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This article is reproduced with permission of
New Zealand Fishing News |
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As the originator of the aluminium pontoon-boat concept in New Zealand, Stabi-craft has been making these hulls for a long time.
In recent years efforts to improve the styling has included using fibreglass topsides and tapering the pontoons towards the bow. The 599XR incorporates these features – and a startling yellow paint job – to good effect.
The XR series hulls are designed as sportsboats with all-round applications. The 599XR produced a reasonably good, dry ride, with plenty of bow lift, good cornering, and the pontoon-design’s characteristic stability in the rough stuff, where the Tauranga Harbour run-out tide met a building sea breeze.
The hull was powered by the first of the newly released 100hp Yamaha EFI four-stroke outboards, which was smooth, quiet and pushed the hull to 41mph at 5700rpm.
Visibility was good when standing and looking over the top of the lightly-tinted polycarbonate ‘screen, and pretty reasonable when seated, with only minimal interference from the grabrail and ‘screen frame.
Access to the anchor is easy around the cabin sides, or through the large, stayed hatch in the cabin top. The anchor well is of modest size and hatched. Split bow rails contain the warp on the bowsprit.
Features include: Lowrance X107C sounder; Global Map 3500C GPS plotter; Uniden Solara DSC VHF radio; Fusion sound system; rocket launcher; ski pole; rear bench seat; walk-through transom; boarding platform and ladder; and large side pockets.
The 559XR is fitted with vee berths and a 100-litre underfloor fuel tank. The sealed decks drain through holes in the transom into the outboard pod, where the water is removed by a bilge pump.
The stability and high levels of reserve buoyancy in the four pontoons and single underfloor sealed chamber give these hulls a well-deserved reputation for safety.
This particular boat was designed as an all-round sports boat – more fishing oriented designs are also available.
The centre-hull position and exaggerated rake of the rocket launcher impacts quite a lot on cockpit fishing airspace, but the sides and the transom – when the rear bench seat is removed – are the easiest to fish from out of all the pontoon boats tested.
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