Clark Abalone Challenger

Records show, the early Abalones' robustness encouraged strong interest from the commercial sector. Their rigid no-frills construction also made the boats an ideal choice for recreational fishers who towed to far away places such as Cape York and the Kimberley.

Most memories of fishing trips in the early Abalones were, however, to put it bluntly, damp! Although the boats were very seaworthy, they had a reputation of being 'wet' - waterproofs were a must at the first sight of any sort of wind or sea.

Nonetheless, buyers put up with getting wet because the Clarks were tough... damn tough.

For fans of the rough and tumble, the good news is that Mayfairs Wholesale (the manufacturer of Clark boats) has recently released a revamped and even tougher two-boat Abalone range. And judging by the performance of our testboat - the new 4.29m Challenger Abalone centre console - the really great news is there's no longer a salt spray price to pay for toughness.

The new generation Abalones' hull designs have seen some major changes - especially up front to improve the ride and reduce the old 'wet boat' syndrome.

The old Abalones were also always low-sided which deterred a few boaties who prefer a bit more freeboard. With the sides now raised, the safety aspect has been enhanced and spray reduced further.

But if you think that there has been a 'watering down' of Clark's 'brick-outhouse' build quality, think again...

The new Abalones feature a 3mm bottom and 2mm sides - not bad at all for a boat under 15 feet. A double gunwale runs around the topsides of the boat to give added strength and there's a 2.5mm aluminium non-slip checkerplate foredeck.

No fewer than 11 ribs hold the plot together - and it's not just on the water where this heavy-duty ribbing comes into its own. Have a look at the amount of gear that is often loaded into a boat for a long trip or the hardships associated with launching a boat in the surf or areas without a boat ramp!

The Challenger's centre console layout is very straight forward (dare I say, basic) but that is exactly the way it is intended. There are plenty of fully-rigged boats with truckloads of options and flash paintjobs on the market but not everyone wants all the bells and whistles.

While the boat can be painted, the package that we tested was unadorned and featured a flat carpeted timber floor.

The console unit itself is located right in the centre of the boat and in itself is only basic. A small windscreen delivers some protection and the internal area of the console gives room to safety gear and the likes of a camera. The windscreen of the console folds down for storage or it can be completely removed for those long trips on rough roads.

The only other additional storage area is under the bow where anchors, ropes and so on can be kept. Aside from that what you see is what you get... No pod, no motor well and no side pockets - just an open fishing boat built to take the worst.

Rated to a maximum of 60hp, our testboat was fitted with one of Mercury's new three-cylinder 40hp units and certainly wasn't lacking in power.

The boat jumped eagerly out of the hole and thanks to good weight distribution offered by the centre console layout, settled onto a comfortable level plane. Tiller-steered units - particular those with big outboards will need to pay attention to weight distribution - but that's a matter of commonsense.

For the record the Clark Abalone is available in two lengths - the 4.29m Challenger and the 4.93m Commander. Both hulls are available in both open boat or centre console format models.

Their straight forward layout and rigid construction offers anglers peace of mind and reliability over a long term period.

As tested with 40hp Mercury outboard, Redco Trailer, the 4.29m Challenger will set you back $11,700. Great value in anybody's book.