Vision 5m Runner

The Vision 5m Runner was the smallest boat in the 5.5m shootout and the smallest boat in Vision’s range.

The 60hp Tohatsu two-stroke outboard on this boat is secondhand, explaining the price differential in the spec box.

This model has a short, low cuddy offering undercover seating that’s long enough for kids to lie on. The Vision is rugged enough for fishing and diving, but its high coamings, large volume and excellent ride characteristics make it attractive for family boating, too.

The boat’s basic interior features: treadplate floors; a removable rear bench seat (also treadplate); and a raised treadplate platform in the bow to aid anchoring. The Weaver hatch is a good size, and the covered anchor locker is large for a 5m boat. The standard spec includes a lined dashboard, cabin interior and sides.

Two pedestal seats accommodate the driver and a passenger, while a windscreen rail and a dash-mounted grabrail offer passenger support.

Side shelves run the full length of the cockpit and are long enough for two-metre rods, although only two rodholders were fitted; a transom shelf supports the battery and oil reservoir. Tote tanks supply the fuel, though there is an underfloor-tank option.

This boat was fitted with an alloy and plywood baitboard, two full-length underfloor lockers, and a fold-down, heavy-duty alloy dive ladder. The Vision’s high coamings have no flats, so sitting on the sides is not an option – anyway, stand or lean on one side and she heels over a fair way until the chine stabilises the boat.

On the other hand, the hull’s 15-degree deadrise aft, fine entry forward, no strakes and reverse chine provide a soft, quiet ride – better than most boats of this length. The sea was too calm to assess whether the hull is dry in all conditions, but the chine does a reasonable job of turning down the spray.

The little Vision turns crisply, hanging on hard. The 60hp Tohatsu gave reasonable acceleration and a top speed of 40mph. The 5-metre hull will accept engines up to 90hp, the builder altering the length of the outboard pod to compensate for any extra weight.

Finish is generally good, though this boat is obviously no longer new. The boat is over-built according to the builder, Geoff Bishop, and as a result, the company experiences very few comebacks.

New packages on a custom-built trailer with a new Tohatsu 60hp start at $27,000 (2005 prices). Any number of custom options are possible.

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