Crestliner 14 Kodiak

Lure fishing for these species is de rigueur, with specialised Yankee techniques that have evolved over time. These are now enjoying widespread uptake in Australia.

I premise this boat test with that fact because the all-American Crestliners are being cast as valid tinnies for our waterways. Use them for casting lures to our resident bream, ‘barra and flathead on the saltwater or our (Australian) bass and native fish on the sweetwater. After all, these are purpose-designed platforms created with flat-water-fishing in mind.

The entry-level 14 Kodiak model is a great example of this new global fishing tinnie. The smallest boat in Crestliner’s side-console range, in the so-called Deep-V Fish category, is pitched at active boaters who like to chase fish rather than sit there and wait for a bite on the end of the line.

A cornerstone brand of marine multinational Brunswick Corporation, Crestliners benefit from cross-platform investment and are very well finished. With optional dark hull, chic rotomoulded console, and practical vinyl flooring, the 14 Kodiak looked smart in the water. But how will it perform as a local fishing platform?

Factory-listed options on our test boat included gauge package with speedo and tacho, Northwest Package with vinyl flooring in lieu of carpet, and single-axle Dunbier trailer. The price as tested was $23,990, but an identical 2012 version was for sale on this site for $21,997 when we looked. You will need to spend another $500-$1000 on electronics depending on the extent of your fishing mission.

Points of difference include: neat concealed welds (feeling around I couldn’t induce a sliced finger); vinyl flooring that also covers the underside of hatch lids; insulated wet well lid; Allen-key fixings rather than ordinary self-tappers; and a different kind of rounded coaming extrusion that is easy on the hands and fishing or fly lines.

The dart-like pointy bow is a departure, too, with a small integrated anchor shelf rather than the big locker we’re accustomed to. Still, it’s fine for the likely purpose of this boat, which is active fishing. Besides, there is a separate rope locker mid-casting platform with a feed going forward to this anchor shelf.

There are twin underfloor side storage lockers in the forward casting platform, plus an aerated polypropylene live or wet well for holding a decent flathead or a bunch of bream. A pedestal-seat locator lets you add a casting post and you can mount a battery up front for an optional electric.

The small above-deck plastic cleats act as general-purpose attachment points for, say, fenders, mooring lines, a keeper net and so on. Actually, without a bollard or bow cleat, these forward side cleats are needed to attach the anchor line.

With all the hatch lids closed, the vinyl-covered casting platform has plenty of grippy floor space from which to stand and flick lures. The buoyancy and freeboard levels are high, which is welcome for supporting the weight of angler(s).

You step down from the forward raised casting platform to the cockpit proper, where there are the twin relocatable folding helm seats and a smart, moulded-plastic starboard side console with tinted ‘Batmobile” windscreen.

Besides twin Faria engine gauges and toggle switches (for nav lights, bilge, livewell and accessories), you get a 12V outlet to recharge your phone. There are also drink holder, (optional) horn and, just as importantly, decent mounting space for electronics.

There’s a tray for personal effects, a plastic or composite wheel, while the throttle binnacle falls to hand when seated. It’s a very smart helm console that adds to the look and function of the 14 Kodiak.

Underfloor, near the helm seat, is yet another storage hatch for carrying a number of fishing sticks to two-metres in length, plus, say, lifejackets close at hand. A second aft pedestal mount lets you create a seated aft-casting position. In calm water, you can stand on the small transverse transom platform/bench seat. Seated here you will find nearby grab handles.

The reason for the fixed aft side seats is boat’s level flotation. There is foam in the side chambers and under the floor up front. Back aft, the transom has a small skinny splash well. Under the transom platform is room for the remote 25 litre fuel tank or two. On the test boat it was not an especially tidy set-up, with basic wiring and fuel-line runs potentially catching lines or lures.

But we did like the degree of buoyancy back aft for supporting the weight of a burly (or is that berley) angler. The hull’s flat run aft provides that buoyancy rather than using high sides for freeboard on a narrower hull. Although the outboard is a 20in, it’s powerhead sits nicely clear of the water.

Fitting rod holders on the narrow gunwales for trolling will require clever planning and execution. But there’s a lot of scope for halfway handymen to boost the rod storage on this boat, perhaps add a clip-out canopy, an electric motor, and so on.

The four-piece hull construction uses two bottom sheets and two side sheets continuously welded with tongue-and-groove joints. The aluminium gauge is thinner than local boats, with 2mm on the bottom and 2.5mm on the sides. But Crestliner offers a beefed-up version with 2.5mm bottom as an option.

We noted good access to the bilge and the two pumps -- one for water out and the other for water into the forward livewell. Everything else was well executed, though the wiring loom could have been better concealed in some flex tubing.

With more than 65 Crestliners in our waters in two years, we’re told the boats are faring well. Brunswick backing and long Crestliner badge history should ensure good customer support, while the local Berowra Waters Marine importers have been in the game for a long time, too.

On the throttle, the 14 Kodiak continues its smooth-running performance through the rev range to the point it’s verging on sporty. Minimum plane of 3200rpm returned 11-11.5 knots; eco cruise of 4000rpm produced 17 knots; 4500rpm fast cruise gave a neat 20 knots on the handheld GPS; while wide-open throttle of 5350rpm generated a handy 24.1 knots.

You might get more top end with a stainless prop and non-BigFoot gearbox and smaller leg, but in the turns this rig held on nicely and hole shot was excellent. This will be welcome by anglers for high tailing it from one hotspot to the next.

With a stated modest six degrees of deadrise, this is obviously a warped-plane hull. Hence the stability from the flat run aft, but the lift gained from that, which drives the bow sections down for sluicing the waves. It’s a very good dory-like hull.

But in many ways, this big-little boat punches above its weight and, once aboard, it feels bigger than a 14-footer. That’s because it measures 14ft 9in or 4.50m overall. With a 1.92m beam taken well forward, the 14 Kodiak is voluminous. Yet the sharp, raked entry means it’s not a fat boat up front. More a broad-arrow if you like.

The 14 Kodiak has the burgeoning local inshore fishing market in its sights. For this, it rates highly. Off the beaten track, you might be better with an Aussie-made utility that you hose out and forget about. So it all gets back to how and where you like to go boating and fishing.

Priced from: $21,997 advertised on this site for identical 2012 model at time of writing

LOA: 4.50m
Beam: 1.92m
Weight: 311kg dry hull only
Deadrise: 6 degrees (warped-plane hull)
Transom height: 20in
Min/Max HP: 25-40
Engine: 40hp four-stroke Mercury BigFoot outboard w/ three-blade 13in prop
Fuel:  Portable 25-litre tank
Persons/max weight capacity: 4/490kg