Boston Whaler 28 Conquest

No matter that I can get by with a bucket as dunny, a floppy hat for shade, a few cold drinks for comfort, so long as I have the trolling outfits and a few lures to swim. The reality is, for most us contemplating buying a new boat, the process involves compromise and consideration for the co-signatory on the cheque book.

That means, a toilet, permanent shade, lounging space and a sink and tap are among the comforts sought in a potential new fishing boat. That means considering more than our gung-ho exuberance and fishing bias and being, well... realistic.

At the end of countless conversations over the dinner table, the bottom line is that most of us are left shopping for a sports fishing boat, with family comforts to boot. Recognising the scenario, Boston Whaler has pitched itself as a builder of fishing boats with as few compromises as possible.

Typically, Whalers are graced with fishing goodies, practical live bait tanks and big fish wells, with overboard drains, outriggers and suchlike, and great seaworthiness and built-in safety. But, typically, Boston Whalers also have facilities for mum and the kids that don't imperil their effectiveness on the deep blue.

The Boston Whaler 28 Conquest is a perfect example of a mid-sized sportsfishing boat, with amenities to assuage the family. You could saunter into a tournament throng in this boat and attract longing looks from those hanging from the towers of battlewagons. Yet, at the same time, you could pull into a beach on your Conquest and frolic in the shallows. You could cruise away for a weekend, pull-out a rail-mounted barbie and sizzle the snags at some daggy anchorage. You could do all these things - providing, of course, the big fish aren't biting.

BUILD QUALITY
Reassuringly - and famously - Boston Whaler is big on safety. Its hulls are foam-filled, to provide positive buoyancy, and, unlike some, will float in the unlikely event of being swamped with a crew, motors, fuel, and so on. The Conquest 28 claims a 14-person capacity, no less.

While safety is all-important, there are everyday benefits of a foam-filled hull. On the water, you can feel and hear the deadening effect of the foam when crossing waves. Partly due to the deep vee, partly due to the foam, the hull doesn't make that hollow sound you get from non-foam cored boats with cabins.

The Conquest's Accutrack hull features a very sharp entry, aggressive running strakes and huge, downturned chines, which operate almost like a gullwing hull or a RIB, where the sponsons give stability. Compared to the Outrage series of centre consoles, the Conquest cabin boats have slightly less vee. Yet the ride remains very, very good.

ALLURE OF CONQUEST
The biggest model in the three-boat Conquest line-up, the 28-footer is, our American readers might consider, the perfect Gulf boat. Pictured in the brochure, it is running across the ocean, with a couple of girls on the aft lounge and a spread of light-tackle outfits in the rod holders.

Playing on the family theme, the Conquest 28 had a terrific cabin, packed with weekend amenities - things such as that essential toilet and shower, and plenty of protection. At the same time, there are walkaround decks and the goodies to fish all day.

The Conquest 28 is also the first of Boston Whaler's cabin models to be made after Brunswick Marine's acquisition of the company. Since then, some employees have been laid off, as a rationalisation of resources has occurred. But this is, in no way, reflected in the Conquest 28, which must rate as one of the best-quality production boats money can buy.

Like all Whalers, the 28 costs a small fortune landed in Oz. In fact, the same money will probably buy a locally-made cruiser with more accommodation and comforts. But will it have foam filling, the same quality deckware as the Whaler, professional plumbing with overboard drains and, oh yes, a ride quite so sweet?

DECKED OUT
In keeping with the Whaler tradition, the well-proportioned 28 has a generous self-bailing cockpit, with 700mm of interior freeboard, comfortable, padded coamings, and an extended engine well, which may make certain kinds of fishing - cubing (chunking) for tuna, for example - kind of tricky.

Heavy-duty stainless deckware runs the gamut from towing eyes, to a welded, one-piece bowrail, eight cleats and stern hawse pipes, and lots of grabrails. There are four deck rodholders and three additional holders across the transom for storage or running flatlines down the centre.

The rub-rail is heavy-duty rubber, allowing you to sidle up to a jetty without damaging the glass.

Access to all quarters of the boat is safe. Up front, there is a bowsprit and deep anchor locker, backed by a windlass, operated at the helm. The walkaround is useable at sea, with a good grade of non-skid underfoot.

Electronics, plumbing and mechanical systems are more in tune with a big boat than how some people might perceive a walkaround sportsfisher to be.

The battery hatches, while located in the boarding platform, where you think they might take on water, are fully sealed with rubber O-rings. Fuel filers are accessible under the transom, where the plumbing appears logical, and the glasswork is clearly first-rate.

The Conquest 28 comes with fore and aft bilge pumps, a shorepower connection, battery charger, hot and cold pressurised water, dedicated transducer mounts, and deck fillers for the fuel and big oil bottle. This is to say nothing of the transom shower, deckhose, and room to fit an optional generator and air-con unit in the lazarette.

Seating exists for four people under the hardtop and another three on the aft lounge, which can be folded back to create a flush transom. There are grabrails and drink holders nearby.

It is quite a reach to clear the outboards from the cockpit, however, the boarding platform has enough freeboard and width to stand on and clear a rod tip.

The co-pilot lounge is contoured, so it can be used as a sofa at sea, and the helm seating is raised to create a bridgedeck effect, for excellent vision back aft to the spread of lures, or forward to the fish trap floats and wheeling birds. Steering is effortless hydraulic and there are wipers on the rakish windscreen.

Back in the cockpit, tucked away in the port corner, is an impressive circular livebait tank. I guessed its capacity to be around l00ltr - big enough for plenty of slimies. The starboard side marlin door, with a top-quality hinge and catch, will let you slide one aboard, should you desire.

But, as is want to happen these days, most sportsfishers will look for the tag pole. This will be in one of the under-gunwale gaff or rod racks. Beneath these are stainless steel toerails, that will make tracing a big fish that much safer. The gloves can be kept in a drawer under the helm seat. There is also a tackle drawer opposite, as well as a fire extinguisher pocket.

Underfloor on the Conquest 28 is a tomb of storage. In the lazarette, you will find the boat's hot-water system, Sureflow pumps, bilge pump and room for storage tubs full of whatever you care to carry. There are also two lovely, in-deck fish boxes, with pump-outs big enough to carry a school-sized tuna on ice.

DRIVING STATIONS
Supported by stylish anodised alloy framework, the hardtop affords a wonderful degree of protection, with the side curtains in place. I zipped out the centre windows and scrolled them away for a better view, before we headed offshore.

The supports for the optional hardtop also happen to make handy grabrails, when standing or stepping up onto the side decks, while side vents in the windscreen provide flow-through, when underway. The bench behind the helm seat can be deleted and changed to a bait-prep station.

I noted a radio box, cockpit floodlight and four rodholders attached to the hardtop.

The alloy riggers looked chic, but I'd add more rod storage to the hardtop and a shotgun rigger, to boot. You might even go so far, should the co-signatory on the cheque book be really taken, to have a little half tower attached to the hardtop.

With twin Optimax Saltwater Series outboards from Mercury, the dash was simply laid out, with a few smart gauges.

CABIN CAPERS
Practical teak and holy flooring ushers you inside, where there is a surprising amount of headroom, topped with a soft-touch ceiling liner. There is a sound system, nice lighting, protection from the elements, facilities for dining, hunkering down and tarting yourself up in the morning.

Salt-and-pepper-patterned Granicoat forms the moulded galley unit to port. There is storage in cupboards, a big, circular sink, alcohol stove, with replaceable cartridge, microwave, a hot and cold tap, and a fridge.

A light timber is used for the joinery above the galley, where there are opening portholes for cross-flow ventilation.

The switchboard and a hanging locker, servicing the aft cabin, with double bed, is adjacent to the galley. Forward is a dinette for four, surrounded by a circular lounge, with backrest and lots of storage. The lounge converts to a double bed and there is storage for four fishing outfits in overhead racks in the lock-up cabin.

The head has standing room, a moulded sink, handheld shower, with curtain, mirror and - wow - a Vacuflush loo, with a holding tank.

In toto, there is everything desired by a family of four for spending nights on the water. In the same vein, the 28-footer will work as a liveaboard, during weekend tournaments, or as a boat for coastal cruising. It certainly has the range.

WHALE WATCHING
Factory prerigged for a minimum of 300 and maximum of 600hp, the Conquest 28 seen here had twin 225hp Mercury Optimax outboards, spinning 17-inch Mirage Plus stainless props.

All the guesswork has been taken out of the fit-up, thanks to the Whaler R&D team, leaving you with an off-the-shelf rig, which needs only electronics, tackle and fuel.

Cruise speeds are swift. At 4000-4200rpm we were canyon-bound at 30kt-plus. Top end, should you need it, is around 43kt.

The boat will hold clean plane at 2800rpm, with tabs on, while, at trolling speeds, it offers some terrific windows in which to swim a lure.

The Whaler is dry and stable, thanks to a 3.14m beam and I failed to put a single drop of spray on the windscreen during what was a perfect day (too perfect for a true assessment of handling) off the Gold Coast. It was, dare I say it, a day you would rather spend fishing, than meeting family obligations.

With 1120ltr of fuel and twin Optimax outboards, you can fish down to a neighbouring port, use the boat's amenities to stay over at anchor, and troll your way back home, with plenty of juice in reserve.

Afterwards, you can meet mum and the kids, go for a token blatt, and head to a beach for a barbie. The Conquest 28, which has recently been rebadged a 295, due to its overall length, is a crowd-pleaser.