Australian Master Marine 5700 Sea Class CC review

Hot on the heels of the AMM 7000 Halo hero model we tested a few weeks ago,  Brisbane's Australian Master Marine has added a tough centre console model to its Sea Class line-up.

The AMM Sea Class boats are built with the same quality and attention to detail as the premium models in the Australian Master Marine stable, but the boats are sold as basic hulls in standard form. This keeps package pricing down and allows customers to outfit boats to suit specific needs.

The AMM Sea Class models are available in 4.9m, 5.2m, and 5.7m model lengths, and in tiller-steer, side console, centre console, runabout and cuddy cabin configurations.

All have tough 4mm marine grade alloy plate alloy hulls, reinforced with a sophisticated underfloor box section stringer grid, along with sealed, usually checker plate alloy floors, foam flotation to Australia's basic standard, and 18-20 degree deep-vee hulls.

These are properly tough plate alloy boats.

For this review we have AMM's latest and greatest Sea Class model, the 5700 centre console, rigged up with a Yamaha 175hp four-stroke outboard and riding on AMM's tough off-road tandem axle trailer.

Determining a starting, or base package price for the AMM 5700 Sea Class is difficult as only the bare, unpainted hull is standard. Just about everything else is an option, including the centre console helm station and seating.

The hull itself comes with a half-pod transom, fully welded 3.0mm checker plate self-draining cockpit floor, casting platform, wide, welded side coamings, forward anchor well, rear boarding platforms and ladder, bow and stern rails, cockpit side pockets, and an elevated transom storage/battery platform. From this point on, customers pick and choose the gear they want from a huge inventory.

Our test boat was fully loaded. Its owner wanted a premium boat with most of the available AMM options, which for this boat included a 900mm wide centre console helm station, console hardtop, a pair of deluxe helm chairs with arm-rests and flip-up front bolsters, a welded transom bait board, port side transom door, starboard side live bait tank, camouflage-patterned foam rubber deck matting, cockpit shade canopy, eight alloy rod holders, dual battery system, bow-mounted electric trolling motor plate, Volvo Penta Interceptor-style trim tabs, Nyalic clear-coat paint finish to the topsides, paint to the transom and interior, LED bow headlights, VHF radio, EPIRB, electric drum anchor winch, and more.

Paired with a Yamaha 175hp in-line four cylinder, four-stroke extra-longshaft (25-inch) outboard, and AMM's magnificent tandem-axle off-road aluminium trailer, the price of our test boat comes in at about $110,000. That's a big ticket for a 19 footer, but you do get a premium product, and truckloads of good gear.

To save a few dollars, the costly AMM off-road trailer can swap for a standard Dunbier tandem-axle galvanised steel trailer, and a smaller Suzuki 140hp four-stroke outboard engine can hang off the transom. This alone will reduce the price by $20K to $90,250.

The AMM 5700 Sea Class is designed to fish rivers and streams, and coastal offshore waters. Accordingly, the interior layout has an elevated deck up forward so anglers can stand up high to spot fish activity, and to cast lures and flies in smooth water.

The casting deck, abnout 1.2m long and 1.65m wide, is lifted 450mm above the main floor. Instead of a regular checker plate alloy finish,  it and the rear cockpit have a soft, non-slip camouflage-patterned rubber flooring.

Below the casting deck is a wide, deep storage area with a welded alloy floor. The heavily reinforced deck hatch is held open with gas struts.

The forward locker has space for safety gear and provision for a battery to suit a bow-mounted electric trolling motor using the plate extending from the bow.

Other features here include low-set coaming rails, two rod holders, cup holders, a deep forward anchor well with optional electric drum anchor winch, and a hefty welded bollard.

Aft of the casting deck there is a uniform 650mm of cockpit freeboard stretching to a full-height transom wall.

The wide coamings can take extra rod holders, outrigger plates, and more, and the full-length side storage pockets are off the floor so you can brace you feet under them to stand and fish in choppy seas.

The AMM 5700 Sea Class has the choice of 800mm- or 900mm-wide centre console helm stations. Our test rig was fitted with the wider version, allowing two people to stand at the helm side by side.

A larger console and clear acrylic windscreen also provide slightly better weather protection, and extra space for mounting electronics; the wide, near vertical alloy fascia caters for two mid-sized multifunction displays, switch panels, and so on.

The steering wheel and binnacle throttle are off-set to the port side of the console, making enough space for two deluxe bucket helm chairs with front bolsters that flip up and back to make more standing space at the helm.

Both chairs have armrests, and an angled footrest runs along the bottom of the console.

The alloy framework for the hardtop doubles as a hand-hold on each side.

There is a storage nook on the fascia for stowing keys and phones, a shelf under the console, and an open storage recess in the footwell.

Our test rig's helm chairs were mounted on a broad alloy storage box, but you can have pedestal chairs or opt for a simple lean-seat post with alloy framework.

There is about a metre of cockpit fishing space behind the helm box, and roughly 2.0m of space between the console and the transom.

Rear cockpit features in our test rig included a large, aquarium-style live bait tank in the starboard side transom corner, elevated battery and storage lockers (with optional Sopac hatches), rear-mounted stern cleats, a port side transom door, and a reef fish-sized underfloor kill tank

It also had a large bait board fixed to the rear coaming. It's is a useful addition, but we would prefer a removable bait board for an unobstructed rear fishing deck.

Australian Master Marine has perfected it hull designs over several decades. At one point the hulls were fitted with planing strakes to provide extra lift, however, these were dropped in favour of a completely smooth deep vee shape with wide, flattened chines that provide stability and stern buoyancy.

The modern AMM hull is a beauty, and it works exceptionally well beneath the 5700 Sea Class. There is 20 degrees of vee at the stern, a finer, sharper entry at the bow and pronounced spray chines to keep the interior dry.

Underway we could not find fault with the AMM 5700 Sea Class. Conditions were admittedly pretty calm, but there was enough of a swell running to demonstrate a ride that was soft and comfortable, and stable at rest and underway.

The foam-filled hull was quiet, well balanced and well mannered; sure signs of a properly sorted hull shape and boat design.

Our test boat was quick, too, pulling a top speed of 40.4 knots at 5900 rpm. The Yamaha 175hp test motor was also smooth, quiet and accelerated strongly from idle through to wide open throttle.

Throttle back to around 3000 rpm and a speed of 16.9 knots, and the Sea Class/Yamaha 175hp combination cruises comfortably and effortlessly offshore. At this point the engine burns just 15.3L/h for a maximum range on 95% of the 250L fuel tank of 263.33nm.

The 5700 Sea Class centre console is another great craft from Australian Master Marine. The boat does everything it is supposed to do, well and with little fuss. It is a thoroughly developed craft, wonderfully built and outfitted, and with class-leading levels of handling, ride and performance. If you can afford one of these fine plate aluminium fishing craft, you won't be disappointed.

4.6kt (8.5km/h) @ 1000rpm
5.6kt (10.4km/h) @ 1500rpm
6.9kt (12.8km/h) @ 2000rpm
10.9kt (20.2km/h) @ 2500rpm
16.9kt (31.3km/h) @ 3000rpm
21.7kt (40.1km/h) @ 3500rpm
25.4kt (47.0km/h) @ 4000rpm
30.1kt (55.7km/h) @ 4500rpm
34.0kt (62.9km/h) @ 5000rpm
37.8kt (69.9km/h) @ 5500rpm
40.4kt (74.7km/h) @ 5900rpm (WOT)

PERFORMANCE – ECONOMY
3.1L/h @ 1000rpm
5.1L/h @ 1500rpm
9.4L/h @ 2000rpm
12.2L/h @ 2500rpm
15.3L/h @ 3000rpm
20.2L/h @ 3500rpm
25.4L/h @ 4000rpm
32.0L/h @ 4500rpm
47.5L/h @ 5000rpm
61.4L/h @ 5500rpm
63.4L/h @ 5900rpm (WOT)

MAXIMUM RANGE ON 95% OF 250L FUEL SUPPLY: 262.33nm @ 3000rpm

Price: $110,520 including a Yamaha 175hp extra-longshaft (25-inch) four-stroke outboard, AMM off-road tandem-axle (2800kg rated) alloy drive-on trailer with electric hydraulic break-away brakes, trim-tabs, Nyalic finished topsides, painted transom and interior, 5mm hull bottom upgrade, 900mm wide centre console helm station, console hardtop, deluxe helm chairs with armrests and flip-up front bolsters, a welded transom bait board, port side transom door, starboard side live bait tank, camouflage-patterned foam rubber matting, cockpit shade canopy, eight alloy rod holders, dual-battery system, bow-mounted electric trolling motor plate, Volvo Penta Interceptor-style trim tabs, VHF radio, EPIRB, LED bow headlights, electric anchor winch, and more.

Priced from: $90,250 as tested but with a Suzuki 140hp extra-longshaft (25-inch) four-stroke outboard and a Redco tandem-axle galvanised steel trailer.

Supplied by: Australian Master Marine