HAVING previously spent seven years living in New Zealand, one thing I came to admire about the Kiwis is how hard core they are when it comes to their fishing. They take it very seriously indeed. Not only that, they are often challenged by some pretty rugged conditions at sea. It’s probably not surprising, then, that NZ-made boats are notorious for being both well thought out and well built. I recently had the chance to review the Senator RH650 HT purpose-built plate fishing boat and discovered it was definitely no exception.
I met Lewis Croft, from Suzuki Australia, and David Garcia, from Warragul Marine, at the Newhaven (Vic) ramp bright and early one December morning and we soon had the 650 slipping off the Mackay trailer and into the sparkling waters of Western Port. Jumping aboard what was an obviously substantial and impressive boat, I immediately had the opportunity to observe the internal configuration.
The first thing I noticed was the deck space. You didn’t have to be a boating nuffy to see that there is heaps…4.5 square metres to be precise. With a 2.4m beam, the boat is licenced to carry six people and there is easily enough space for them all to be out the back fishing. The test boat had an optional 40cm extension of the cabin walls and hardtop roof, but there was still an exceptional amount of room. Also catching the eye were the rear cages around the marlin board, which provided even more room for fishing and are popular with divers.
Of interest to anglers, too, will be the huge kill tank under the 4mm fully welded plate floor (plumbed straight to the water beneath), plenty of rod holders in the gunwales and a rocket launcher above, side shelving for storage, bait board, live bait tank, a ‘drum winch ready’ bow and plenty of heavy duty grab rails. Meanwhile upfront there is big upright dashboard to allow flush mounting of whatever instruments and electronics you desire. Not only that, the well-detailed cabin has clear vision through the hardened glass windscreen and sliding windows on the sides, while down in the forward hull there is a substantial padded seating area with drop down leg extensions for sleeping. Weld quality throughout the vessel, by the way, was exquisite.
But nevermind all that…how did it perform on the water? To find out we headed out towards the eastern entrance of Western Port. We took some running shots in the calmer water just inside Cat Bay, then it was out into the ocean proper off the southern coast of Phillip Island where we put the big Senator through her paces.
For reference, the test boat was matched with a Suzuki DF200A four-cylinder outboard motor. This motor is considerably lighter that its V6 counterpart, has an offset driveshaft and big 2.5:1 gear ratio, and comes with either mechanical or drive-by-wire controls. A specially designed cowl and semi-direct air intake system provide cooler air to the manifold, while a four-valve-per-cylinder dual overhead camshaft powerhead with variable valve timing lets the engine breathe more efficiently, increasing acceleration and top end speed. Added to that are a fuel injection system and Suzuki’s ‘Lean Burn Technology’ for improved fuel economy. Considering the motor draws from the boat’s 215-litre underfloor fuel tank, range is substantial. Maximum engine power for the vessel is 225hp.
Conditions offshore were OK without being great. We were greeted by an awkward 1.5m two directional swell with about half a metre of chop on top of that, but it was easy meat for the big Senator, which carved it up with little fuss. It was very comfortable at 3700rpm punching along at 42kph with four people on board, while the true variable deadrise (26 degrees at the point of entry down to 18 at the stern) and fine entry point of the 5mm hull threw the spray away nicely for a perfectly dry ride. Fuel consumption was around 1.5km per litre. Later, with Dave at the wheel, the revs were pushed to 4800 rpm and the Suzuki pushed her along at 51kph without much drama. At all times the Senator felt authoritative and sure-footed even in tight turns. Top speed in calm conditions is said to be 67kph.
Finally, a bit about buoyancy. The Senator hull incorporates five pressure-tested buoyancy chambers, including a huge foam-filled pontoon along each side. Unlike other boats, these pontoons don’t encroach inside the deck and therefore don’t impinge on fishing space. The end result is a huge amount of reserve buoyancy. According to Dave we could have filled the inside of the boat with water and it still wouldn’t have sunk! Clearly we didn’t test this but it was nonetheless reassuring. These pontoons also gave the Senator terrific stability at rest, also ideal for anglers.
Overall, the Senator proved to be a well-performed, solidly-built and eminently functional watercraft. It provides a very comfortable ride, oodles of fishing space, supreme build quality and tonnes of buoyancy in case you ever need it. It would be well worthy of further consideration by serious offshore fishos.
