Clark Abalone 500SF

Centre consoles are a favourite with keen trailerboat fishermen. It's pretty hard to beat the amount of fishable space and all-round access these craft offer. And though a new boat is never cheap, basic centre consoles do have economic advantages due to their layout, reduced weight and resultant smaller engine sizes that can be used to push them along. Taking all these factors into account, a centre console is an attractive assault weapon for fishing of all kinds.

As I see it, there really is only one drawback - when it gets rough, you are going to get wet. This is a fact of life when fishing an open boat. It doesn't matter whether the boat is fibreglass or aluminium, wind-blown spray is going to hit you at some stage of the game.

The most successful centre consoles work hard at getting the balance right. They adopt clever ways to make use of the storage space available without disrupting the open layout of the centre console. I have spent many hours fishing in mid-size centre consoles and I always keep an eye out for well-designed boats in this style.

THAT'S ABALONE!
Over the past six months the manufacturer of the well-known Abalone range, Clark Boats, has undertaken some major changes to its line-up via new models and updates of several existing models. One such craft is the Abalone 500SF.

When Clark designed the new Abalone, it did so with the needs of anglers firmly in mind. Not only is it a smart rig, but it boasts an impressive line-up of standard inclusions.

The 500SF has provision for three adults to sit comfortably on cushioned seats, with the main seating area a double benchseat positioned behind the centre console. While not huge, the centre console does offer enough protection to keep you out of a cold breeze and avoid much of the spray that can be thrown up.

Under the benchseat is a significant amount of space that can be used as storage for gear such as lifejackets, raincoats, etc. However, with a little effort this space could be converted into an icebox, which is ideal for keeping a fisherman's catch cold. Indeed, the centrally-located seat is the ideal place for an icebox, as it maintains the load balance of the boat and is in easy reach.

The seating for the third passenger is a smaller padded seat in front of the centre console, and once again there's a useful amount of storage underneath.

FISHY FEATURES
This 5.0m boat will accommodate three anglers comfortably, but can cater for four or even five anglers if necessary. Wide gunwales ensure that no matter where you end up fishing you'll always have somewhere to sit while you're reeling in your catch. Padded coamings around the entire boat ensure that you can comfortably lean against the side of the boat while fishing.

The centre console itself delivers a substantial amount of dry storage and there's plenty of room on the dash for electronics to be installed. Importantly, the top half of the centre console folds forward to make carport storage possible in most situations.

If lure casting is your preference, then you will find the raised platform in the bow section of the deck handy when it comes time to flick those lures out. The additional height also offers a viewing advantage.

The anchor well in the bow section has a cover, which definitely comes in handy when you encounter choppy seas. Hit a decent wave and your anchor will bounce straight out of the well. The cover prevents this and also reduces the amount of clatter as the chain and anchor bounce about.

If you feel the well isn't big enough for your needs, there is another storage area under the front deck which is large enough to hold a heap of rope, spare anchors and recovery systems for anchor retrieval.

Everyday items and regularly used tools can be kept in the sidepockets. If you put a little thought into the packing, you'll be surprised at just how much gear you can actually fit in these long pockets.

The main workstation is located around the stern of the boat and includes a multi-functional baitboard with two bait wells either side mounted in the transom. The larger of the two can be plumbed for livebait while the other can be used to hold dead or frozen baits.

Glance around the boat and you'll notice that there's no shortage of rodholders. No matter where you are in the boat, there's one at arm's length. These rodholders are not only suitable for storage. In fact, those mounted in the side gunwales are angled so that you can present a number of rods at various angles for trolling purposes.

I've been in a lot of centre consoles in my time, and I must admit this is one of the best standard fit-ups of a 5.0m boat that I have ever seen. You really don't have to do a thing to this boat.

A GOOD ATTITUDE
The Abalone's better than average stability, whether anchored or on the move, can be attributed to its moderate deadrise of 15°. But it isn't until you start to fish in a bit of a chop or you have a few anglers fishing on one side that you fully appreciate the benefits of this stable boat. It's nice to be able to stand and fish and not have to worry about overbalancing every time someone moves over to the livebait tank or switches to the other side of the boat.

The 90hp Yamaha fitted to the 500SF has more than enough power. At no stage did the Abalone struggle - even with a reasonable load of fishing gear and other bits and pieces onboard. It's our estimate that a 70hp engine will present no dramas, and you could just about get away with a 60hp outboard in many situations.

What I like about the slightly bigger engine is that you never have to worry about lack of power and you can cruise at quite impressive speeds without working the engine hard, which can mean a smaller fuel bill at the end of the day. If you have additional weight in the boat or you're on rolling swells, you may need a bit more grunt to hold the slower planing speeds often required. In situations like this, smaller engines often struggle.

The 500SF has a level attitude upon take off and while underway. The redesigned Abalone hull tracks well through the water, pushing little water in the bow section which adds to a drier ride.

Even in a reasonable sort of chop you can push this rig hard and not throw your back out in the process. You are always going to get those hard thumps when you encounter big waves, but you should learn to read the sea so that you can slow down before you hit them.

Like any boats the most spray is thrown up when you are quartering a sea and the wind pushes the spray back on you. We didn't get at all wet while pushing into the sea or following the seas, but did have to duck and weave behind the windscreen a few times while quartering the chop of the afternoon sea breeze on the way home. But that's part of the 'fun' of operating a centre console.