Aussie Whaler 550 Profish

Stability is the key selling point of the tri-hulled Aussie Whaler 550 Profish cuddy cab. The Whaler's shape is conventional enough for a gull-wing or cathedral hull, but contains some extras which add to its stability, such as single strakes down the length of the centre hull, wide flat chines on the outer hulls and built-in trim tabs at their extremities.

So if you're keen on leaving your breakfast where you put it, take a good look at the Aussie Whaler!

Built by Australian Performance Craft on the Gold Coast, the boat comes in four versions - a sports cab (for families), open boat, centre console and cuddy cab (our testboat). It appears a lot bigger boat than its 5.5m length dictates, due to the hull configuration, which makes for a wide boat externally and internally, from bow to stern. That, of course, translates as more space - especially in the cuddy version. And yet, despite the high 'nose cone', it's still a little squirmy to get down in and under, unclip the front hatch-looped rubbers and reach the anchor well.

Unclipping the hatch is even more difficult if you've forgotten that it also has a stainless steel flip catch on the outside. The reason for that, I can only surmise, is to block the up-and-out escape route for the mermaid you may catch and cage in the cuddy!

The anchor well is very large and accessible, as is the end of the short bowsprit, which will protect the paint when hauling the anchor onboard between the very solidly mounted split bowrail.

MONUMENTAL FEET
The deck has non-slip surfaces in all the right places on the bow and around the side decks, which are on the narrow side but safe enough - especially when you have the optional hardtop to hang onto. But more on that later.

Oh, and it was nice to notice that your feet don't trip over the springer cleats which are nicely and conveniently recessed. It's a very nice touch just having them there. Not many boats at this price and size have them. They're large, strong and the same size as the stern cleats which are also recessed.

It's also worth noting that the fittings on this boat were very good quality - a point the company boasts about... And quite rightly!

Inside the cuddy, a huge transverse storage box at the bow would take life jackets and quite a bit more. But you're on your knees getting into it! There's also space for a couple of adults to sit for a short length of time, but, as mentioned above, not much headroom.

The cuddy in the testboat had no carpeting (either floor or ceiling) and is a little on the bare side, but many people might reckon that's a few dollars saved.

A wet storage box is built into the floor of the cuddy and there's another large killtank towards the stern in the cockpit. The hull is self-draining with an open drain plug in the rear starboard quarter. The 160lt inbuilt fueltank is centrally mounted, and also underfloor.

The steering position is quite good, with the instrument panel sensibly angled so you can see your instruments, sounder and GPS easily. The testboat was fitted with a 115hp Yamaha and its standard digital instrumentation was bright and also easy to read. The radio was within easy reach, but out of sight on its mount inside the cuddy. The throttle fell very naturally to hand.

RIDING HIGH
The skipper's seat, a one-piece, strongly moulded polypropylene seat with removable cushion and backrest, was mounted on a stainless pedestal (nice touch). It was adjustable fore and aft and could be swivelled to face the rear. The passenger seat is identical, with an open glovebox in front. The standing position at the helm was quite comfortable, with good vision through the clears on top of the windscreen.

Vision, while seated, was also quite good through the two-piece wraparound screen. But with such a high bulkhead in front of you, you're sitting quite high which means your legs tend to wave in the breeze a little, unless you're built like Luc Longley.

The centre-jointed windscreen was quite loose and would benefit greatly from an attached, strengthening grabrail. Actually, there was a noticeable lack of bars for driver or passenger.

The testboat had a few options which really set the rig up beautifully. In particular the hardtop, which was mounted on a strong, quality stainless steel framework, was impressive. It was surrounded by clears with a central zip-up door to the cockpit for those very unpleasant days. The hardtop was also a good height, with a six-slot stainless rocket launcher bolted on top.

In the cockpit, open sidepockets approximately 1.5m long, went through to the non-skid deck with a padded, ankle-height board to keep everything in place. It was just a nice height to get your toes under during a battle with a big fish.

Gunwales were a little on the low side at knee height, which, without padding, could lead to a little bruising. The recessed grabrails on both sides were nicely-placed and strong.

At the stern is an access door in the port quarter from a boarding platform - a nice touch - while a livebait tank of good size occupies the starboard rear quarter. The boarding platform on the starboard featured a berley bucket.

The battery and oil bottle are mounted beneath the engine well behind twin, curved, moulded doors, which also adds to a very nice finish on the boat. The fuel filler, mounted midway on the starboard gunwale, is also easily accessed.

There are four rodholders mounted in the gunwales, which are standard, and the boat also featured a stainless steel/poly baitboard comprising another four lighter rodholders.

STRONG AS 'PLUGGER'
Unfortunately, there were a couple of disappointments on our test day. Firstly, Port Phillip Bay was as flat as a dustman's hat, so it was impossible to test the manufacturer's claims of exceptional rough water ability and a "soft ride over stiff chop".

The hull is designed to be extremely efficient, due to the lift it gains from water displaced into the tunnels and the air pressure forced into those tunnels.

Cathedral hulls are noted for their magnificent stability rather than smooth ride in rough water, and the Aussie Whaler certainly has the former. If you're serious about this boat, ask your dealer to take it for a run on a one-metre chop before handing over your cheque.

And so to the second let-down. Fair dinkum, you'd need to be as strong as 'Plugger' Lockett to turn this boat; so heavy was the steering. Unfortunately, the testboat was not fitted with hydraulic steering, which according to the brochure is standard equipment.

Hydraulics on this hull are a must.

The 115hp Yamaha on the back performed very well (65kph at 5000rpm), without tearing the driver's shoulder sockets, but I had a hell of a job trying to turn three hulls, which simply wanted to go straight ahead. Engine trim changes made very little difference to the steering.

At speed you are going to make wide turns, but they are as flat as the aforementioned gentleman's hat, with just a slight tendency to lean into tight turns. That is very comfortable indeed, as opposed to the disconcerting out-lean of most cat hulls.

If you're not a 'rock 'n roll' fan, you'll love the stability this hull offers. It's as good as a cat, but has the advantage of single-motor economy.

Sole Victorian Aussie Whaler dealer, JV Marine, supplied the test boat, and as is often the case with JV's well-prepared boats added quite a few goodies to make the 550 Profish a very complete package. It comes on a tandem Mackay PU5000 with mechanical over-ride brakes. The family six would handle it quite comfortably.

Just make sure you tick the box marked hydraulic steering when you place your order...