Arvor 20SF

The Arvor 20SF is quite a unique boat. Indeed, quite different to anything previously seen on the Australian market. It combines the flexibility of being trailerable with the reliability and economy of diesel shaftdrive power.

The trailerable diesel shaftdrive concept has many advantages and I'm surprised we haven't previously seen vessels of this configuration in Oz.

The Arvor 20 is a French-designed boat, which is now built at Nowra in New South Wales. Standard power for the Arvor is an 85hp turbocharged five-cylinder Nanni Diesel engine.

Our testboat was the Arvor 20SF (SF denotes Sports Fish), which had a few more fishing-friendly options than the standard boat.

Traditionally the Australian trailerboat fisherman wanted to go fast, hence the popularity in outboard-powered trailerboats. However, with fuel prices hitting a dollar a litre, many trailerboat owners are finding it too expensive to run their big carbed two-stroke outboards.

Fortunately some relief has arrived in the form of four-stroke and direct-injected two-stroke outboards, but in some boaties books, they still can't quite match the economy or reliability of a diesel.

The 85hp Nanni Diesel doesn't turn the Arvor 20 into a rocketship. However, with a top speed of 21kt, it will get you to your favourite location in reasonable time and cost you bugger-all to do it. Arvor claim an average fuel consumption of 4lt/hr at troll speed and 10lt/hr at cruise.

FRUGAL ON FUEL
It is these impressive fuel consumption figures that are grabbing the attention of recreational and commercial operators alike. Built to survey standards the Arvor 20 offers commercial operators a boat that enables them to keep running costs to a minimum, ultimately improving their bottom line.

Several commercial operators, including marine pilots and charter businesses around the country, already have the Arvor in use and are praising its seaworthiness and outstanding economy. An excellent example is the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), who took delivery of an Arvor 20 for the Sydney Olympic Games. During its extensive use throughout the 21-day Olympics, AQIS reported an average fuel consumption of 5lt/hr.

At present the 85hp Nanni is the only power option for the Arvor 20. While 85hp isn't a lot for a 6.0m boat, it is adequate for this style of hull. It would be tempting to throw in a 135hp or 150hp engine and see what sort of speed you could achieve - but that could be courting disaster. Having a full keel, the Arvor 20 isn't designed to turn corners at high speed and although the additional horsepower might give you greater speed in a straight line, it could be dangerous in a tight turn.

As it stands the 85hp Nanni and Arvor 20 are a good, safe match. You can pull into a turn at full revs and maintain integrity. Indeed, the Arvor turns very flat - it doesn't lean into a turn like a deep-vee. It pays to keep a good grip on the wheel though, as there is quite a lot of weight on the rudder during a high-speed turn.

We tested the Arvor 20SF on Victoria's Westernport Bay and although the bay was relatively calm, I still obtained some idea of the Arvor's sea-keeping ability.

Stability both at rest and underway was excellent, and people walking around all sections of the boat made very little impression on trim.

SLICE OF LIFE
The Arvor sliced through the small bay chop as if it wasn't there and displayed excellent spray deflection while doing so.

I loved the all-weather cabin. You could lock yourself away in there in even the worst of conditions, even taking waves over the top and still step off the boat (back at the dock) dry as a bone.

Being a single shaft-drive, manoeuvrability at low speed isn't very good and getting out of a tight marina berth requires a three-point turn - although, with no weight on the rudder at idle, lock-to-lock is achieved with a quick spin of the wheel.

The Arvor backed up quite well, although manoeuvrability is again not as good as the likes of, say, a sterndrive. If the boat was used for sportsfishing applications, I would take advantage of the full walkaround and chase fish in forward gear.

The testboat achieved a top speed of 37kmh at 2800rpm with four people onboard. A cruise of 30kmh was achieved at 2500rpm, and at 2200rpm the Arvor was still planing at 25kmh.

The Arvor 20 has an on-trailer weight of 1800kg, so it can be legally towed with a Falcon or Commodore. Just bear in mind that a boatful of gear and a bellyful of fuel will tip you over the limit.

The cockpit coamings are a good height and offer a feeling of security. The fully self-draining cockpit features a non-skid surface. The engine box intrudes into the cockpit about 25cm, however there is no reason why good use can't be made of this area - perhaps a removable bait station or seating arrangement.

Storage compartments are located in the aft corners and an underfloor livewell is located beneath the cockpit sole on the starboard side.

A removable bench seat can be positioned between the two aft compartments, enabling the boat to be driven from its more traditional helm position once a tiller arm is inserted.

Other cockpit features included aft stainless steel cleats, grabrails, four gunwale-mounted rodholders and gaff racks.

The walkway around the cabin is relatively shallow, although a high bowrail and handrails on the cabin roof provide good security when moving forward. The small foredeck features an anchor locker (with heavy-duty bollard) and moulded bowsprit (with stainless roller).

COMPACT CABIN
The cabin on the Arvor 20 is compact but offers enough room for two burly blokes to stand side-by-side. The helm area is fairly basic, with a stainless steel wheel, Nanni single-lever gear/throttle control, tacho, fuel gauge, switchpanel, warning lights and ignition. There is also a flush-mounted compass and enough room on the dash to mount a couple of good-sized electronics. The SF model also comes with a 27MHz radio as standard.

A fold-down seat means the helmsman can either seat or stand and stainless grabrails are provided for both helmsman and passenger. An overhead hatch in the cabin roof provides necessary ventilation.

The cabin also features a small V-berth, with storage below, which can be extended on the starboard side with the application of an infill. The testboat was also fitted with a porta-potty.

The big three-piece windscreen provided excellent vision and a standard windscreen wiper disperses any unwanted spray.

Other additional features on the SF model included a bimini cover with five-pot rocket launcher, saltwater deckwash, midships cleats and transom-mounted berley bucket.

Although the Arvor 20SF won't be everyone's cup of tea, it will definitely appeal to the fisherman who isn't necessarily a speed-freak. Indeed, it will definitely appeal to operators who place higher emphasis on fuel economy than speed.

With a bit of customising it would also make a pretty neat little sportsfisher. When was the last time you went trolling for the day and only burned 50 bucks in fuel? Sounds appealing, doesn't it?