Such a craft was the Sportfish recently tested by TBF, the 6.0 m LX Cuddy.
Design
Actually, the cuddy in the 6.0 m LX is closer in size to a full half cabin configuration because the cabin is spacious and it has full length berths. Each berth is a useful 1.95 m long by a maximum width of 600 mm. There is also no shortage of headroom, with 1.05 m between the top of each berth and the ceiling, and a total measurement from floor to ceiling of 1.46 m.
The ample cabin headroom and open cabin design makes ducking under the dash and going forward to anchor a simple task. The alloy cabin hatch, secured by a couple of rotating levers, is easy to open. From there, the hatch is pushed up and out so you can climb up through the hatchway while standing on the vinyl covered central berth. The anchor well lies just six inches or so forward of the hatchway where it is within reaching distance. The well doesn't have a hatch, but it is so deep, there is little risk of the appropriate sized anchor from bouncing out. From there, the anchor is easily extracted, passed over the bow between the split bow roller, and the warp secured.
' There is plenty of storage space in the cabin. Apart from underberth lockers, there is a 2.0 m long side pocket above each berth. The side of each pocket is upholstered also so you can lean back against it when sitting down in the cabin.
Under the central berth cushion, there is also space for a marine toilet should one be required. Many skippers don't bother about installing a toilet, but these days I prefer to have one onboard ? especially on those full day fishing trips. Even if you don't use it, you've got the peace of mind of knowing it's there !
Before we go further, let's now take a closer look at the specifications.
As we have noted, the Sportfish is 6.0 m long, or a touch under 20' for those of you who still have trouble with metric. The maximum beam is 2.44 m and the hull weight is listed as approximately 620 kg ? though that strikes me as a bit optimistic. Nevertheless, using this figure, we can calculate that the rig will weigh around 1,150 kg when fitted (as tested) with a V6 Mariner 135 hp outboard and coupled to a tandem axle braked trailer. Consequently, if you've got a Falcon, Commodore, or any other six cylinder sedan, you shouldn't have any trouble towing the 6.0 m Sportfish on the highway. It could be 'touch and go' on slippery boats ramps, but on good ramps, retrieving the boat won't be difficult.
Above decks, the Sportfish isn't exactly luxurious, but it is practical. The single front pane perspex windscreen is vertical and unusually tall, so it offers the helmsman excellent protection from wind and spray when seated or standing before the steering wheel.
The huge dash is very bare, and there are few appointments around the dash/windscreen/instrument panel. But the features that are present are the important ones, illustrating that Dave MacKenzie definitely knows what he is about when it comes to interior design.
A good example is the excellent grab rail that extends all the way way around the windscreen. For the helmsman and forward passenger, and even a third person standing between the front two seats, this rail is a much needed hand-hold when bouncing around at sea.
Similarly, the sheer size of the dash indicates that MacKenzie knows full well how much electronic equipment most fishermen like to carry onboard. On the 6.0 m Sportfish, there is space for the sounder, radio(s), a GPS unit, and more. And note, the large dash can double as the chart table needed with GPS systems to assist in offshore navigation.
The Sportfish was comfortable to drive while standing up and sitting down ? though the latter would be improved if the helm chair could slide fore and aft. The height of the seat is satisfactory, but I would have liked to be able to slide it forward so I could sit down and drive while leaning back against the chair.
The helm chairs themselves are quite different to the bucket seats supplied with most boats. Rarely do you get seats with arm rests like those fitted to the test boat. It's a funny thing actually. If you haven't got arm rests you don't really miss them. It's only when you sit behind the wheel of a boat with a chair complete with arm rest, do you realise how much more comfortable they can be.
Oddly enough, when standing at the helm, the front of the helm chair doesn't stick into the back of your legs as I had expected. Instead, I tended to use the chair as a bum rest while standing. Then, the driver's position is great.
A glance at the photographs accompanying this report reveals the enormous size of the cockpit. Just check out that fabulous, big, flat, and uncluttered fishing space. Note also the excellent cockpit freeboard (620 mm minimum) and the exceptionally space efficient 'half pod' at the transom. Truly, this is very close to the perfect fishing cockpit; heaps.of space, complete access to the transom corners, immensely wide and flat side coamings (230 mm), etc.
The cockpit, behind the helm chairs is a perfect square, being 2.13 m long x 2.13 m wide. That's large enough for at least three anglers, and still have space for a central fish box/work centre, or a game chair.
Note also how the rear battery platforms and the side pockets are lifted off the floor so you can get your feet under them when leaning against the coaming. That's great design !
The side pockets flanking the cockpit are 1.8 m long by 140 mm wide ? big enough for ropes, small gaffs, etc. There's also plenty of room on the inside of the hull ? above the side pocket and below the coaming ? to mount big fixed head and moderate sized flying gaffs on clips glued to the hull.
Other fishing features on the test boat included an underfloor fish box, suitable for small pelagics and bottom fish, etc., a cutting board, and a live . bait tank. Yes, concealed beneath the port side transom coaming is a live bait tank big enough for yellowtail, slimies, small frigates, etc. It is located in the perfect spot too; easily plumbed, and with the tank overflow draining straight over the back.
The rear berley bucket, and the cutting board over the outboard well aren't standard, but are great features, well worth the extra dough. Similarly, other options are available, including a rocket launcher, fish box etc. Mackenzie will also customise to a certain degree.
As far as safety features go, the Sportfish is pretty well looked after. It doesn't have foam flotation, but does have sealed air tanks, and a self draining cockpit. Check out also how the battery and outboard oil container is lifted well off the floor in a specially designed box/platform.
Performance, Handling And Ride
Conditions outside the Moreton Bay Trailerboat Club in Brisbane were too choppy on the day of the test to conduct our normal fuel consumption trials, but we did manage (just) to measure the speed of the Sportfish using TBF's K-Band radar gun. And it was pretty quick too. With the Mariner 135 hp outboard on the transom, we recorded a top speed of 38.5 knots at 5,500 rpm. This speed was taken while we were bouncing around in a chop too, so the boat could probably have gone another knot or so quicker ? in flat water with the outboard leg trimmed out further.
The following are the other speeds we recorded, in 1,000 rpm increments.
1,000 4.3 knots
2,000 7.6 knots
3,000 20.1 knots
4,000 27.8 knots
5,000 34.7 knots
5,500 38.5 knots
By any standard, it can be seen that the Sportfish is one quick tinnie with the V6 Mariner on the transom. Fortunately, the hull is sophisticated enough to handle this power. Driving the Sportfish quickly was actually great fun ? even in the choppy conditions ? because the hull handles very well and the ride is unusually soft. The boat feels more like a fibreglass sports boat than a big tinnie, and I guess that's the ultimate compliment.
An underfloor fuel tank comes standard with the Sportfish, but it isn't large enough for a V6 outboard, not if you want to fish a long day 15-30 miles offshore. The Mariner V6 uses approximately 23 L/ph at a 3,000 rpm cruise, which gives the Sportfish a range on its standard 138 L fuel tank of just 120 nm. That's almost, but not quite enough let you fish all day ? without worrying about whether you're going to run out of fuel on the trip back to port. A better bet would be to have the size of the tank increase to at least 160 L, and preferably 200L.
In Moreton Bay, there wasn't a great deal of swell with which to test the Sportfish, but there was a 2-3' chop which served almost as well. Certainly we were able to discover that the Sportfish is very soft riding by alloy standards. It isn't quite as stable as some of its harder riding competitors, but nor can it be described as tender. None of the ride characteristics are surprising. The Sportfish's performance is consistent with its very fine forefoot, stretching back to a (deeper than average) deadrise at the transom of 18 degrees.
But was the boat dry ? Yes, for the most part it was very dry. The only time we took water onboard was when travelling into a three quarter headsea. Then, we copped some spray over the windward quarter.
In a following sea I expected the Sportfish's fine stem or bow to dig into a trough after it climbed over a wave, but was surprised when this didn't occur. Perhaps the waves weren't big enough ? There's no doubt I would have a better idea of the boat's following sea performance had we been able to take it offshore. Nevertheless, I was very impressed. Few aluminium boats currently on the market can match the Sportfish 6.0 m for handling and ride.
The Verdict
What are you waiting for? The verdict for this craft was never in doubt. As an offshore sportfishing monohull, the Sportfish 6.0 m has few peers. There's still heaps of work to do to outfit the rig, but all the ingredients are there for a fabulous fishing machine. Not only does it have a great hull, but it also has a long list of fishing features including the excellent cockpit layout, big side coamings, and a live bait tank.
If you're worried about the single engine, don't be. The Sportfish 6.0 m is available (to a special order) with twin engines, or a single sterndrive.
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Sportfish 6.0 M LX Cuddy |
| Configuration / Style |
Cuddy |
| Construction |
Aluminum |
| Length |
6.0m |
| Beam |
2.44m |
| Depth |
N.A |
| Hull Weight |
620kg |
| Max engine hp |
150hp |
| Sheet size |
N.A |
| Fuel Tank |
138L |
| Deadrise |
18 deg |
| Tested Power |
135L |
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