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Scorpion 610 vs 5.5 workmate

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Boat Shed
Forum Description: Discuss all things boating.
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29589
Printed Date: 29 Mar 2024 at 11:38pm


Topic: Scorpion 610 vs 5.5 workmate
Posted By: AfterDark
Subject: Scorpion 610 vs 5.5 workmate
Date Posted: 25 May 2008 at 6:18pm
i was checking out the scorpion 610 hard-top at the boat show..
now not sure which is the better one for me to get !!
scorpion 610 or the 5.5 work mate.
i'm thinking bigger is better



Replies:
Posted By: plastic
Date Posted: 25 May 2008 at 6:39pm
hows the price difference, what motor options

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Why is the man who invests your money called a "Broker"


Posted By: Dohboy
Date Posted: 25 May 2008 at 6:56pm
For the $$$ you wont beat a Scorpion but i have been on a 7m one and the ride is sh$t all depends on what you want to do v $$$ to spend.


Posted By: Badfish
Date Posted: 25 May 2008 at 7:25pm
And how high the gas prices will go! Although with a bigger boat you can take more guys and get more gas dollars.


Posted By: mozz
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 2:42pm
I thought the ride on the two 5.5 surtees that I Demo'd was pretty crap in a following sea and they were very wet boats


Posted By: wetdream
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 3:16pm
Originally posted by mozz mozz wrote:

I thought the ride on the two 5.5 surtees that I Demo'd was pretty crap in a following sea and they were very wet boats
 
Oh and lets not forget "UGLY" I don't care what anyone says they are......


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Posted By: plastic
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 8:49pm
What happened ? are we talking pontoon boats now ?

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Why is the man who invests your money called a "Broker"


Posted By: Goneburger
Date Posted: 27 May 2008 at 5:08pm
Would have thought the Surtees would have been built higher quality/stronger than Scorpian, but size and water line length always makes a difference - so Scorpian may have advantage. Maybe check the actual hull measurements of both boats, they may be similar in terms of actual waterline length and if so would have thought Surtees best option - especially for resale.


Posted By: Denny Boy
Date Posted: 27 May 2008 at 5:50pm
Hi there afterdark!
Here's my twopence worth. I bought a 610 hardtop Scorpion 18 months ago-put a 115 4str Merc on the back and thought I was just the man. To cut a long story short I took it back to Morrinsville and got my old boat back 6 weeks later with the resulting loss. Reason: with the heavier motor on the back the boat was real arse end heavy and felt like it was on a launch pad with the nose up in the air regardless of trim. The bow seemed to slam into the chop rather than cut through and even if you buy an open top you will need trim tabs to keep the thing level or you will feel like you are falling over. It was just one of those boats that I didn't feel safe in. It may have been better with a lighter 2 str. The welding and finishing wasn't as good as the Surtees are but you do pay for what you get. As far as the Surtees goes I have a couple of friends with the 6.1 Barcrushers and they swear by them even from a wet point of view. I know which one I would buy if I was to change again
 
Cheers
Denny Boy
 
 
 
scorpion 610 or the 5.5 work mate


Posted By: wayno
Date Posted: 27 May 2008 at 6:09pm
Hi Denny, as a matter of interest what is the boat you went back to from the Scorpion?
I'm looking at options at the moment to upgrade the 3.5m tinny next year once I make a few more ££ (and the exchange rate improves for bringing cash back to NZ).
Current front-runners include the Surtees 6.7 (weekender) and possibly Senator 750, hoping to get back to NZ in November for a few fishing trips/sea-trials to help with the decision.
Have heard about the new Surtees 7.3 but not managed to see any pics of the beast yet.


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Posted By: Denny Boy
Date Posted: 28 May 2008 at 3:25pm
Wayno-I had a Steadecraft 5.4 Seville prior to the Scorpion and the only reason I went and got that back was because it was all set up with the toys etc. It was only coming back for the meantime until I could sus out the right boat. The Steady was a block dray bone breaker and wet and I have now disposed of that and are the proud owner of a Stabi509wfr with a 90 4str Suk. At this stage I am wrapped with the, economy, dryness and ride is better than I have had on any of my previous boats but, however is a bit on the hard side.
 
Denny Boy


Posted By: Tagit
Date Posted: 28 May 2008 at 4:12pm
Companies like Southern Boats, Surtees, Lazer Craft etc have shown the way to get a good ride out of alloy boats. This basically involves a deepish V and a very fine entry on the hull. Preferrably with a decent weight of alloy used. This design does compromise cabin space and stability a little, but for most the improvement in ride quality and ability to handle larger seas is worth it. The Scorpion range appear to me to have a fuller entry and possibly not as much V. A bit more like a Fyran than a Lazer Craft for instance. These differences would tend to make me think that the Scorpion boats are not going to ride as well as the 'better' designed competitors. Doesn't make them a bad boat, just means that the compromise on interior space vs ride etc is balanced less towards the hardcore user trying to go bar jumping or miles offshore. 
Regarding the smaller Surtees and peoples comments about poor ride etc, we had a 5.7m Southern for a while and also noticed that for various reasons the basic deep V, fine entry design did not seem to work as well in the smaller boats. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as good overall as some of the larger models. The 6.7m version of the same boat however has a great ride and nice overall balance. I guess that the experiences mentioned with the smaller Surtees and the smaller Southern would tend to indicate that getting a good balance between ride and usability in the smaller alloy boats is a challenge. We were next to a local pontoon boat manufacturers boats at the recent boat show and I spent 4 days looking at the rear end of one of their ~5.0m boats thinking "this thing must ride like an absolute brick". The interesting thing though was that their ~6.5m model next to it had a much deeper V and much finer entry. It looked like it would ride reasonably well. I assume that they have found using the same 'ggod ride' design rules in the ~5.0m model would have made the space compromise etc so poor that the boat would be less desirable. Hence the space vs ride compromise is pushed much more towards prioritising space.
Personally I would go for a used Surtees, Southern, Lazer etc and go a little larger rather than buy a new Scorpion or similar design. On the other hand, if you don't go out wide and are a bit of a fair weather fisherman, the Scorpion or similar could be great value for you as long as you accept the ride limitations. I would however take note of Denny Boys comments above. A 6.1m boat that can't carry a 115hp engine well (even a 4 stroke) doesn't sound very encouraging.


Posted By: Tzer
Date Posted: 28 May 2008 at 4:24pm
Originally posted by Tagit Tagit wrote:


Personally I would go for a used Surtees, Southern, Lazer etc and go a little larger rather than buy a new Scorpion or similar design.


And I know just where you can get a good 2nd hand one, Surtees that is.Wink


Posted By: deltadreams
Date Posted: 28 May 2008 at 4:37pm
After Dark
If you get a chance take a look at Kingfisher Boats in Tauranga
http://www.kingfisherboats.co.nz - www.kingfisherboats.co.nz i think that they will have every thing that you are looking for.  and the team there are  a good bunch of blokes [Chris Carter is the main guy]


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Remember: it's not a fish until it's landed


Posted By: Mullins
Date Posted: 28 May 2008 at 4:56pm
Despite claims of a deep v those Kingfisher boats - at least the smaller ones - look quite 'full' in the bow, more like a Scorpion than a Lasercraft/Surtees


Posted By: Men In Black
Date Posted: 28 May 2008 at 5:39pm
All boats are a compromise ....$$$ vs ride and finish, performance and fittings, you can't really compare the two hulls as the water line lengths are nearly a mtr different and the beam will be larger on the 610 Scorpion. My neighbour has a 610 Scorpion cabin and the only thing in common with the Surtees 5.5 is they both are wet rides with a quartering wind. I would trust the Surtees product any day having owned a 6.1 Workmate custom, but even the 6.1 Surtees doesn't like a quartering wind and will tend to be wet if you don't shut the semi hardtop.

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Posted By: Moki Marko
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2008 at 11:04am
Furhter to Tagit's comments on variable deadrise, or progressive deadrise hulls.
These hulls are a compromse, ie pointy bow to cut through the chop, flattening out to a moderate v at the stern for stabilty and lift. The 5.5 workmate also has a helm positioned well forward to maximise deck space. This combination means the boat tends to run flat as the lift is well back, this means more drag, lower speed and more fuel. So when you get 4 big fat scuba divers (they always are) all huddling right up in the bow, and only 5.5m, you have a boat that is going to punch through a small chop just fine but drop it' s nose into every hole that appears, especially in a following sea. It's just plain geometry. I think a 5.5 workmate with the helm further back would be a much better boat, loose a little deck space but the performance would improve. The centre console always works but isn't an option in the South Island, I think they're only marginal in the N.I.


Posted By: KaiRuku
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2010 at 6:38am
I bet you Moki eat their but fat crays they pull out though eh eh LOL



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