Blue Fin 425 Discovery

And often we find an on-water performance to match. There is nothing wrong with that at all, and it's the very reason we try before we buy. You get what you pay for after all.

This review day started as being no different. A 4.25-metre pressed-side aluminium runabout with a 40 horsepower Honda outboard which was 10hp under the recommended maximum. A few extras fitted which we will go into the detail of shortly. Turn the key and idle out of the six-knot restriction zone and that's when it all changed.

The Discovery slipped onto the plane with seemingly no hole-shot 'blues' then scarpered across the water like a proverbial rocket. A quick turn of the head aft to confirm that 'yes' it was only a 40 and not the max of a 50 horsepower donk, a puzzling shake of the head and then back into it.

This really was a nippy little craft and with a few tweaks to the fitout, a number of types of potential buyers would do well to investigate further. Certainly the budget conscious will be interested, but also the lifetime boater downsizing in their twilight years, or even the first-time boater and those with a small young family; they all come to mind when looking at the Discovery. And with a 50hp ETEC on the back I would be looking for some ski rope rings so the kids can get out the back.

The options you pay for in that price are the paint insert, Fusion radio, the front and side clears and rod holders.

Those wanting to further increase the performance of this boat can lower the price by $1,200 by dropping the options and upping the power plant to a 50hp Evinrude ETEC or drop it even further back to $20,000 by still leaving out the options but bolting on a 40hp Evinrude ETEC; seemingly unbelievable but we have rechecked those figures time and again and they are correct.

The canopy is of robust build and constructed of tubular aluminium and one which would not collapse with any sort of expediency. This is something one might want to look at as typical of every boat of this size where the helm is well forward, the ride can be bumpy and when travelling long distances the skipper and front passenger might well want to stand to alleviate the jolting. This is pretty well impossible to do under the low canvas of the canopy. Perhaps a zip out aperture would give one the best of both worlds.

The opening windscreen is supported on each side by a strut and the acrylic side panes curve around and sweep to just aft of the helm and passenger seating.
Seating is basic but comfortable and on single posts fitted into the deck. Underfoot when seated at the helm and passenger chair the deck is rebated about 75mm lower than that in the cockpit making for a more comfortable ride.

The dash is almost flat topped and will be ideal for mounting small-screen electronics. The fascia of the helm bulkhead is also fairly flat and fitted with a lockable compartment, a Fusion radio fitted to two speakers in the cockpit, Honda's instrumentation and a switch panel for the usual accessories such as lighting and bilge pump.

Two side pockets are fitted in the cockpit and the rear thwart lounge has a lug each end that hooks over the lip of the pockets. This allows the lounge base to be slid forward in the cockpit so anglers may sit and face aft without the seat base skewing or tipping over. It is the first time we have seen this style and it obviously did not go unnoticed. Other manufacturers would do well to look at this system also. The lounge base is padded on the lid which opens to a full-beam stowage box which will hold heaps of gear.

The back rest for the rear lounge is a permanent fixture to the inside of the transom and it sweeps around slightly each end so one can wedge themselves into a corner for stability when under way at speed.

With the lounge base pulled forward one may access the tote fuel tank under the bulkhead along with the battery and isolation switch which is mounted on a bracket attached to the deck. We would have liked to have seen this mounted much higher to keep it out of any excess water that might gather in the aft end of the cockpit but also prevent any resulting damage from gear sliding around the deck when this section is not closed off by the lounge.

The topside of the hull each side of the squarish engine well is covered in, flat and there is plenty of it. The handy fisho will have something installed here in no time. Items such as fish bins, live-bait wells, crates for crabs, pots and the like are always handy on board and this will be an ideal place to install them either permanently or temporarily.

The stern has a small boarding platform and grab rail mounted on the port side while starboard side there is a small depth sounder transducer mounting bracket.

The hull featured pressed side in 2.5mm aluminium plate whilst the bottom and transom were 3.0mm plate.

Unusual in this type of boat was the design of the chines which on the Discovery and some other Blue Fin boats feature a prominent reverse angle. On this boat that reverse angle section is about 200mm wide.

This feature explains why this boat has no trouble getting onto the plane and can get the utmost performance from just 40 horses. As well, this feature allows the boat to come back in the rpm and still maintain the plane which saves dollars in fuel running costs.

It is also a feature that offers up great stability at rest -- and that is just what you need in a small boat on expansive waterways or coastlines.

The 425 Discovery will not disappoint. It really is a surprise package but now we have given the game away, best you go see for yourselves.