Crestliner 1650 Fish Hawk
This is the second of three new American-built, plate-aluminium Crestliner boats now available and she already has a few chins wagging.Crestliner 1650 Fish Hawk
LIKES
>>> Exceptional build quality
>>> Excellent value for money
>>> Standard accessories
>>> Great ride
>>> No gunwale rod holders, but they are an after-market option
>>> Cleats not recessed
This is the second of three new plate-aluminium bowrider/tournament fishing boats, marketed through Berowra Waters Wholesales, now available in Australia. It comes with a lifetime hull warranty and a three year bow-to-stern coverage for the original owner.
To give readers a bit of background on Crestliner, it has been building boats in the US for more than 65 years. It started building timber boats in 1946, then progressed to fibreglass, before taking on plate boats in 1965. And it was in plate-aluminium boats that the company found its niche.
Likes its sister boat, the 1600 Super Hawk, the Crestliner 1650 Fish Hawk is an extremely versatile boat. She’s essentially a beamy family bowrider that effortlessly transforms into a well-decked out tournament fishing boat, with all the features needed by pro anglers, at a price that won’t break the bank.
CONSTRUCTION
These boats also feature structurally-engineered extruded gunnels, which add strength and functionality to the hull and free up interior space. But the biggest plus is the hull’s excellent freeboard. This gives parents peace of mind when the kids are onboard during tight turns and anglers something to brace against when fighting big fish. Below the floor is an intricate welded stringer system, which also increases the strength and rigidity of the hull.
The boat features a variable-deadrise hull, 17 degrees at the stern and 35 degrees at the bow, which delivers an excellent soft ride over choppy water and helps the hull plane quickly.
All interior surfaces are either carpeted, or finished with a non-slip, spray-on coating, even those not clearly visible inside lockers and under hatches – the overall finish of these boats is excellent. The hull was coated with a super-smooth blue paint job, with striking red, white and black graphics, which really gives the blue hull an extra lift.
Like the 1600 Super Hawk, the 1650 Fish Hawk features a split, walk-through windscreen, supplied by renowned glass maker Taylor Glass. This opening screen is quite high and offers good protection from the slipstream. Its frame is also strong enough to be used as a grab rail and the glass is curved at the sides, so there’s no joins to inhibit the driver’s field of view.
Two roomy cockpits and an inventive transom seat that converts into a casting platform, make this an extremely versatile boat
With an overall length of 5.1m and a beam of 2.18m, this hull combines an excellent open aft cockpit with a roomy bowrider. Both can be easily converted into user-friendly casting areas, or the seats can be configured for family cruising and watersports… as I said earlier, this is one versatile boat.
To port in the aft cockpit there’s a rod rack under the gunwale, which accommodates rods up to 8ft in length. Another lockable, seven-rod storage locker is located under the floor between the helm and navigator’s seats. The helm and navigator’s pedestal-mounted seats also feature fold-down back rests and swivel to give easy access to troll lines. One seat can be repositioned in the bowrider if required. The rear casting platform also deserves a special mention, because it “transforms” into a transom bench seat when not in use and conceals a plumbed 91lt livewell to port and a handy storage locker on the starboard side. The lockable glove box will keep your mobile phone and a stack of other fiddly bits dry and there’s a fire extinguisher positioned in easy reach beneath this.
The driving position has been well thought out and features a driver’s footrest, excellent all-around visibility, the gauges behind the helm are clearly visible and the high, curved screen is a real winner. The 1650 also comes with a Lowrance mono sounder as standard, but there’s plenty of room on the dash for a sounder upgrade.
The bowrider cockpit features an intentionally flat floor, a mount for a fold-down pedestal seat and a raised bow section where an electric motor had been mounted on the test vessel. This can be replaced by an anchor locker, bowsprit and roller. There are also port and starboard storage lockers under the bowrider’s floor.
Because the entire inside of the hull is finished with a non-slip coating, running noise is kept to a minimum and slamming the hull across other boat’s wakes proved she could handle the rough stuff. Even though she’s classed as a freshwater vessel, after experiencing her dry, stable ride, I can see her making many trips close inshore and out on the bays. In tropical waters, she’d also make an excellent casting platform for the monster species that inhabit the fringe reefs around the many inshore islands.
With a fuel capacity of 76lt, the 60hp Merc gives this rig “long legs” and even when fitted with a maximum 90hp outboard, she’s still no slouch in the fuel consumption stakes.
Performance-wise, her soft, quiet ride, good stability at rest and ability to carve up sloppy water make her a pleasure to drive. If you were regularly going to have up to five people onboard, with another dragging behind the boat on a watertoy, I’d opt for the 90hp outboard. But with only two or three lure tossers onboard, a 60hp is quite sufficient.
When I accessed the Crestliner 1600 Super Hawk, I stated that it represented some of the best value-for-money now available on the Australian tinnie market and the same goes for this Crestliner 1650 Fish Hawk. She comes fitted with more extras than most of her competition “as standard” and has the versatility to make her a true favourite among the “tournament set” and family fishos alike. With a price tag of only $30,490 I am sure we’ll be seeing many Fish Hawks parked in Aussie driveways right around the country.
Overall rating: 4.8/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.8/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.9/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 5.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.9/5.0
LOA: 5.1m
Beam: 2.18m
Freeboard: 93cm
Weight: 481kg hull only
Max Weight: 612kg
Engine: Mercury EFI 60hp Four-Stroke
Max HP: 90
Transom Height: 50.8cm
Fuel: 76lt
People Day: Six
975 The Northern Rd, Bringelly NSW 2171
P.O. Box 373, Narellan NSW 2567
T: (02) 4774 6015 M: 0438 339 842
F: (02) 4774 6030
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