Compact cat for rough water

Solid plate aluminium-hulled fishing boats in the five- to six-metre range have taken a big chunk of the offshore market in recent years because of their great strength, fishing space and bar-crossing abilities -- but now an established catamaran manufacturer has challenged the market.

Sailfish catamarans need no introduction to fishermen used to boats in the 10 to 12-metre range but the average boater who tows his craft to the local ramp may be unfamiliar with the brand. Sailfish is planning to change this with the introduction of its 5.6-metre Reef Runner which delivers performance and stability to rival any aluminium plate boat.

With a beam of 2.45 metres, the beautifully-finished hulls have deeper freeboard than most trailerable boats and have the basic credentials to handle anything that offshore fishing can dish up.

"This is the boat that takes the challenge right up to alloy mono hulls," Gavan Daly of catamaran specialist Webbe Marine says, "The Reef Runner with twin engines is very competitively priced against a single-engine plate alloy hull of the same length. Sailfish has achieved an exceptional finish on their hulls, and in terms of stability -- I know that I would rather be at sea fishing from the stability of a Sailfish cat that being pitched about in a deep-vee mono-hull."

The cockpit area of the Reef Runner is vast for a boat under six metres in length. The floor space measures 2.05 x 1.75 metres which is equal to or greater than the space in most seven-metre monohulls. The helm is position well forward so there is a vast, flat fishing space that has room for a bunch of anglers.

The Sailfish Reef Runner also has standard features including a fully-appointed dash that includes a Garmin touch-screen sounder/GPS, twin bolster seats for the skipper and passenger, storage bins, live-bait tank, deck wash, folding rocket launcher, front and side clears and cutting board and a custom aluminium trailer.

Webbe Marine equips the Reef Runner with twin 60hp four-stroke Honda outboards that deliver a top speed of around 33 knots. Dual Honda 75hp outboards are optional. But the more modest engines have the ability to get the boat up on the plane in a snap and they use less fuel that some of the big single rigs needed to push a heavy plate mono-hull through the water. Twin engines also give a safety margin that is simply unavailable in a single-engine boat.

The Sailfish Reef Runner is priced at just under $80,000 as an on-the-water package with trailer -- tow away, no more to pay.

The Reef Runner is a welcome addition to the Sailfish range of catamarans ranging from 6.2 metres to 12 metres in three model ranges -- Platinum, Gamefisher and Weekender.