Allison Vision 21

Flick through boating publications from the mid-'80s and you will find mentions of Allison Boats. While a low-key player in the fibreglass boatbuilding industry as far as fanfare and limelight grabbing is concerned, Col Allison began his boat building trade back then - and remains to this day a stalwart in the industry, respected and supported by boating anglers who want more than just a 'glass boat to ply the waters many of us would rather avoid.

Prior to founding Allison Boats, Col was major player in the engineering business, designing and manufacturing heavy-duty low loaders for the earthmoving trade. Cutting torches and three-phase welders are at the opposite end of the manufacturing spectrum to the fibreglass chopper guns and polished hull moulds he works with now, but his zest for experimentation has not waned.

He lays claim to being the first to introduce fibreglass stringer grid systems to boats, and to building the first reverse chined hull. We don't dispute his claim - but if others do, we wont field any correspondence on it either! Suffice to say that the many Allison Boat owners around the country swear by their boats, which have been tested by time.

The Vision 21 is not a new model. It first appeared on the scene around three years ago, and a number of them went to the rough waters off Western Australia. Market demand from east-coast buyers for a different type of fishing boat saw the production of the Vision 21 held off, and only recently the tried-and-tested moulds were dusted off, polished and put back into production.

TESTING CONDITIONS
We launched a Vision 21 into the waters of Bribie Island Passage on a becalmed day that would be hard pressed to challenge a kayak, but put the boat through its paces nonetheless.

This boat was rigged with a Johnson four-stroke 140hp engine coupled with a 21in propeller. With two people aboard, hole-shot was not neck-snapping by any means, but sufficient to get the boat easily on the plane. With extra fuel capacity and loaded with gear and a couple of extra passengers, a few extra horses might be a good idea. Perhaps 35 more would be ideal.

Winding up to full throttle the boat speedometer showed 44mph, which equates to around 70kmh. The tachometer pulled only 5400rpm, which leaves around 600rpm available, which could be utilised with a step down in propeller size.

Such a move will trim off some of the top-end speed but improve hole-shot and payload carrying capability. Quite likely, those extra 35 horses might not be required after a re-prop.

Trimmed right in, full-lock turns at 35mph were effortless with the Hydrive hydraulic steering, even though it was in need of an air bleed. Running across boat wash with a wind on the forward quarter, no wind-blown spray on the screen was evident, and the ride was soft - although with conditions as calm as they were, it was hardly enough to challenge a boat of this calibre anyway. Backed off to 4200rpm, the Vision felt comfortable at 32mph or just over 50kmh.

Running along wash and riding over it, the reverse chines - which are around 120mm wide - could be felt keeping the hull on track, preventing it from sliding and skewing off the waves. This behaviour of the hull gave it a very positive feel at the helm when tracking along swell.

DEEP & WIDE
Back on the trailer, the wide planing plank on the hull gave reason for the slow planing capability of this boat. The engine pod, while forming part of the hull, was rebated up off the keel line, at which point a large drain bung was located. Duckboards either side of the engine pod featured a telescopic ladder and grabrails.

The Vision is a deep hull all round. It has a prominent, sharp forefoot for cutting through chop and assisting its direct tracking, and the cockpit is deeper than the average boat of this size - with 800mm gunwales at the point where the canopy is anchored.

The combination of this sharp forefoot and substantial planing board on the bottom of the hull means this boat will punch big seas and chop while still maintaining an economical planing speed. This makes it a brilliant deep-sea fishing boat, so it's little wonder the sandgropers liked it!

Plenty of upper thigh support right across the transom was also a bonus once the fold-up and removable plush rear lounge was left in the garage, and flush-mounted bait tanks in the top of the transom held baits, live and dead.

The single battery sat in a purpose-designed, flared rear sidepocket section. A vacant tray of the same style opposite could hold another. A deep rebate under the transom acted as a catcher for rubbish coming off the floor and was bilge pumped.

Forward of this, the carpeted deck was expansive and uninterrupted by hatches. A pair of gas strut pedestal bucket seats provided for some creature comforts. They were swivel style with forward and rearward adjustments. Occupiers can rest their feet on hatched footrests, in which you could alternatively keep a small bag of safety gear including flares.

The hatches were not flanged with lips over the edge to prevent water entering the compartments, so a couple of small waterproof containers would be advisable.

LOOKING GOOD
The stylish dash layout offered a highbrow instrument panel with enough room for a rebated compass. A large, flat area between that and the helm would allow for a big-screen GPS or sounder to be flush mounted. A storage compartment was flush hatched in front of the passenger above a stainless-steel grabrail.

The only optional item on this boat was the smart-looking Perspex entry to the cabin. A thumbscrew-clamped strut retained a tinted lift-up section, and the bottom section bifolded to the port side and was retained by a press-studded strap. This looked very smart, and when opened revealed a timber architrave around the aperture, wide enough for a large adult to enter the cabin.

The step down into the leg well of the berth area was substantial, and a nicely-made table that could be utilised as a bench in the cockpit formed the base for the infill to finish a large double bed area within. Sidepockets and a soft lining on the inner cabin would certainly make this part of the boat attractive to those not wanting to get their hands dirty in the bait wells.

This boat runs a line that makes it dual purpose, and it has enough good base features for the fisher to start his dream sport and light gameboat, or for the cruising family to base their weekender on.

Those coming from both sides of that line will truly appreciate the amount of safety offered by the deep and wide cockpit, which is fisher and child friendly. Poor stability is not an issue here, and those with long legs will appreciate the headroom in the cockpit under the canopy and also in the cabin.

We can't vouch for Col's low loaders of old, but we can certainly do so for his resurrected Vision 21.