Scorpion Reel 530 and 455 pontoon boats

Beginning over sixteen years ago as a retail company based in Waikato’s Morrinsville, Sportcraft Boats began supplementing their existing boat agencies with their own range of hulls.

The family firm, headed by Jamie Black, has the Scorpion range of hulls manufactured especially for their perceived market by Dave Burkhart’s Alloyworx company in Tauranga. Starting off with the popular mid-range ‘tinnies’, the range has expanded to include larger inboards models (to 8.9m), and now, pontoon designs. Builder Dave Burkhart comes from a background of commercial fishing on the rugged Wairarapa coast and has a pretty good idea of what is needed in a pontoon boat.

Over the years, Sportscraft’s Morrinsville yard has grown, spreading to several adjacent lots, and in 2001 a yard was opened in Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui. This was outgrown in a couple of years, and it was in their new premises in the same road that I met up with sales manager Paddy Powell to check out the two new pontoon designs and put them through their paces.

Construction

The two models of aluminium pontoon boat – the 4.55m and the 5.30m – have 4mm bottoms, and 3mm pontoons and topsides. The bottoms are made from a single folded sheet, and a wear strip has been added over the stem (‘entry’) to protect it from damage while being loaded onto the trailer in sloppy conditions, such as on surf beaches.

There are two longitudinal bearers under the chequerplate decks, and channel-section lateral supports at 350mm centres. A full-length flat-plate support is welded across the ‘V’ above the keel line. This, and the deck above, triangulates the hull in section, making it very strong. Further support is provided by the pontoon sections around the outside of the hull. The bottom has a 16° ‘V’ at the transom.

Pontoon designs are well known for the high level of buoyancy they provide, and with much of this buoyancy placed high in the sides, the hull keeps floating the right way up if swamped. No reserve buoyancy figures were available at the time of writing, but with full pontoons (two separate chambers) added to the sealed section under the deck, my ‘eyeometer’ tells me these hulls are a long way on the plus side of the ledger.

Power and performance

For the purposes of the trial, I concentrated on the larger model – the Scorpion Reel 530 – as the only real difference between it and the smaller 455 is the length. The 530 was powered by a Mariner 50hp two-stroke outboard, which pushed it to 56kph (31 knots) at 5500rpm by the dash instruments. This is a good performance, given that the hull is rated to 90hp.

After launching at Sulphur Point in the Tauranga Harbour, we took both vessels out through the entrance. With the high currents generated in this area after the rock bar was blown up some years ago, the Tauranga entrance is usually a reliable place to find some lumpy sea.

Outside, we encountered a light chop on top of a half-metre swell. I was impressed by the performance of the hulls – they lifted smoothly onto plane, landed softly when launched off the swell tops, and seemed to have no handling vices. We took zero spray, although to be fair there was not much wind.

The cable steering adequately handled the relatively small engine, but the throttle/gear-shift was another matter. By coincidence, the last three boats I have run were fitted with Mercury Verados and the excellent Digital Throttle and Shift (DTS). These DTS controls are so smooth they have spoiled us, really upping the ante. However, the average base-level two-stroke shift still feels like you’re pushing a shovel through a full concrete-mixer bowl, and while I appreciate you get what you pay for, there is much room for improvement by most manufacturers.

The helmsman’s line of sight is over the top of the windscreen, which turns the worst of the wind rush overhead. This means no problems with visibility from the helm. The 530 was fitted with a canopy, and with the centre section zipped out, visibility was fine.

The stability was impressive (as you would expect from a pontoon hull), considering the size of the boats. At the ramp jetty I climbed up on one gunwale, and with no counterbalance caused only a very modest list. Once the pontoon hit the water, that was as far as it went.

Anchoring

Although there is a narrow ledge around the side of the ‘screen, it is a pretty awkward climb to the bow. It is not really necessary either, as there is a split windscreen fitted with a swing door that allows an easy reach to the large, hatched anchor-well. There is a ton of capacity here, allowing a spare anchor, heaps of warp, and even a reasonable sized anchor-lifting float to be carried.

When the canopy is collapsed it must be swung back into the cockpit to enable the windscreen gate to be used.

A protective strip of chequerplate runs between the fairlead and the cleat, and the anchors on the boats were permanently mounted. A section of bungie cord keeps the anchor and chain under tension when travelling and is easily removed. A cleverly designed plate at the leading edge of the fairlead allows the anchor and chain to be easily dropped and retrieved without hang-ups or needing to leave the cockpit. This plate is customised to a specific anchor, so prospective buyers who have a preference in anchor design should make it known when ordering.

This is basically a well-designed and easily-worked anchor set up that only needs a couple of minor improvements to be spot on. A restraint on the hatch would stop it blowing shut when pulling the pick into the wind (as you mostly do), while a bit of a tweak would sort the windscreen-door sealing department. Both solutions are easily achievable.

Layout

The deck is chequerplate, fully sealed and drains to a sump under the transom, fitted with a 500gph bilge pump. The forward section is devoted to straight gear stowage – no berths or seats – and has a pair of aluminium pipe rails to stop items sliding back into the cockpit. These rails double as footrests.

There is a reasonable amount of dash space that’s carpet lined and partly fitted with side lips. A grab rail is fitted for the passenger. On the helm side, a good-sized console unit has flush-mounted instrumentation and switching gear with a sounder on top.

The rotationally-moulded plastic seats are swivelling, and as their aluminium bases angle out from each side, cockpit space is maximised.

Side pockets in the cockpit area are narrow but carpet lined. The single battery is in a protective case, which is on a stand about 30mm above floor level under the transom. An isolation switch is fitted. Fuel is supplied from a tote tank fitted under the transom, a rail holding it in place.

There have been some small alterations made to the transom design between this test model and the production version. The transom top has been lifted 60mm, and the rod pod shifted astern off the transom. This gives a bit more protection from a following sea and somewhere more to sit or work.

Two side rails near the stern make useful hand-holds when beach launching, and as these extend out past the hull sides, they can also fend the hull off wharves and the like.

Over the stern is a fair-sized boarding platform (smaller on the 455) which, with the grab rail and relatively low transom, makes boarding easy. A boarding ladder can be fitted.

Fishability

Although both these boats are relatively small, the pontoon design gives them excellent stability, allowing anglers to stand up and move around without worrying about the hull balance too much.

The chequerplate deck gives good footing, and although there is a gutter where the deck meets the sides, it actually works quite well. A fisherman who wants some support from the sides (while working a fish or lifting a pot or dredge) can lean forward and get support above the knees, while the arch of the foot rides on the ridge of the gutter. There is plenty of toe room under the transom, and the transom face is just under the knee level. The two seats, when swivelled and facing astern, make good fishing positions for those soaking baits.

As mentioned, on the stern is a six-position rod pod (moved off the transom in the production model). A baitboard could be mounted here, or possibly on top of any chilly bin storing the catch. No through-gunwale rod holders were fitted, but this could be done, although the side height may cause some restriction on their length.

The stability of this hull, accompanied by its grab rail, platform and low transom (with the addition of a boarding ladder) would make this a handy little dive boat.

Trailering

The Sportscraft pontoon boats are carried on EZ Loader trailers, a cradle A-frame design made from galvanised box-section steel. They have single axles and leaf-spring suspension. Other features are galvanised rims, moulded plastic guards with step, submersible lights, three pairs of wobble rollers per side, a manual winch, and a wind-down jockey wheel.

These boats are easily towed by an average family car. The 530 rig has a tow weight (ready to fish) of 760kg, while the 455 clocks in at 640kg.

All in all

A very useful pair of hulls. Ideal two- or three-man fish and dive boats, their size, excellent stability and high level of reserve buoyancy makes them suitable for beach launching (a quad bike should be able to handle the job on firm sand) and a wide range of inshore and lake applications.

Well made, well performed, easy to tow, and relatively cheap to run, the Scorpion ‘Reel’ pontoon hulls should find a lot

of fans.

Specifications

Reel 530
LOA 5.30m
Beam 1.70m
Deadrise 16°
Cockpit internal 1.4m x 2.8m
Rec. HP. 40 – 90hp
Base package (40hp) $22,750
As tested $27,000
Reel 455
LOA 4.55m
Beam 1.70m
Deadrise 16°
Cockpit internal 1.4m x 2.3m
Rec HP 40-60hp
Base Package (40hp) $20,450
As tested. $22,500
 
Chequerplate decks and pontoon stability make for a useful fishing and diving platform.
Grab rails and boarding platforms allow easy access out of the water. Dive ladders can be fitted.
The rocket launcher is a space-saving design. On the production models the transom is raised 60mm and the rocket launcher moved back behind the transom.
The dash and bow section both allow for gear stowage.
Foot rest bars also help prevent gear from sliding back into the cockpit when underway.
The centre opening ‘screen allows easy access to the anchor.
 

	This article is reproduced with permission of New Zealand Fishing News           by Sam Mossman Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited