Australia is blessed with lots of great fishing spots and there’s no better time to get out and cast a line.
But if your runabout has seen better days you might want to upgrade it to a newer model, and there are certainly some beauties on the market. Here are a couple of the currently best-rated fishing boats to whet your whistle.
Sailfish S8
The Sailfish S8 was voted Australia’s Greatest Boat Winner of 2016, and she’s a bit of a looker. It’s been said just quietly that it’s one of the best towable fishing boats of all time.
Driver comfort is a huge focus for the Sailfish S8 as us Aussie fishers do tend to spend a lot of time at the helm. The wheelhouse is an extremely roomy enclosed cabin with a lockable rear door; no cramped spaces here. The dashboard is ergonomically friendly giving the driver a feeling of confidence and comfort if the weather’s not behaving itself.
Outside on the fishing deck, there’s a no-skid treatment on the floor, space for a sink and stove, a gaff rack and LED work lights for night fishing. Technically you could wash and cook up a feed of fish without having to leave the boat. A high-pressure deck wash keeps everything nice and clean.
The Sailfish S8 is also set up for an overnight trip with a couple of mates, or your kids, with bunks situated in the forward cabin. There’s plenty of storage underneath these, to stow your gear and keep it out of the way, there’s also a toilet hidden underneath a liftable table. The mid cabin is bright and well ventilated with side opening windows.
Two powerful Honda 135hp Four Stroke engines make light work of a big catch, and the fishing deck is well set up for storing fish and keeping it fresh. Launching and retrieval of the Sailfish S8 is a breeze with its own custom built trailer.
Images courtesy of Webbe Marine.
Surtees 850 Game Fisher
If you want to do some serious sport fishing, then you’ll need a serious fishing boat. The Surtees 850 Game Fisher has everything you need in the way of features for long range cruising and offshore fishing.
It’s worth a pretty penny but you’ll get value for money when you part with your cash with this trailer boat. It comes with a lot of gear and equipment for the standard package including a fridge, a two burner gas stove, a sink, electric toilet and hot water shower.
The 2.8m wide Surtees 850 Game Fisher has room for three people to sleep on board and plenty of interior space with loads of storage and adaptable seating. The Yamaha 350hp V8 four-stroke outboard has some serious grunt allowing you to rack up some excellent fishing miles on day trips or overnighters. The LED lighting includes lighting strips under the cabin and saloon side pockets for lots of illumination when night fishing.
You’ll need a 4WD that can tow 3.25 tonnes, but it does come with its own trailer with electric/hydraulic brakes, so it doesn’t get away from you.
Images courtesy of Surtees.
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