REVIEWED: FI-GLASS FIRESTAR 530
This slick Kiwi cuddy keeps you dry when the going gets rough, as DAN TROTTER finds out.
Looking for a basic offshore fishing boat with practical family additions like a bimini, cushioned cabin and large cockpit, without breaking the bank? The Firestar 530 from New Zealand’s renowned Fi-Glass range could well fit the bill.
Fi-Glass has been manufacturing fibreglass boats for fishing, family and racing for over 50 years and has built a reputation for delivering a cushioned, comfortable and dry ride across its range.
It’s always great when a test day provides real conditions to put a boat through its paces. Sure, we all love days when the sea surface is glassed off and oily, but the reality is that this only happens all too rarely. Fortunately for us the test day served up a wind swept harbour and less than ideal open ocean between Sydney’s iconic north and south headlands.
Ride and performance
Having loaded the fishing and camera gear onboard we turned the bow of the Firestar 530 towards the heads, hoping to find some finned adversaries to have some fun with. Running hard across the harbour wind chop the hull handled beautifully, skipping from crest to crest with ease and comfort. Upon rounding South Head we could see a large school of Australian salmon feeding hard under the cliffs of North Head and pushed on to really test the boat’s rough water capabilities. Pleasantly, the Fi-Glass lapped up the deteriorating conditions and with every take-off re-entered with a cushioned landing typical of the deep V hull and the 21 degree deadrise. What impressed me even more was the dryness of the ride; even with a proper 20 knot sou-easter buffeting our senses we rarely received even moderate amounts of spray as we ran beam on to the prevailing wind across the washing machine mess that so often presents between the heads. Upon arriving at the school of fish, I commented to Dan from Avante Marine how dry we’d remained and how smooth the race across had been. He even seemed surprised given the fanging I had given the hull. After briefly hooking then dropping a large salmon before the school moved further seaward, it was decided to get the shots for this article. Always up for getting airborne, we ducked back over to South Head where the swell was standing up and proceeded to drive the hull through hard turns both into and with the sea. I can confidently say that the boat handled exceptionally and with each pass instilled more and more user confidence in the boat’s capabilities. At rest, the hull did shift around a bit, but never left us feeling unsafe or unsure despite the heavy roll produced by the chop and swell. In fact, both in the rough and back in the quieter conditions inside the harbour, the stability at rest allowed both of us to stand against one gunwale and fish. Personally I don’t like mechanical cable steering as fitted to the test boat. Call me a snob but the control delivered by hydraulic steering is worth the extra spend. A lack of hydraulic steering is my only complain on an otherwise worthy offshore fishing machine.
Fishability Design & layout forethought
The Firestar 530 is simple in its layout and offers plenty of options for further customisation.
Starting from the bow the large separate access to the anchor well is perfect for Australian fishing situations, whether anchored up fishing livies for kings and mulloway or fishing floaters for demersal species. Access to the bow through the large perspex hatch through the cabin is ample size for a fully grown individual and the seal and latches make it watertight. The one-piece wrap around stainless steel bowrail is manufactured from sturdy 25mm tube, and while it provides a certain amount of safety when moving about the bow, my experience is that a two-piece bow rail with a gap for retrieving the anchor makes life easier, especially given that the bow roller is quite small and the bollard very close making stowing an anchor in the bow roller whilst underway a challenge. The walkway around the exterior of the cabin is well thought out and wide enough to make access to the bow in rough seas doable (keep in mind that accessing the bow anchor well in rough seas through the hatch can be a recipe for inviting large amounts of water into the boat).
Back in the cockpit a carpeted floor throughout provides comfort and traction, although can make washing fish slime and blood out a little challenging. Designed to be both a fishing platform and a family cruising boat there are a number of compromises which have been folded into the internal layout of Firestar. While these are not insurmountable I should make mention of them, as they will affect your ability to utilise this boat as a dedicated fishing weapon. Across the transom the moulded seats are padded and clearly provide comfortable seating for passengers while underway or just lounging about. However, when it comes to fishing, having these seats and the section between then at mid calf height really creates an obstacle to access over the transom and prevents one from bracing against the transom whilst fishing or fighting a fish. Personally, I would like a full height transom between the seats. Having said that the space provides a suitable location to possibly mount a livewell or esky topped with a bait board.
On the plus side, decent sized side pockets run the full length of the cabin and cockpit and provide sufficient storage for all manner of accessories, plus being a great place to tuck rods not in use away from the elements. Under the floor between the driver and navigators’ seats is a large storage locker that provides a great place to place your catch on ice; just be mindful that the forward end is not sealed and that liquids will be able to run into the storage space between the bunks.
Wide gunwales provide great space for stainless rod holders, although an additional four would be great; vertical rod racks or a rocket launcher would also be an addition I would make pronto. As my friends can attest to I bring a lot of outfits when I head out fishing … Over the transom dual boarding platforms either side of the engine well make getting in and out of the water a breeze; there is the option to fit a stainless folding ladder.
Lastly, the driver’s dash is clearly laid out and there is plenty of space for adding further marine electronics on pedestal mounts. The curved acrylic windscreen is the right height for getting out of the wind but low enough to see over whilst standing. The test boat was equipped with two pedestal mounted bucket seats with fully adjustable brackets to suit your preferred driving position. The bimini offers great protection from the sun and clears can be optioned up to provide further protection from the elements, although the ride is so dry it really is only about keeping the rain and wind at bay.
Delivered on a Dunbier SR5.3B trailer, with nav lights and a Garmin Fishfinder 90 as standard, the base price of $34,990 (with a 90hp Mercury two-stroke) is a standout deal for a boat as capable at sea as this. All up, this is a perfect simple layout ready for customisation.
SPECIFICATIONS
Fi-Glass Firestar 530 Cuddy Cab with 90hp two-Stroke Mercury
length: 5.3m
Beam 2.1m
Hull weight: 430kg
Total length BMT: 6.7m
Power: as tested, Merc 90HP
Max. 115hp
capacity: 6
Price: As tested, $34,990.
CONTACT: Avante Marine (02) 9737 0727; www.avantemarine.com.au
