Sportscraft 585

The Sportscraft 5.85m Fish-hunter is a welcome addition to the big boat market place and provides a competitive option to what is currently available.This is a boat clearly aimed at the enormous cuddy cabin, one of the highest and widest on the market. Any tendency towards excessive forward weight distribution is countered by intelligent positioning of the 120 litre capacity under floor fuel tank. In profile, the aesthetic integrity of the craft has been maintained by smart designing. The rear section of the cuddy angles away to join a tapering gunwale line continuing to the stem. The result is a good-looking boat with high freeboard and an unobtrusive cuddy cabin. Inside, narrow tapering half-size upholstered bunks provide comfortable and protected seating with ample head room for four adults. Useful storage space is contained underneath and the unobstructed walkway between the bunks leads to the most comfortable anchor station I have seen. The tinted and hinged cuddy hatch is wide. One pulls the anchor in complete safety while braced against the waist-high fore-deck. Deep dry interior storage pockets merge with a two-tiered horizontal cockpit arrangement each side. Integrated fishing rod racks are positioned so that expensive reels are protected by overhead gunwale coamings. Similarly two lipped, mid-height shelves either side of a conventional anchor splash well gain protection from the tern deck coaming, which has moulded bait-cutting board recesses. These shelves are ideal for housing a battery and oil reservoir. Conditions precluded an accurate hull appraisal but the craft cut through some sloppy sections of water softly, indicating it will perform well in rougher seas. The hull is significantly veed and the flared bow obviously likes to get some air under it. The Faster the Fish-hunter went, the better the ride. Three chined planing strakes either side of a keel and a wide outside chine give this craft lift. The 90hp Mariner outboard motor had the Sportscraft on the plane easily. Full throttle speed was over 30mph and cruising speed at 4600rpm is noticeably slower. In my view, it would be false economy not to opt for a larger four cylinder 115hp motor for an additional $900. Sportscraft also offer the Fish-hunter as a stern-drive version. The wide 2.38m beam craft is available for on-water testing through Pacific Marine.