Commodore Attitude 7000

No, not all trailerboats from WA are in plate aluminium. Commodore, for one, has been building in fibreglass since not long after marine ply gave up the race. All their boats have been designed to cope with the kind of awful weather Sandgropers routinely head to sea in, and are especially at home in big following seas.

The Commodore 670 has long been the builder's most popular model, and deservedly. It is one of the best combinations around of useable cabin, maximum cockpit and rock-steady stability. When Commodore decided to add a centre console to their range, this was the hull they chose to base it on. Although the Attitude is called a 7000 it is still only 6.7m long; it just looks bigger.

Climbing aboard, the first thing you notice is that the 7000 seems to be aground - the addition of your weight on the rail makes so little difference to its stance. The second thing is how deep you are within the boat. There is no comparison between it and so many of the imported centre consoles that apparently have triprails rather than grabrails. Within most of the 7000's perimeter the coaming is near hip high, and it is all padded to pamper those hips.

Below the padding, the full-length of the boat uses the thickness of the bulwarks productively for lockers, sockets, tackle drawers and the like. Aft of the console are pockets, with horizontal rod stowage above and toe space below.

This boat has far more storage space than your average centre console: within the console itself of course, reached through three doors, behind the rear lounge and in the driver's seat box.

Then there are the specialised places to put things: livebait tank in the transom, the catch tank under the deck forward equipped with its own pump, and the optional icebox under the forward seat.

SERIOUS STUFF
This is a serious fishing boat that has been bought by some serious fishermen. A couple of commercial cray-fishermen use them in their leisure moments, and they have become very popular with gamefishermen on the Pilbara coast.

It was mainly for Dampier people who travel to the Montebello Islands and those from Port Hedland who have to travel 40nm just to get 40m of depth, that Commodore gave the option of a 300lt fuel tank instead of the standard 240lt.

Those distances, and the general remoteness of places these boats operate, encouraged Commodore to install very serious electrics.

No one wants to run out of Watts out there. A cranking battery supplies current solely for starting and for the windlass, and of course, the motor is always already running before engaging the windlass.

A deep cycle battery copes with everything else and a full suite of LED lights eases its job. A voltage sensitive relay controls the charging, giving priority to the starting battery and switching to the house battery when its voltage reaches 12.7. In belt and braces style, there is an emergency parallel system to cope with a reluctant starting battery.

Everything electrical is housed in the centre console. It is actually housed, along with steering and controls, before the console is fitted to the boat. The owner is encouraged to bring his sounder and plotter to the factory to have them installed (free) at the same time.

The console is capable of holding vast amounts of gear, bulky stuff like lifejackets and bedding especially, but internal nets with bungy cords to restrain it all would possibly be a good idea.

The power range for the 7000 is 150 to 225hp and with the big distances a lot of owners travel, most choose near maximum - 200 is probably the commonest, although the review boat had a 225 Honda. The chosen motor provided more speed than the owner will be able to use on any, except rare occasions of 48kts.

Although at first glance on the trailer the 7000 does not look like a high-speed offshore performer, that hull has a lot of shape in the right places.

Up front, the bottom has a 33-degree deadrise, which shallows to 18° at the transom. Instead of the two halves of the bottom meeting at the keel in a hard angle as usual, the keel section is rounded. This is where the eye was deceived. The curve achieves a couple of things: in turns across a sea it cushions the boat better, and it removes some buoyancy from the underwater body, enhancing stability.

It all works well. The ride is above average for a seven-metre boat, it is as steady as an island at rest and it is a lot of fun to drive. The steering is hydraulic, as of course it should be with a motor of this size, and literally needs only fingertips to operate. Sitting or standing, the driving position and the relationship with the controls feels right.

The 7000 is not an especially big leaner into turns but it is a real gripper. Put some vigour into turns at speed and you will be glad of the plentiful handholds.

The abundant power and the ideal placement of passenger load that centre consoles have, meant that minimal amounts of power trim had instant effect. Always when travelling fast, getting the trim right pays big dividends. At 35kts, a little extra ‘out' lifted revs by several hundred.

SEATING APLENTY
There are seats for five adults: a generous width driver's seat, a similar sized single ahead of the console, and a folding lounge at the transom. This is probably the right amount of seating. It does not interfere with access to the rail or movement fore and aft, and five is about as many as would want to fish at the same time. The folded lounge has toe space underneath it, making the starboard quarter the securest and cushiest fishing spot on board.

The five would have no complaints about rod stowage. As well as racks for four within the bulwarks, there are rodholders for four on the baitboard, six on the bimini and six more in the coamings. The coaming holders are unlike most; they are circular and have the appearance of being vertical, and all, except two, rake aft. The odd two out provide an alternate position for the baitboard that normally lives at the transom.

And all that suggests that the 7000 is purely a fishing boat. The truth is that centre consoles, particularly bigger ones, are also good day cruising boats. Add a few bean bags or folding chairs, the optional electric loo and the drop-in tables, and you have an instrument the whole family will enjoy. There is almost no such thing as a standard Commodore. Some well chosen customising and you can have a boat that is capable of almost anything.

At day's end, an automatic catch between stem and trailer post eased the drive onto the trailer. Instead of having an assistant, strap and hook in hand, hovering where boat or anchor could pinch or crush bits of him, the boat sorted it out itself. A gentle ending to a very pleasant experience.