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Get That Boat Loan is now the Queensland home of Sportscraft & proud to present the Sportscraft Fish Hunter 585

Sportscraft boats are about as South Australian as Tony Modra and the Adelaide Crows, we intend to make them as popular as the Mighty Maroons or Wally Lewis !!
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Get That Boat Loan is now the Queensland home of Sportscraft & proud to present the Sportscraft Fish Hunter 585
Sportscraft boats are about as South Australian as Tony Modra and the Adelaide Crows, we intend to make them as popular as the Mighty Maroons or Wally Lewis. They have been made in SA for decades, filling a certain market niche and enjoying steady sales across the state. On Tuesday morning I climbed aboard the largest model in the range to go for a run, and I can tell you it was quite exhilarating out there on the Gulf. It had been blowing 25 knots from the west overnight, and although the wind had abated considerably by daybreak, there were still plenty of whitecaps to contend with.

The Sportscraft Fish Hunter 585 first emerged around 20 years ago and has been enormously popular with recreational anglers looking for a big, capable offshore boat that doesn’t cost the Earth. Like most Sportscraft, it’s marketed as a no-frills boat that provides an enormous volume of usable space and rugged construction. I doubt it would win any beauty contests, but certainly offers plenty in other significant areas.

Due to many requests from commercial operators, Sportscraft designers have recently decided to build the Fish Hunter 585 to meet stringent survey requirements. Professional fishermen, fishing charter operators, tourist operators and Government departments are all subject to Marine Survey, which ensure their boats are built to certain specifications and carry specific equipment. There are several Survey categories, which vary according to where the boats are used and for what purpose.

With all this in mind, the Sportscraft team went about building a model that meets the criteria for 3C Survey, which is probably the most common category. Above and beyond the usual degree of fit-out, the 585 built to Survey comes with an all-weather front hatch, strengthened cabin window, upgraded cabin construction, foam-filled hull and an improved fuel tank and fuel delivery system. All of this extra equipment and ‘beefed up’ construction is designed to make the boat as safe and reliable as possible, which is naturally essential where commercial operators are concerned.

The boat I tested on Tuesday had been fitted with a new BF150A Honda four stroke, which emerged from the outset as being a little too much power. There’s no doubt that a 115hp engine would deliver sparkling performance. Alternatively, the boat is now designed with a transom that will carry dual outboards, and I can see the rig running sweetly with a pair of 70 horse motors on the back.

As mentioned, it was quite lumpy outside North Haven on Tuesday when Pacific Marine boss Tim Hearse and I took the Sportscraft for a spin. The hull feels extremely solid underfoot and, due to the inclusion of foam in the hull, it rides a lot quieter than earlier models I’ve driven. Acceleration from rest with the big Honda four stroke was really quite amazing, and I’d predict this would be a 45 knot boat in calm conditions.

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