Freedom Getaway 4.94

Most people equate boats with fishing and being a keen fisho I'm as guilty as anyone else. But for many families boating, not fishing, is a way of life. These are not necessarily people who are passionate about waterskiing or wakeboarding either. What's important is their time on the water just playing in the sun.

To some extent, these 'lifestyle' trailerboaties - those who aren't into fishing or speed sports - are forgotten. This is why, from time to time, it's good to do a test run in a boat that's built for plain old family fun.

Freedom boats, built by Glen Grams of Suncoast Marine, have received quite a bit of media attention recently. Although Freedom's range of models to date has been small, this is expected to change over the next year or so as the brand seeks to meet demand for family-oriented craft.

The latest addition to the range is the 4.94m Getaway, which is aimed directly at the family market and at under $18,000 packaged with a Honda four-stroke outboard, is competitively priced.

The fibreglass structure of the boat has friendly soft lines and curves which combine with a capable hull to give it a noticeably softer ride than some boats in this size range.

The layout of the Getaway is straightforward, with a few minor differences from the norm to make it more comfortable and user-friendly.

Two swivel seats are mounted on round fibreglass storage boxes at the helm, which means no square edges to bump into. These storage boxes are good for keeping small items such as tools or ropes, but most of the large storage space is found under the bow or in the two optional seats that fit across the transom.

These seats are more of a box with a padded hinged lid on them, but are extremely useful on the family boat where one can act as an esky and the other can store all those other bits and pieces you take along for a day on the water.

One or both seats can be completely removed from the boat and subsequent models will see them situated a little lower to give passengers better back support.

As you would expect to see on a family boat there are duckboards just above water level either side of the engine well and adequate grabrails to make it easy to get in and out.

The way the transom is configured it is quite comfortable to sit on the duckboards and dangle your feet in the water or slip in for a dip without the worry of getting tangled in cables or catching sharp edges.

Back up at the pointy end of the boat, the split windscreen opens up to allow access to the anchor well. A small section of the bow lifts up so you can walk forward to the well, making it easier to drop and retrieve the anchor over the bow of the boat.

The layout of the helm is such that both the driver and passenger can stand while on the move with room for a third person to slip up the middle.

Indeed, in most conditions you will probably stand to drive unless the air is frosty cold or it is raining. During our test run it was quite enjoyable standing up behind the wheel with the canopy zipped open and a cool breeze blowing through, bringing some relief to an otherwise sticky Queensland day.

Had the forecast rain arrived, it would have been a simple case of zipping up the canopy and relaxing back in the seats.

Visibility is still good when seated and the Honda engine is quiet enough to hold a conversation.

On the water the hull glides gently along powered by its 50hp Honda four-stroke. The advantages of four-strokes are well documented these days, but the lack of fumes they generate is often overlooked. This is strange considering they are the last thing you'd want if you've gone to all the effort and expense of buying a nice family boat.

Indeed, that's why Freedom fits Honda four-stroke engines to all its boats unless asked otherwise. I feel this is a good way to go, especially since they can still keep the price at such an attractive level.

As rigged, the 50hp offers leisurely acceleration and enough power to get you easily onto the 4000rpm plane and keep you cruising there.

With two adults on board we managed top speed in the region of 60kmh but put a couple more adults in and the boat will naturally struggle to get up to that level. Thus, if you know you're going to be taking a few adults on the boat you should consider upgrading the engine - the boat has the capacity to accommodate a 90hp outboard.

Of course, the craft itself is not the only expense to take into account. In the past, inefficient outboards have meant that the cost of a day out on the water could be quite high - especially if it involved some travelling. However, with the four-stroke Honda that comes with the rig you can have a reasonably inexpensive day out on the standard 23lt remote fuel tank. Bear in mind that the same thing can be said of the new generation of direct injected two-strokes. If your day is going to comprise a few hours on the local river then the cost of the bait is likely to be more than that of the fuel!

For the new boating family this is a very safe and easy boat to drive. Too much throttle in a hurry isn't going to throw anyone out of the boat and the size means you always feel in control of the rig. This is equally relevant at the ramp where putting it on and off the trailer is easy.

All in all, while the Getaway is aimed at the family market it is also a good all-round boat for bay and estuary work.

It may be basic but it has enough variables and built-in features to make it comfortable and slightly different from the run-of-the-mill rig. We'll be hearing more from Freedom, for sure...