2019 Robalo R202 EX Centre Console review

That’s where the boat tested here, the Robalo R202 EX Centre Console, fits in. It’s the walk-up model in Robalo’s “Explorer” range that will help keen fishers convince wary household exchequers that the new hull they now part-own will be more than just a one-trick pony.

The Robalo R202 EX is something of a contradiction. At first glance it looks like a centre console rig that’s built and kitted out for a hardcore angler, but look closer and you’ll notice it includes softer, domesticated touches such as an enclosed head, space for entertaining and a sun deck – all designed to broaden its appeal to those who need to put as much into the pursuit of leisure as they do the pursuit for the catch of the day.

The risk for Florida, USA-based Robalo is that the R202 EX will do one job better than the other. The challenge is to get the balance right.

We sampled the Robalo courtesy of the brand’s importer, Williamstown-based Aussie Boat Sales, which also acts as the Australian distributor for Chaparral and Cruisers Yachts. It is also the Melbourne dealer for Polycraft plastic dinghies and boats.

Our test boat is the same one showcased at the 2018 Melbourne International Boat Show. As the entry level model to the Explorer range, it is well priced from about $89,999 – before you start to add options on top of the standard equipment list.

The big ticket option on our test boat is the Honda BF200 outboard, fitted with a 17-inch stainless steel prop and hydraulic steering. Garmin takes care of the electronics with a Garmin 1212xsv fish finder/chartplotter with NMEA support and a B175HW 1kW chirp transducer and a Garmin 110i VHF radio.

Other notable options include the T-top, steering wheel with one-handed control knob, the bow filler cushion, cockpit table, console and helm seat cover, chemical toilet, stainless steel-trimmed cup/rod holders, retractable stainless cleats, dual-battery system with crossover switch, and a package enhancing Easytow tandem trailer, finished in gloss black to match the boat colour scheme.

There’s also a four-speaker Clarion audio system with the controller mounted on the centre console. A raw water wash system helps with keeping the interior clean.

The Robalo R202 EX makes a big impression even as you walk up to it, bobbing gently against the Anchorage Marina jetty. Our test boat, with its optional black hull bottom and grey topsides set against crisp, white, minimalist lines above the rub rail, was nothing short of eye-catching.

Jump inside, and the impression carries over. There’s quality fit and finish everywhere you look, with contrasting grey and white upholstery complementing the theme. Only the fabric of the T-top let the visuals team down – it would have looked better in grey, not black.

Move forward, and in its default setting the Robalo R202 EX looks like a party boat, with a lounge-like, stainless steel handrail-framed bow filled with cushions, and finished at each end with a low, supportive forward-facing removable backrest. Take out the centre cushion, and a triangular section lifts out to form a compact table supported via a post foxed from its storage space in the head. Replace the table and remove the rest of the cushions, and the area converts to a shallow casting deck.

In front of the console and facing the bow is a seat wide enough for two people to squeeze onto it. A latch to starboard allows the seat and its frame to swing out of the way to reveal the compact head with just enough semi-standing headroom to double as a change room.

More family-friendly accommodation is provided down the rear, via a bench that has a cutaway on the starboard side to give access to a swim ladder tucked away under a protective cover.

Under this rear bench is one of the less visible nods to the dual-purpose nature of this boat: a live bait tank. At 60 litres the hardcore fishers might grumble that it’s a bit on the small side, but the smooth, rounded shape of the tank shows there’s some pro fisher thought behind its design.

Other fishing-centric touches include self-draining scuppers, recessed rod-holders that double as bevvy holders aft of the centre console, and rod storage racks with a stainless steel toe rail built into the coamings. A big miss, though, is a cutting board to contain all the mess associated with bait preparation. The boys from ABS say buyers prefer to customise bait boards – and anchor winch set ups – so they order the boats without them.

Deep, wide coamings make the Robalo R202 EX child-friendly.

The broad console, framed in the thick-tubed T-top, is just wide enough to house two people, although the ergonomics of the dead centre-mounted stainless steering wheel suggests it’s probably better suited to just one when the skipper is forced to stand offset in front of the throttle control. The ergonomic driving position is unencumbered for taller drivers, although the short bench means you’re more perched than seated.

A low windscreen offers protection from the elements, and the wide console is framed to either side with banks of switches. A Garmin 1212xsv fishfinder/chartplotter took up most of the space on the dash of our test boat, but its high resolution, and the fields of data it displayed from the powerful 200hp Honda four-stroke humming away quietly behind it, showed the system’s worth.

The console’s leaning post isn’t reversible if all of the attention swings to the back of the boat. A rear-facing 70-litre cooler box clips into the framework below the seat.

There’s good small-item storage space in dry lockers hidden away under the bow seats. These lockers are insulated and self draining so double up as ice boxes or kill tanks. A custom anchor sits inside a dedicated locker up front, but there’s no bow roller to stop the rode flicking across the exposed navigation lights in lumpy seas, so we would take up the retrofit winch and bowsprit option here.

The Kevlar-reinforced hull sitting under this Robalo was introduced in 2002, and uses the boat-maker’s Hydro Lift system – reversed chines and wide lifting strakes that help the R202 EX rise up onto the plane. It will just about get there at 9kt and with the 200hp Honda outboard engine trimmed right down, but increase the speed to about 11kt and it will easily pop up out of the hole.

The Robalo R202 EX is smooth-riding, soft and stable when punching through the mild swell of Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay at speed. It is also surprisingly dry, with the 18-degree deadrise, flared bow, deep freeboard and hard chines ensuring almost no splash made its way into the boat.

Our test boat was fitted with the older version of the already economical Honda BF200 V6 outboard – a new one is available now, featuring better fuel injection technology and VTEC variable valve lift timing that optimises power and economy throughout the rev range.

At low speed, with just two adults on board and into a stiff headwind, the Robalo R202 EX was still happy to cruise at 3000rpm, hitting a relatively quick 19.7kt and using only 18.9L/h in fuel. Running downwind added a couple of knots and trimmed about 1.0L/h from the fuel figure.

Maximum range on 95% of 265L fuel tank: 296.7nm @ 4000rpm

It’s a big ask for the Robalo R202 EX to run at two different temperatures. From the outside, it looks all hot, a blue water-capable fishing boat able to chew up and spit out the swell on the race out to the fishing grounds, but on the inside the domesticated touches make it a much cooler compromise. It wears the fishing label a lot easier than it does the leisure one.

But the reality is that these days partners have a say in major purchase decisions, and the fact that the Robalo R202 EX can double as a family-focused leisure craft could be the tipping point between owning a new boat, or not.

Specifications
Model: Robalo R202 EX
Length overall: 6.27m
Beam: 2.54m
Bridge clearance: 1.93m (2.59m with optional T-top)
Deadrise: 18 degrees
Engine: 115hp (min), 150hp (recommended), 200hp (max)
Power on test: Honda BF200 3.4L V6, 17-inch prop
Weight: 1361kg (dry, with engine)
Fuel capacity: 265L
Max passengers: 8

Priced from: $89,999 with 115hp Honda four-stroke outboard. Easytow galvanised trailer adds $13,000 to the price.

Price as tested: $129,999 including electronics.

Supplied by: Aussie Boat Sales, Williamstown

Pictures: Andy Pearson