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A general sport boat rather than of a hard-core fishing design, the Kiwi-Kraft 550 delivers the pontoon-hull advantages of excellent stability, high load carrying capacity and huge reserve buoyancy.
The hull delivered a very impressive ride, with soft landings and took no spray (although there was no wind to speak of on test day), holds corners like it is on rails, has excellent stability and is also very responsive to the helm. Powered by a Johnson 90hp, it produced 41mph at 5400rpm – a top performer – and it looks smart, too!
The racy, tinted polycarbonate screen had good over-the-top visibility when standing, but the screen frame was in the line of vision when seated. The strongly tinted ‘screen may limit visibility in low-light conditions.
While it is possible to climb around the sides to the bow, there is little workspace up there. Accessing the anchor is best done through the hatch in the cabin top, but it is a bit of a crawl to get there. The anchor well is not hatched and of limited capacity. This boat is set up only for casual, shallow-water anchoring.
The special features of the Kiwi-Kraft 550 largely stem from the pontoon design. Six pontoon chambers and one underfloor chamber deliver the stability and safety aspects that are the main advantages of a pontoon hull. The sealed deck drains to a sump under the transom, where it is removed by a bilge pump, while the battery, oil reservoir and tote tanks are set under the transom up on a low platform. Dry stowage lockers are built into the forward pontoons, and a Humminbird sounder and ski pole/bait station frame have been fitted to the transom.
This rig is well suited to general family fun, including skiing, sea biscuits, and basic fish and dive applications. |
