Robalo 222 centre console 2024 Review

Robalo is a leading US fibreglass centre console boat maker and a major player in the coastal offshore fishing boat market world-wide.

Since 1968 Robalo has been turning out robust, well made, innovatively designed boats for hard-core offshore anglers. These craft are respected in the US, classic early models loving treasured and maintained by their owners.

Growing up as a keen young boat fisherman, Robalo was one of those US brands I used to admire in the pages of US boating magazines – as they were far better set-up and appointed for fishing than any locally built trailer boats of that era.

You could not buy a Robalo in Australia back when I was a budding boat fisherman, but you certainly can today; there is now a Robalo dealer located in most Australian states.

For this review, Gold Coast Robalo dealer Going Boating Australia presented one of the current best sellers, the Robalo R222 Centre Console powered by a Mercury V8 250hp extra-longshaft four-stroke outboard - and riding on a Redco tandem axle aluminium braked trailer.

The R222 is one of 19 boats in the Robalo boat range. Remarkably, all but two of these craft are centre console fishing boats. The two outliers are dual-console all-rounders.

In the Robalo range, there are 11 centre consoles for coastal and offshore fishing, complimented by another six centre consoles boats designed expressly for bay/flats fishing.

The Robalo R222 is the third smallest of the standard centre consoles – and one of the most popular.

The Robalo R222 supplied for this review is sold by dealer Going Boating Australia as a complete package for $189,990. It comes with the maximum power 250hp Mercury V8 outboard engine with digital throttle and shift, and a dual-axle Redco trailer.

Several options and extras are also included with the test boat, such as the alloy-framed overhead fibreglass hardtop and Going Boating Australia’s own H20 foam rubber flooring throughout.

The test boat also gained a Simrad G09 multifunction touchscreen; Simrad VHF radio; upgraded JL audio system; deluxe fishing upholstery; trim tabs; mooring/boat cover; cockpit table; twin batteries, and a pump-out toilet.

Pretty much everything else in the test boat forms part of the standard Robalo R222 inventory including all the cushions; the leaning post seat/live bait tank; cockpit and bow padded coaming bolsters; self-bailing cockpit with stainless steel toe rails; horizontal side deck rod rack; transom door; retractable cockpit bench seat; centre console changeroom/head compartment; rear boarding platforms; ladder; deck wash; freshwater shower; multiple stainless steel cup/rod holders, courtesy lighting; and more.

Robalo’s patented, low-drag “Hydrolift” vee-monohull is used beneath each Robalo offshore centre console from the entry R180CC through to the flagship R360CC.

Beneath our Robalo R222 test boat, the Hydrolift hull has a fine entry at the bow in combination with a steep 21-degree transom deadrise to slice through the chop.

Downturned outer chines, a pair of full-length running strakes, and a wide waterline beam ensure the R222 is stable at rest and smooth riding underway.

The hull is 6.55 metres long with a slightly overwidth maximum beam of 2.59m, so towing restrictions may apply in some states.

With regard to construction, quality state-of-the-art materials and techniques are used throughout.

Each foam-filled fibreglass hull is handbuilt in the US at Nashville, Georgia, with a Kevlar-reinforced keel and vinyl ester resin used below the waterline to prevent osmosis blistering.

The hull and deck are chemically bonded for maximum strength with reduced cost, while composite materials are used to reinforce the stringers and transom.

Stainless steel fixtures are used throughout the boat for maximum corrosion resistance, while hatch/compartment lids have gas-assist struts and a fibreglass finish on both sides.

All told, the Robalo R222 is very well-appointed and built.

The interior layout of the Robalo is similar to other US centre consoles in that it has a U-shaped seating area at the bow for family boating, and an aft cockpit designed expressly for fishing.

That said, the Robalo has a few differentiating features. Most rival centre consoles have a head compartment accessed via a small port-side console door. The Robalo has a large, front-opening door for much easier access.

There is also more space inside the head compartment once the door is opened. You won’t have privacy from anyone sitting up at the bow, but that’s not a deal breaker given you can ask ship-mates to move aft for a few minutes so you can use the head whilst leaving the front door ajar.

For helm rigging purposes, the front-opening console door is also ideal as there is immediate access to the wiring behind a protective vinyl drop curtain.

Note that when you open the front head compartment door, the forward-facing front console seat swings open with it and blocks off the port side companionway.

Close the front door and the console seat swings back into place to face the moulded bow seating area. It has clip-on vinyl cushions and well-placed padded coaming backrests.

Beneath the cushioned front seating area are two safety gear storage compartments with hatch lids fitted with gas support struts.

With the cushions removed, the front seating areas convert to a solid casting platform.

Between the front seating area and console bench seat is a sub-floor storage compartment that contains a Robalo-branded bucket.

Further forward is a modest-sized anchor well with a narrow opening.

Flanking it are pop-up stainless steel cleats, but this model has no bowsprit or bow roller, although the front anchor well can be reconfigured locally to accept an electric anchor winch and a bow roller/fairlead.

Other bow features include speakers for the audio system, a pair of cupholders, coaming rails, and grippy H20 foam rubber flooring.

The Robalo R222 has a dual-width centre console with a low-distortion curved glass windshield, topped by an alloy-framed fibreglass hardtop.

The hardtop frame is secured to the floor and the console so the whole structure is nice and rigid while the boat is underway. I did not observe any movement, creaks or rattles.

The helm station is set up with a traditional centre-mounted steering wheel with the throttle box to starboard. This layout works pretty well, although I prefer having the steering wheel and controls offset to the port side to provide more space for a passenger to sit or stand alongside the skipper.

Otherwise, the helm console and layout are excellent. There is plenty of flat-panel fascia space for a flush-fitted multifunction display, switching and engine gauges.

There is also a dash-mounted compass, cupholders, a two-tier footrest, and multiple handrails.

Fronting the helm console is a two-person leaning post with a fixed bench seat and backrest.

The Robalo R222 does not have flip-up front bolsters, but I still found the seated and standing driving positions equally comfortable. 

Behind the leaning post is a 57-litre plumbed fibreglass livewell with a blue gelcoat interior finish and a directional aerator head unit with a flow valve.

Behind the livewell, the self-bailing cockpit stretches 900mm back to the full-height transom wall. A metre or so of space here doesn’t sound like much, but the cockpit is also nice and wide, measuring 2.33 metres across the boat

There is also plenty of freeboard, with the 135mm wide bolstered side coamings 670mm above the cockpit floor.

Impressively, the Robalo also has stainless steel toe/foot wedging rails secured at the perfect height above the floor on each side of the boat.

Above the toe rails is horizontal tube rod storage for four rods.

Four stainless steel rod holders are included, built into the side coamings.

For family boating and cruising the Robalo has a two-seat bench seat that unfolds from a flush position in the transom wall. Heavy-duty stainless steel hinges allow the bench to be quickly unfolded, or retracted to clear the cockpit for fishing.

Cleverly, the bench seat is also designed to lift out and then up vertically to provide easy access to the bilge compartment/mechanical room for servicing.

The Robalo’s patented Hydrolift 21-degree deadrise vee monohull performs beautifully at sea, giving the R222 a smooth and stable ride.

Our test boat proved to be especially soft and comfortable when running into a head sea. With just a little negative trim, the R222’s fine, sharp bow slices neatly through oncoming waves.

You can use the included trim tabs to drop the nose or you can lower the engine a tad to tuck the bow down into the waves. Both methods work, though I tended to use the trim tabs mostly for correcting wind- or current-induced beam list.

I don’t believe the R222 is quite as dry as some rival centre consoles, but it is one of the smoothest, most stable 6.5-metre monohulls I have tested for some time.

The Robalo is also plenty quick enough for fishing and social tow sport applications when paired with the maximum power 250hp Mercury V8 outboard engine.

We recorded a top speed of 38.1 knots and a best, most economical cruise speed of 22.7 knots at 3500 rpm with a fuel burn of 32.0 litres an hour for a maximum range of 230 nautical miles.

The test boat also proved to be quick to plane and very responsive to the Mercury digital throttle input through the middle rev range.

Tight turns and figure-eight manoeuvres are easily accomplished, the hull maintaining a nice balance and grip through the turns, with just the right amount of propeller slip/ventilation.

Performance

Range on 95% of the 341L fuel supply: 230nm at 3500rpm

The Robalo R222 centre console is an excellent offshore fishing trailer boat with enough seating, storage space and creature comforts to double as a bay cruiser/family day boat.

The Robalo R222 is well built with a 10-year hull warranty, full-featured, smooth riding and safe on the water. These and other attributes will endear this excellent craft to both anglers and family boaters.

In closing, there’s plenty to like about the Robalo R222; I rate it highly.

Specifications
Model: Robalo R222 centre console
Length overall: 6.55m
Beam: 2.59m
Draft: 790mm (engine down)
Deadrise: 21 degrees
Weight: 1835kg (dry, with engine)
Towing weight: 2650kg (est)
Maximum power: 250hp
Engine as tested: 250hp Mercury V8 extra-longshaft outboard engine
Fuel: 341L
Water: 34L
Livewell: 56.8L
Passengers: 10/655kg

Priced from: Not supplied. Please contact the dealer.

Price as tested: $189,990 including a Mercury V8 250hp extra-longshaft outboard engine with digital throttle and shift; alloy-framed overhead fibreglass hardtop; H20 foam rubber flooring throughout; Simrad G09 multifunction touchscreen; Simrad VHF radio; upgraded JL audio system; deluxe fishing upholstery; trim tabs; mooring/boat cover; cockpit table; twin batteries, pump-out toilet; dual-axle Redco trailer aluminium trailer with electric-hydraulic break-away brakes; boat and trailer registrations; inshore safety gear pack

Supplied by: www.goingboatingaustralia.com.au