Cruise Craft Rival 500

Though there are many boats specifically designed for fishing, waterskiing or simple cruising, many trailerboaters are looking for an all-rounder that is suitable for dropping a line over, but will still pull a couple of skiers and power families to an isolated picnic spot.

These days, boat owners have a vast selection of rigs to choose from, but surprisingly, the all-rounders are still the smallest group. Over the past few years Cruise Craft has concentrated on fibreglass-hulled multi-purpose rigs and the latest to roll out of the factory gates is the 5.0m Rival.

Debuted late last year, the Rival is what I call a "just my size" boat. At 5.0m it is a good size craft to handle both open bays and inshore waters, is large enough to take the family or a few friends out on the water, yet is easily towed and stored.

ALL ABOARD
Not about to set any tongues wagging with outrageous hull forms or accommodations, the Rival follows the conventional runabout wisdom with a front windscreen and plenty of room to move, thanks to the commodious aft deck. It's a simple layout, but it does offer a few extra comforts without sacrificing too much room.

In standard trim there are two comfortable pedestal seats at the helm. However, a pair of optional back-to-back seats were fitted to the testboat.

While you might think that these seats are more suited to skiing, so those watching and reporting on the action behind don't need the neck of an owl, they are also quite good when fishing. Here you can sink back into the seat with the rod poised straight over the transom just waiting for that fish to come along.

The testboat was also fitted with a rear lounge. This follows the contours of the motor well and transom with padded coaming wrapping around onto the sides.

The set-up offers secure and comfortable seating and is capable of seating three adults and a child, or two and two.

The secure shape provided in the corner two seats is more obvious when you start throwing the boat into a few tight spins as you might when skiing or wakeboarding.

Though not standard equipment, once a prospective purchaser sees how well this lounge set-up fits into the boat, I'd be surprised if they didn't include it.

Below the lounge there's plenty of storage room for a stack of gear to be stowed. It will also house the battery and oil bottle. Additional underfloor storage is found under the deck for items such as ropes, buffers and so forth.

Due to the layout of the boat the sidepockets in the back aren't overly long. Instead, you have a short deep one running back to the rear seats and another smaller one next to the helm seats. As with most sidepockets I'm sure that you'll have no problem filling them with gear.

The biggest storage area is found under the bow. Eskies, picnic bags and towels can be kept here where they will remain dry and out of the way. The bow section has a rather low profile, so there's no chance of slipping in here for a snooze, but it's ideal for storage.

An added bonus is that there is plenty of room for the helmsman and front passenger to stretch their legs.

EASY ACCESS
Anchoring is an easy task, as the windscreen opens in the centre and the centre section of the front deck lifts to allow you to walk right up to the anchor well. This kind of set-up offers added security and lets you do the hard work of lifting the pick with a straight back and plenty of room to move about.

While the helm dash isn't anything exceptional, it does cater for a good display of instruments and there's room to flushmount a depth-sounder into the dash.

Ergonomically, the Rival's helm works well. Unlike some runabout style craft it's also very easy to see where you are going when seated... This is just as well as it is how you will find yourself driving most of the time.

The passenger's side features drinkholders and a lockable glovebox, which will certainly come in handy.

If you are going to use the boat for any sort of watersport then the rear boarding ladder, step and handle are a must-have inclusion from the options list. It's a little odd that Cruise Craft hasn't included these features as standard - a bit like a fishing boat without rodholders.

The sleek rounded profile of the transom helps swimmers get in and out of the boat, though even for the more agile this can be difficult without the options just mentioned.

OFFSHORE PERFORMANCE
When it comes to performance the Rival is not lacking, nor is it relegated to smooth water sports. The manufacturer had bay and light duty offshore fishing in mind for this boat as well.

In fact, Cruise Craft is well known for its larger offshore boats and you can be assured that some of this know-how has gone into the hull of the Rival as it handles chop with ease.

I found the acceleration of the Johnson 90hp powered testboat excellent - the craft was very quick out of the water showing little or no bow-high attitude.

It's the kind of take-off you always hope for in a boat.

Once you are up and running you can back right off on the throttle and hold slow planing speeds. This is particularly helpful in rougher conditions.

The other advantage of this good planing hull surface is the ability to carry a load of a few adults and gear onboard for a day on the water. When it comes to showing off the new rig to friends, you certainly don't want a boat that sinks in the bum, making it unbalanced and hard to drive.

The latest Johnno 90hp, with its new graphite livery is a good looking match for the boat. These V-four engines remain very popular due to good economy, performance and reliability. Not too far down the track, FICHT version engines wearing Evinrude badging are sure to improve this reputation further.

The 90hp is a good match for the Rival, though it can accommodate up to 150hp if you feel the need for speed. For all-round usage, you will find the 90hp ideal and cheap enough to run without having to spend all your lolly money on fuel.