Formosa Sea Rod 520 Deluxe Runabout: Fishing Boat Review

Here is a versatile little alloy boat that can be towed by the family car, makes a lot of sense for the family or fisherman, and it's built right here in Queensland

OVERVIEW
- Aussie built and nugget tough
While we might know that the Sea Rod range is built by Formosa on the Gold Coast, what we don’t know is that this little boat, fully fitted out for fishing on Corio Bay and environs in Victoria, is destined for communal use in a retirement village.

In a very smart piece of marketing: Lifestyle Communities is offering this boat for free use by the residents of its community in Geelong. Hence the name Lifestyle III.

That’s right, while most other retirement villages are offering gymnasiums, pools, bowling greens and the like, this one is offering the use of a fully kitted-out fishing boat to its residents.

And what a well sorted fishing rig it is!

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Full of wonderful ideas for ease of use
The starting price for one of thes Sea Rod 520 Deluxe Runabouts to give the boat its full name, runs to about $39,990 with an 80hp Yamaha and none of the fruit you see here.

This boat, on the other hand is quoted at $50K by Cameron McDonald of Geelong Boating. The 520 was optioned with almost everything that the keen older angler would want. From the bimini and full clears  (which we didn’t put on for our test) to keep you out of the weather, to the walk-through transom door, the upgraded engine to a 100hp Yamaha four-stroke, bait station aft with tha built-in live-bait tank and four rod holders, Humminbird 788 HD GPS/sounder, right up to the Viper Pro Series anchor winch which was controlled at the helm, this boat was ready to go fishing!

Safety gear included a GPS equipped EPIRB, VHF radio and whip aerial, dual battery system and nav lights.

On the trailer side, we had a Danbier, with alloy rims, a spare wheel and tyre and mesh walkway.

In all, Lifestyle III was raring to go!

HULL AND LAYOUT

The helm seats are well forward and the boat has a full 2.4 metre beam, which means that the cockpit is really big for this size of boat.

Additionally, the boat has plenty of freeboard giving a sense of space and safety.

Down aft, there is a three-quarter lounge with a backrest on the transom all of which folds flush with the transom to increase the fishability of this rig.

Forward there are some storage compartments each side of the bow to keep your jackets and other equipment dray in a blow.

Down each side there are side pockets but none are big enough store rods unless they’re broken down.

The floor is covered by carpet that’s waterproof and feels good under foot.

The big news is the new transom which steps down from the walk-thru to nearly water height where there is a fold-down ladder which would be great for divers or kids to get on and off.

The outboard is mounted on what is almost a pod and the quality of the fitup is great thanks to the thought that has gone in to the transom design. And it’s in this transom that the twin batteries and isolator live.

Down aft there is a bit fish bin made of alloy which is removeable. One of our helpers on the day said he has a similar setup tot this on his boat and that it’s easy to fix two handles to the inside of the bin tom make it easier to get in and out and to transport.

CONSTRUCTION
- Heavy construction for long life
The hull structure in a Formosa boat is welded to the bottom sheets and reinforced with longitudinal hull strengtheners. Formosa maintains that the advantage of this process is increased hull strength and consistency in hull shape — resulting in better performance and a more solid ride.
  
Both the bottom and side pates are made from 4mm thick alloy. The extra thick hull of a Formosa, offers the strength value and smoother ride offered in plate models while still keeping a family friendly design found in pressed models.
  
The side decks are fully welded not stitched. Formosa says that welded side decks offer greater hull rigidity, easy-clean decks and better paint longevity.

The floor is constructed of treated marine-grade ply covered with marine carpet.

ON THE WATER
-A bit blowy but we stayed dry
As is quite common around Geelong, when we went out it was a bit breezy well over 20 knots and with a bit of chop offshore.

In the conditions, the Sea Rod handled well. Although we stayed pretty close in where the offshore breeze was, there was a little chop to slice through and slice we did, with that quite aggressive bow and deep Vee, the 520 is always going to eat up chop, but there is also the flared bow and reverse chines too.

The boat sits flat in the water when turning and doesn’t lean in (or out for that matter) through tight turns. The reverse chines obviously keep the boat stable and flat and certainly add to the boat's predictable handling characteristics.

One thing that worth noting are the four ballast chambers that run from about half-way up the hull to the transom. These flood when the boat is stopped and then venturi out when the boat gets going again. What they do is keep the boat very stable at rest so you can two or even three anglers fishing to leeward on a drift, for example.

We had two burly blokes (one being me) on the one side at one stage and the boat felt absolutely safe. We are aware that other brands of boats have been doing this for years, so it's not unique, but it is certainly worth noting and does make the boat more stable when it’s on the pick or drifting.

Our test boat was powered by a Yamaha 100hp four-stroke which handed the job well. The prop was a Yamaha Talon SDS (Shift Dampening Suppressor) prop which is designed to smooth out shifts as well being designed to complement the engine. It did both admirably and we no cavitation during turns.

We did a couple of speed runs and due to the windy conditions, I wouldn’t put the house on them being entirely accurate but we did find a nice cruise at 3750rpm for 20mph on the readout. Pushing ahead we achieved a WOT of 30mph at 5000rpm.

Sure it’s no world beater in terms of performance but you’ll get nice and dry and it won’t cost you the earth in fuel.

VERDICT
- A safe and sea kindly boat
I came away from the test of the Sea Rod 520 Runabout thinking that it was a thoroughly agreeable little boat. It had no vices that I could see during our run. It had good handling and a good turn of speed. It felt safe.

The way it was set up fishing was great. For the retirees, the anchor winch was a fantastic idea – and well executed as well. The other fishing components were good too. The big bait station with four rod holders was well thought out (save for the fact that the live-bait tank wasn’t plumbed), the sounder worked a treat and the safety gear was all there as well.

Now, if I could just remember the number of that Lifestyle Communities joint…

WHAT WE LIKED
>> Stability
>> Big cockpit for the size of the boat
>> High freeboard means it feels safe
>> Lifts well and corners flat

NOT SO MUCH
>> While it’s only 5.2m long it could do with a bit more storage
>> The live-bait tank should be plumbed
>> No full-length side pockets in the cockpit

SPECIFICATIONS
Price: $50,000 Options included: Coloured hull sides, kill tank with removable liner, walk thru transom door, fold out aft lounge,  aluminium bait board / live bait tank combo, Viper drum anchor winch, VHF radio and aerial, Humminbird 5” colour GPS/sounder,  BEP VSR dual battery system, upgrade to Yamaha F100 EFI four-stroke engine, trailer upgrade, bimini and clears, tonneau cover, EPIRB with GPS, interior LED cockpit lights

Priced from: $39,990
LOA: 4.95 metres
BEAM: 2.4 metres
Weight: 600kg (boat only)
Deadrise: 17 degrees
Max Horsepower: 115hp
Prop: Yamaha SDS (Shift Dampening Suppressor)
Max people: Five
Side plates: 4.0mm
Bottom plates: 4.0mm

Supplied By:
Geelong boating Centre
88 Barwon Heads Road
Belmont, Vic
www.geelongboats.com.au