East Coast Boats teases Outlaw 605 hull No.1

The first hull out of the mould, destined for a Mallacoota-based abalone diver, is fitted out to 2C Survey standard. The boat is being built by Bairnsdale-based shipwright Daniel Lionti.

The East Coast Boats Outlaw 605 hull tips the scales at 1200kg dry. It features aggressive strakes, a planning plank with a vee etched into it, and an almost 23-degree deep-vee hull deadrise.

At its widest, the hull has 2250mm of waterline beam and tapers to 1950mm at the stern to give it a missile-like profile.

This boat is kitted out with twin 140hp Suzuki four-stroke outboard engines fed by a 285-litre fuel tank to give an on-water weight of around 1900kg.

The transom corners produce 700mm of freeboard, and the cockpit features a generous amount of deck space that commercial and recreational buyers alike will utilise.

The owner’s paint combination has produced a hull that is predominantly all-black hull with a white pinstripe aesthetically matched, with more white running along the gunnel and top deck. Above it all is an eye-catching black wave breaker.

An initial sea trial launching from the Nicholson River the East Coast Boats 605 Outlaw annihilated the metre-plus Lake King chop kicked up by a 25-knot westerly, cruising effortlessly at 33 knots down-sea.

The Outlaw 605 also dealt easily with a lumpy and confused Lakes Entrance bar, delivering a smooth and responsive ride while instilling confidence in the snotty conditions.

The run home was equally quick and smooth, touching 30 knots in variable head-on and quartering seas with only wind spray sending the occasional salty shower over the wave breaker.

On flat water, the under-propped 21-inch pitch four-blade configuration topped out at 44 knots – expect more top-end speed from 23-inch three-blade props.

The recreational version of the Outlaw 605 will launch soon featuring a modified top deck (as a fishing version as alternative to the commercial trialled), a large kill tank, live well, dive door, windscreen, integrated fishing fit-out with enough real estate at the helm to house twin 12-inch touchscreens, a lockable cabin and provision for an electric winch at the nose.

The recreational version’s recommended single horsepower is likely to range from 200hp to 250hp.

The price of a bare hull is expected to come in at around $40,000, with survey adding about another $5000.

All hulls will be built to survey standard with positive flotation.

The East Gippsland region has produced a plethora of locally built commercial and recreational trailer boat brands including Bass Strait, Whitepointer, Cootacraft, Veicht and now East Coast Boats.