Haines Hunter Shimano 490 Prostrike September 2005 Boat News, Review & Advice

Every so often a boat is released that fires the imagination. You can tell almost in a glance the thing is going to work. And when you set eyes on a boat such as this, it's nigh on impossible to resist the impulse to jump in and go fishing.

The Haines Hunter Shimano 490 Prostrike is one such boat. When hull #1 was first presented to the boating media on the Gold Coast a few months back, the journos flocked around it like flies at barbecue. We literally had to line up for a ride in the boat, which is a pretty rare event at media gigs, when journos can get just a tad blasé.

I'd been aware that Haines Hunter, Shimano and a group of expert fishos had spent nearly a year putting their heads together with the idea of designing what they hoped would be the perfect bass and bream fishing boat - something that would put daylight between them and their main competitors, the masses of aluminium barra-style v-nosed punts out there, plus the recent influx of fibreglass bass boats from America.

So it was with considerable excitement that I finally stepped aboard the finished product, because the boat had become something of an obsession for the whole Haines Hunter team. And, believe it or not, that level of commitment is sometimes the exception rather than the rule when a boat company spends this amount of time and money on just one model. The company felt sure the work would pay off.

It took all of 10 seconds to see the rig had the potential to succeed in its aim of being the number-one bass and bream fishing boat on the block, and another 10 seconds to realise that the only way to confirm it would be to kick the salesmen off the boat, steal it for a weekend and tow it down to my old stomping ground on the Clarence River on the NSW north coast. Which - after the boat had finished the boat show tour and a number of high-profile bream competitions - I was finally able to do one fine July weekend.

THE CONCEPT
The inspiration for the design came from the burgeoning bass and bream tournament fishing scene. Modelled on the hugely popular US largemouth bass and walleye tournaments, these big-dollar catch-and-release events have become all the rage in Australia, except the target species are Australian bass and the humble bream. The flat-bottomed, elevated deck boats best suited to throwing lures and flies at these fish now form a very big proportion of boats made in Australia.

It's become a multi-million dollar industry, and one traditionally owned by aluminium manufacturers. In recent times, a number of Aussie 'glass boatbuilders have released models to try to capture some of that market with varying levels of success. The strong Aussie dollar also opened the door to imports, and these high-performance dedicated bass boats are winning fans. After all, US builders have been refining the design for decades, and have had something of a head-start on the locals. The dollar, too, means that getting into one of these fully-cocked boats for under $40,000 is a realistic proposition.

Haines Hunter wanted a slice of the action, but the company knew it would be a waste of time and money if it didn't do the job properly. Rather than just picking the most suitable mould from its existing range and modifying it, Haines Hunter decided to call in the experts and start with a clean sheet of paper.

In something of a first for the industry, it decided to team up with tackle manufacturer Shimano to access its expertise about what tournament anglers demand from this style of boat, and also share some of the marketing burden. The idea was to co-brand the boat with Shimano and have its high-profile fishing team use the boats across a number of tournaments and let the product sell itself at the grassroots level.

THE DESIGN
The brief for the design was to find out what was needed in the boat from those fishing it, identify what was working in competitor boats and incorporate the best ideas, and above all, make it affordable enough to compete with the aluminium and imported product.

Numerous meetings with fishing luminaries including rod builder and gun fisho Ian Miller resulted in a wish list as long as your arm. After pages and pages of sketches and computer modelling, the moulds were made and hull #1 was laid-up and popped from the shell. Surprisingly, the prototype satisfied the designers and Haines Hunter geared up for production.

So, what makes this boat so good? Haines Hunter has managed to create a low-profile, tremendously stable platform with rough-water pedigree and skiboat performance. There's a very sharp 21-degree deadrise from stem to stern, with the teardrop-shaped 5.22m hull boasting 2.25m of beam at its widest point, and very wide reversed chines to produce stability. Much debate surrounded the hull depth, and as lure and fly anglers demand close access to the water, the designers settled on a low-profile hull which works very well indeed. The wide beam and swallow-tail provide the buoyancy to float large engines.

Part of the sexiness of this style of boat is performance, and that requires big engines. Even though the splash-well is small, I couldn't get water to come over the back unless reversing down really hard or slamming the power off when on the plane, and even then most of the stern wave rolled under the transom and not over it and into the boat. The Prostrike 490's hull has a fibreglass-encased timber stringer system and, like all Haines Hunters, a very thick lay-up for strength - the boat has a seven-year structural warranty.

INSIDE LINES
The fore and aft casting decks are roughly equal in size so both anglers have similar surface areas to work with. In the centre of the boat is a sunken cockpit for the driver and two passengers (with stainless drain to the bilge, which is served by a high-flow bilge-pump), who sit side-by-side on very comfortable chairs with the driver protected by a sleek console with tinted raked windscreen.

The helm controls are beautifully set out and easy to read, and the dash features a really easy-to-use switch panel controlling the boat's electrical system, which is neatly loomed and colour-coded. Precedence is given to a big-screen depth sounder front and centre, with the option of a second gimbal-mounted unit to the driver's right.

The steering is a non-feedback hydraulic system mated to a brushed alloy sports wheel and flush-mounted control box which is ideally located for driver comfort. There is plenty of legroom and you sit low enough that the screen deflects the breeze and you look straight through the screen (I'm 178cm tall - average height).

The real story, however, lies under the decks. Under fibreglass hatches (lifting on gas struts, stainless piano hinges and featuring lockable flush-mount handles) to port and starboard in the casting deck are fully lined, fully carpeted eight-foot rodlockers with rubber retainers to safely hold more rods than a brace of anglers could ever hope to use in a day. This space is also great for safety gear, a tub with line and anchor, buckets, landing nets and so on.

Between these eight-foot lockers is a 200lt lined compartment holding twin heavy-duty batteries on a tray that slides up into the nose of the boat under the deck to leave the rest of the bay free for your jumpers and jackets, and maybe an insulated bag for food and drinks, with space left over for other bulky items.

The nose of the boat is moulded to fully incorporate a flush-mounted big-screen depth sounder and 54lb- or optional 75lb-thrust Minn-Kota electric motor with the foot controls able to be shifted around on the deck or flush-mounted if required.

There's a spigot for a lean or pedestal seat in the centre of the casting deck, and pull-out web straps to secure rods on the deck when running around.

The cockpit area, while snug with three adults aboard, feels secure even with the exhilarating ride. The portside passenger gets a plastic grab handle and the middle passenger a retractable grab strap for security, and for convienence there are two big stainless cup holders for bottles of water, and the passenger gets a small upholstered sidepocket for personals.

Between the portside seat and rounded gunwale is a moulded, carpeted rod-lean designed to hold your fishing outfits when running from spot to spot. Three or four rods can be bundled there, secured with a retractable strap, so they won't get lost.

FISHING DREAM
Immediately after the cockpit under another gas-strut hatch is the automated, recirculating 120lt livewell with divider, and what a triumph it is. It's cleanly moulded, easy to clean, fills quickly at the flick of a switch, and once full, recirculates salt water to keep your catch in peak condition. Best of all, it comes plumbed and properly set up as standard, so getting it working is not a hidden extra cost.

To port and starboard are fully moulded twin storage bays with bungs and another two which you can lift out so you can clean them to avoid stinking everything up. This is the place for bait, drinks and ice, and your catch if you decide to knock one on the head and eat it for dinner.

Lastly, there are two hatches in the stern to provide access to the bilge, oil bottle, engine wiring and bilge pump. Moulded into the swallow-tail stern are two steps, and narrow strip of hinged, carpeted deck that flips up to fully raise the motor, and lays down for normal operation.

There are four stainless pop-up cleats (which might need to be a bit bigger to properly handle the 10mm silver anchor rope we were using in strong tidal areas).

PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING
The first question people ask you when they see the boat, after a few minutes making impressed noises, is "how fast does it go?" Well, with a 150hp four-stroke Yamaha - the maximum power rating for the hull, although it could theoretically handle a 225hp plant - the top speed we clocked on the GPS was 92kmh. Cruise speeds are ridiculously high: think 60–70kmh at around 3500–4500rpm.

The engine was typically quiet, smooth and powerful, but some may want to opt for a two-stroke (say an E-Tec 150 or Yamaha 150 HPDI), and with the right prop you could hit the magic 100kmh mark.

This boat is simply awesome to drive. Sure, most of the imports will match those sorts of speeds - and those above 20ft often return top-end speeds into the 70mph zone. Others turn admirably well at high speed, feel safe and under control at highway speeds, just as the Prostrike did - the thing grabs and holds a corner like a V8 Supercar.

But to my mind, the major point of difference (and the biggest selling point beyond the superb layout) is its rough-water performance. The Clarence River is a very big, open stretch of water that will get you into a lot of trouble if you are not careful. Exposed reaches like the area we fished in the main river (between Browns Rocks and Iluka) chops up when wind opposes tide, and flat-bottomed boats don't like these conditions. And the majority of specialist bass and breamers have shallow deadrise hulls.

Button the bow down on the Prostrike, plant the throttle and try to keep the smile off your face. It powers through wind waves with ridiculous ease. On waterways like the Clarence or Hawkesbury, I'd feel comfortable trolling for big flathead at the mouth or livebaiting mulloway and not be worried about a slow, bone-breaking trip home. This rig has the pedigree to fish big water like Jindabyne, Gippsland Lakes, Gold Coast Broadwater or the Swan in Perth. And while no boat is ever entirely dry, I'd much prefer to be in this thing in a blow than in a flat-bottomed tinnie.

ON TO A WINNER
It's easy to get excited about a boat like this - whether by accident or not, Haines Hunter and Co. have come up with a weapon of bass destruction that ain't scared of rough water, and isn't restricted to just flicking lures in canals.

You can get into one of these boats for about $34,500 with a 90hp two-stroke, and that will appeal to those considering an equivalent-sized, fully-loaded aluminium bass and bream boat. As tested at $46,800 with a crapload of extras aboard, and the big four-stroke, it's by no means a small investment, but one which many serious anglers will consider. Especially those who like to do a bit of everything.

At the end of the day, a 'glass bass boat with low sides, raised decks and hair-raising performance will not be for everyone, but from what I could tell in a weekend's fishing, Haines Hunter and the Shimano team have designed quite possibly the best Aussie-built bass and bream boat around, and one that's pretty much lineball call in my experience with any similar-sized US bass boat that's available to buy here in Australia today.

HIGHS

Layout and design that suits its purpose
Excellent performance and handling
Sexy looks and user appeal
Quality drive-on braked trailer, easy to launch and retrieve
Competitively priced
Versatility - can be used on exposed water

LOWS

Even with Keel Armour, fibreglass not as tough as tin around oyster leases or rocks
Lack of freeboard might give pause to some
Cleats a bit on the small side

HAINES HUNTER SHIMANO 490 PROSTRIKE

PRICE AS TESTED: $46,800 BMT w/ 150hp four-stroke, electric motor mount, livebait tank plumbing, lift-out tubs and flush-mounted Navman sounder/GPS

OPTIONS FITTED

Engine upgrade, 74lb Minn-Kota electric motor, bow-mount Navman sounder, two-tone hull, Teleflex column-mount trim lever, Battery slide and dual batteries, cockpit and deck lights, lean seat, gas struts, keylock hatch handles

PRICED FROM: $34,000

GENERAL

Hull Type: Deep-vee monohull

Material: GRP with fibreglass encased timber stringers

Length Overall: 5.22m

Beam: 2.25m

Deadrise: 21

Hull Weight: 580kg

CAPACITIES

Passengers: Three

Fuel Capacity: 125lt

ENGINE

Make/Model: Yamaha F150 AETL

Type: Fuel-injected four-cylinder

Rated hp: 150hp

Capacity: 2670cc

Gearbox Ratio: 2.0:1

Prop: Stainless steel

SUPPLIED BY: Haines Hunter, 28 Computer Rd, Yatala, Qld, tel 1800 424 637 or visit www.haineshunter.com.au to order a brochure

Haines Hunter Shimano 490 Prostrike

Haines Hunter Shimano 490 Prostrike (September 2005)