Nuline 48CC

Sam Mossman checks out the Generation Two Nuline 48 centre console, and is impressed with what he finds…

Woodbine Marine is a family-owned-and-operated business and part of the Auckland-based Woodbine Group of companies owned by the Harvey family.

Woodbine Marine, headed by Sam Harvey, opened in October 2006, and is situated on the ‘boat strip’ of Ti Rakau Drive. They are the East Auckland dealer for Sea Doo personal watercraft as well as agents for Extreme Boats, CSB Huntsman Boats, Honda Marine and Evinrude E-Tec outboards.

After Fyran Boats closed their doors back in 2015, Woodbine needed a range of smaller aluminium hulls to fill the gap which the Fyran dinghy range had previously supplied. Woodbine initially teamed up with a Waikato-based aluminium boat-builder, together developing the Nuline dinghy range. While this range was designed well, production speed could not keep up with demand, creating supply issues.

Late last year Woodbine switched builders to a company based in the Bay of Plenty which has in-house CAD design and CNC machine facilities. As a result, a new series of Gen 2 Nuline hulls has just been released which feature a combination of a variable deadrise with a finer entry and a heavier 5mm hull. This combination has given the Gen 2 hulls a lot more stability without sacrificing any of their rough water handling. The design includes foam-filled gunwales which, when added to sealed under-deck space, makes the rig positively buoyant.

With the increasing popularity of coastal sportfishing, especially lure fishing that involves casting (such as soft-baiting, topwater fishing and saltwater fly), the popularity of boats specialised for this type of fishing has also increased. Centre-console configurations are excellent in this regard as they open up the bow area to fishing and provide two platforms (bow and cockpit) which allow several anglers to cast without endangering each-other, as well as providing the ability to follow a hooked fish right around the boat if needed. OK, there is less shelter in a centre-console than a cuddy, but all boats require compromises and the choices you make depend on whether you value fishing function over comfort.

Modest-sized boats have advantages in being easy to tow with an average family vehicle and can be powered with smaller, lighter outboards that use less fuel; as well as having a lower capital cost in the first place. It all comes down to more affordable boating. The 5.2m long Nuline 48 is just such a boat with centre console configuration and a modest tow weight of around 700kg for the rig.

I met up with Rhys Dewhurst and Mark Harvey from Woodbine Marine at Auckland’s Half Moon Bay Marina to take the Nuline 48 for a spin. The test rig is powered by a BF60A Honda outboard (the hull is recommended for 50-60hp) which turns a 14” pitch prop. Woodbine Marine were still experimenting with props and the maximum 6200rpm produced on test day were just a little over the ‘book’ maximum of 6000rpm. A 15” pitch will probably be spot on and produce another knot or so.

The rig was fitted with MaXtek hydraulic steering which, teamed up with Honda's smoothly operating throttle/shift, made the rig a pleasure to helm.

A table of performance figures is shown below, with a maximum speed achieved at just over 30 knots – plenty for a boat of this size. I don’t have any fuel-use figures to share as the electronics were not set up to display them, but Honda’s four strokes are well-known for excellent economy.

The rig was fitted with MaXtek hydraulic steering which, teamed up with Honda’s smoothly-operating throttle/shift, made the rig a pleasure to helm – it handled like a sportscar. Despite the very moderate nine-degree deadrise, it took the sea well and was a dry rider, turning down the spray well back down the chine. Going to 5mm bottom plates has probably helped here, putting more weight on the keel-line, while the nine-degree deadrise has provided decent stability – a real bonus when standing and moving around the boat, as you do when fishing from a centre-console boat.

Stem to stern

The design features a large foredeck with substantial rails, fairlead and bollard, along with an anchor well in the bow. Dry storage is provided by a large, off-the-deck locker behind the anchor well. The decks are finished in grey U-Dek Octi panels which provide good footing and quieten the hull. The sealed decks drain to a sump under the transom, from where any water is removed by a 500gph bilge pump.

Dry storage is provided by a large, off-the-deck locker behind the anchor well.

The console is centrally sited with a stern-facing locker that houses and protects the battery, and an upper forward-facing locker that allows access to the wiring. Both lockers also provide stowage space. The console is fitted with a polycarbonate ‘screen and mounts a bimini top, each providing some shelter for the crew. Electronic chores are handled by a Garmin sounder/GPS model EcoMap 65 Plus, which is also mounted on the console.

There is plenty of space to work around the sides of the centre console.

A range of seating options could be fitted, and in this case a Dometic Coolice 55 chilly bin is set in front of the console. It has a padded top and doubles as a seat with a fitted cup holder and rod holder. Across the transom are bench seats with grabrails which have space beneath for two 25-litre tote tanks. Over the stern are two boarding platforms with more grab rails and U-Dek panels.

Across the transom are bench seats with grabrails which have space beneath for two 25-litre tote tanks.

Fishing fittings include a vertical aluminium rod holder on each side of the forward bulkhead giving an angler in the bow a protected place to place their rods.

A four-position rocket launcher is mounted on the bimini top, well designed with modest flare and rake keeping the rod tips inside the hull line and not intruding into the casting space over the cockpit. There are two through-gunwale rod holders along each side of the cockpit in normal fishing positions. More rod holders – pipe-clamp mounts on the bow rail, and more through-gunwale types – could be added where required.

A four-position rocket launcher is mounted on the bimini top.

A removable bait board is mounted on the gunwale where it is available to both stern and bow anglers. There is plenty of room in the cockpit to fit another after-market ice bin which could double as a seat and further catch storage so the forward ice bin can be used for dry or food/drink storage.

Apart from these items, the test boat was a relatively clean canvas and there are plenty of options for anglers to fit it out to suit the styles of fishing they prefer.

The Nuline 48 is carried on a DMW Premier 480 single-axle trailer. It has leaf-spring suspension, keel rollers and two pairs of wobble rollers per side, a wind-down jockey wheel, dual ratio manual winch and submersible LED lights. The tow weight of the rig is around 700kg.

Overall…

I really liked this boat. It is compact enough to be easily launched, towed and handled. Well-priced and with low running costs, it handles the sea well, could fish three people easily (with the benefits of the centre-console layout) and handle most coastal fishing tasks asked of it. It looks cool, too.

Performance

Honda BF60A Four Stroke outboard; 14” pitch prop; crew: one adult.

Revs Speed
(RPM) (Knots)

1000 3.3

2000 5.2

3000 7.4

4000 16.4

5000 23.4

Specifications

Material: aluminium

Configuration: centre console

LOA: 5.2m (includes boarding Platform)

Beam: 1.910m

Deadrise: 9 degrees

Reserve buoyancy: 24kg

Bottom thickness: 5mm

Side thickness: 4mm

Recommended horse-power range: 50-60hp

Test engine: Honda BF60A 60hp four stroke

Rec prop: 11-15” pitch

Test Prop: 14” pitch

Fuel capacity: 25-litre tote tanks

Trailer: DMW Premier 480 Multi Roller

Tow weight approx: 700kg

Price as tested: $35,500

Packages from: $28,000 (Honda 50)

Test boat courtesy of: Woodbine Marine