2022 Makocraft 591 Island Cab review

Overview

I have always regarded the walkaround cabin layout - or centre cabin - as the absolute best configuration for coastal and offshore fishing.

Some anglers love the sheer volume of space in a centre console. Others can't go past the shelter and protection (and family versatility) offered by a cuddy or half cabin. For me, nothing beats a well-designed walkaround centre cabin.

The walkaround cabin gives you both fishability and good weather protection. It does not have the wide-open deck of a centre console, but you can fish from up in the bow and 360 degrees all the way around the perimeter of the boat. You can't do that with a regular cuddy or half cabin.

And when it comes time to battle the elements, to return home from your 20-mile offshore sport fishing sojourn, the high cabin and windshield provided by the centre cabin will keep you nicely sheltered from the weather.

If walkaround centre cabins are so good, why don't all offshore anglers use them? Unfortunately, there are relatively few good centre cabins on the market in the 6.0-metre to 7.0-metre size range.

Further, these craft need to be big, and wide enough to accommodate a two-person wide cabin/helm station with adequate walkway space outside of the cabin structure.

Some boats masquerade as walkaround centre cabins but in reality, they are half cabins with a slightly recessed trench around the cabin sides.

A proper walkaround centre cabin - in this writer's opinion - should have a deep trench/walkway to each side of the cabin to allow you to move safely forward to the bow and to stand and fish 360 degrees around the boat.

There are few trailer boats on the market with a decent walkaround configuration. That said, Makocraft has two ripper models at the head of its aluminium boat range. They include the 591 Island Cab and the larger 631 Island Cab.

We tested Makocraft's flagship 631 Island Cab model a couple of years back and have just recently stepped aboard the 591 version, paired with the new Tohatsu 115hp four-stroke outboard engine.

Price and equipment

The Makocraft 591 Island Cabin can be bought as a basic boat, with the mid-level Patriot pack, or with the deluxe, full-featured Black Ops package.

The full range of options can also be bought individually but there are dollar savings with the option packs.

Our test boat was presented with the Patriot pack that comes with a carpet-over-plywood floor instead of the fully welded alloy floor in the deluxe package.

The Patriot pack also includes the hardtop shade extension and front clears with zip-out; Garmin 95 echoMAP fishfinder/GPS, Garmin VHF radio; Fusion audio system with two speakers; LED lighting package; LED spot light; deluxe bait board with live bait tank; cabin bunk infill and cushions; helm and passenger footrests; six welded alloy rod holders; transom door; 12-volt and USB ports; underfloor kill tank; bow trolling motor plate; and dual batteries.

Packaged with a 115hp Tohatsu extra-longshaft (25-inch) four-stroke outboard engine and a Dunbier Loader Pro dual-axle galvanised steel braked trailer (with spare wheel), the Patriot pack-equipped 591 Island Cab is priced at $94,000.

By contrast, a standard, white painted boat with the same engine and trailer will set you back $78,500.

The regular model still has plenty of features, including the folding hardtop with a rocket launcher; carpeted plywood floor with flanking side pockets; two-person wide cabin and helm station with dual cabin berths, wrap-around windscreen and large dash/fascia; wide, fully welded side decks; 250L underfloor fuel tank; heavy-duty dive boarding ladder; large anchor well with bowsprit; bollards and stern cleats; LED anchor and navigation lights; bilge pump; hydraulic steering; underfloor foam flotation; and more.

Hull and engineering

The Makocraft 591 Island Cab has an overall length of 5.95 metres, a wide beam of 2.5 metres and a hull weight of 890kg. Packaged with the 115hp Tohatsu outboard engine and Dunbier trailer, I would anticipate the towing weight to be around 1,700kg. Dual cab utes and large SUVs should have little trouble towing this compact rig.

Makocraft produces pressed and plate alloy boats. The range-topping Island Cab models are both made using the plate alloy construction technique where the heavy-duty 4.0mm plate hull bottom, transom and topsides are reinforced with a full-length keel and sub-floor stringer grid.

Most custom plate alloy boats also have a fully welded, self-draining aluminium floor overhead, but a carpeted plywood floor is used in the Island Cab Patriot models to reduce cost.

That said, if you want the full plate alloy experience, the welded alloy floor is available as an optional extra; it is also included in the Black Ops option package.

Design and layout

In designing the walkaround layout in the 591 Island Cab, Makocraft's Tim Stessl has got the proportions/measurements just right.

The helm station is just wide enough to fit two bucket chairs side by side on storage boxes, leaving enough walkway space outside the cabin/targa walls for you to walk unimpeded from the bow to the stern.

Specifically, each cabin side walkway has between 360mm and 400mm of footwell space and width. Overhead the side coaming is reduced in width to provide hip space so you can move easily back and forth between the bow and stern.

The side walkway trenches are also elevated one step up from the aft cockpit floor to encourage any water coming over the bow to drain into the rear cockpit.

With such excellent access between the bow and the stern of the boat, manually anchoring the boat is really easy.

There's also space up on the deck ahead of the cabin for anglers to stand and fish - I can see myself battling a fleeing billfish from this location while braced (perhaps sitting) against the front of the cabin structure.

Bow features in our test boat included a decent-sized anchor well (carpeted for sound deadening), bow sprit and bow roller, a pair of welded rod holders, and a welded plate to accept an electric trolling motor.

Moving aft to the helm station, anglers will be pleased with the layout and design of the dash area, which features a broad fascia panel for flush-fitting multifunction displays, engine gauges and radio head units.

Overhead, beneath the hardtop, there is an additional, full-width fascia panel for extra instruments and electronics gear such as the Fusion audio system head unit in our test rig.

From the comfortable, swiveling, and fore and aft sliding helm chairs the skipper and first mate have an excellent view forward through the full width, wrap-around windscreen and the zip-out clear hardtop drop curtain.

The steering wheel and side-mount Tohatsu throttle box were both well placed, making it easy to drive the boat whilst seated or standing up. Mind you, chairs with flip-up front bolsters would have further improved the driving set-up.

The cabin is modest in size with two three-quarter length (1.45 metre) berths. Berth extensions, which protrude out into the helm/cockpit area, are available to increase each berth length for overnighting.

Our test boat was instead fitted with skipper and passenger footrests.

The test rig was also optioned with a bunk infill and cushion to enlarge the cabin sleeping space.

Three cabin storage lockers provide dry storage whilst a sub-floor compartment between the two helm chairs can house emergency safety gear.

Behind the box-mounted helm chairs, the carpeted cockpit stretches 1.53 metres aft to the transom wall by 2.25 metres in width.

This cockpit fishing space is perfect for coastal/offshore anglers with a full-height transom and 700mm high internal freeboard.

Elevated side storage pockets trace the cockpit, while the overhead, fully welded 250mm wide side coamings double as seats to perch on and can accommodate plenty of flush-fitted rod holders.

Other fishing features include the optional deluxe transom bait board with rod rack, cup holders, live bait tank and knife/hook racks, as well as a huge sub-floor kill tank with overboard drain.

The batteries, steering gear and pumps are sheltered and protected behind the transom wall.

On the water

The Makocraft 591 Island Cab has a smooth, strakeless 4.0mm plate alloy hull bottom with a sharp entry at the bow, and a modest vee shape at the transom. The latter, combined with the wide reverse chines, helps to make the Island Cab very stable both at rest underway.

The hull is also quite buoyant in the stern. This ample lift allows the boat to pop quickly onto the plane, and to carry hefty loads and gear with ease.

With all that lift in the stern, you could easily run this boat with twin outboard engines for extra offshore dependability, although it performs admirably with a single extra-longshaft motor in the 115hp to 150hp size class.

Our test boat was paired with the reasonably new 115hp Tohatsu four-stroke outboard engine, a smooth-running 1995cc in-line four-cylinder twin-cam unit that shares its engine architecture with the larger 140hp Tohatsu and smaller 75hp and 90hp models.

Arguably, 115hp is the smallest size engine you should run on the 6.0-metre-long, wide-beam Makocraft Island Cab, but we found the Tohatsu 115hp to be up to the task.

During our Gold Coast Broadwater boat test, the Tohatsu delivered strong, punchy performance in the midrange before tapering off at the top end to yield a top speed of 29.1 knots with two adults and 110L of fuel onboard.

A sub 30-knot top speed is not particularly fast, but for coastal offshore fishing, it is more important to have excellent mid-range engine response, along with enough torque to keep you on the plane in the rough stuff.

Having noted the above, if you want your Makocraft to double as a family sports boat for bay cruising, social tow sports and other family activities, then I would advocate upgrading to the 140hp version of this Tohatsu engine for an extra $2000 outlay.

On the handling and ride front, the Makocraft proved to be smooth in the chop, mostly dry, stable and well mannered.

Performance      

Range on 95% of the 250L fuel supply at 4000rpm: 240nm

Verdict

The Makocraft 591 Island Cab has plenty to offer coastal fishermen and family boaters. The tough, plate alloy hull works a treat on the water, combining a smooth, stable ride with economical performance from the 115hp outboard engine as tested.  

The defining feature for me, however, is the superb walkaround cabin configuration that provides shelter from the weather, ample seating and storage space, and the ability to fish 360 degrees around the perimeter of the boat.

With the above attributes and more, the Makocraft 591 Island Cab is an excellent craft for a mix of coastal offshore fishing and family boating.

Specifications
Model: Makocraft 591 Island Cab
Length: 5.95m
Beam: 2.5m
Depth: 1.55m
Weight: 890kg (hull only)
Weight on trailer: 1700kg (est)
Alloy: 4.0mm (bottom/transom/topsides)
Maximum power: 150hp
Engine as tested: 115hp Tohatsu four-stroke
Fuel: 250L
Flotation standard: Basic
Passengers: Six

Priced from: $78,500 including a Tohatsu 115hp extra-longshaft (25-inch) four-stroke outboard engine with hydraulic steering and a Dunbier Loader Pro dual-axle galvanised steel braked trailer with spare wheel

Price as tested: $94,000. As above including the Patriot options pack including a hardtop shade extension and front clears with zip-out; Garmin 95 echoMAP fishfinder/GPS, Garmin VHF radio; Fusion audio system with two speakers; LED lighting package; LED spotlight; deluxe bait board with live bait tank; cabin bunk infill and cushions; helm and passenger footrests; six welded alloy rod holders; transom door; 12-volt and USB ports; underfloor kill tank; bow trolling motor plate; and dual batteries

Supplied by: www.makocraft.com.au