Haines Hunter 570SF Champion

Haines Hunter has been at the cutting edge of this country's fibreglass trailerboat builders for some time. Indeed, over the years the Queensland-based manufacturer has played an integral role in the evolution of Aussie craft, and played its part in ensuring a continuity of superior boats for local consumers.

With its latest releases, Haines Hunter has not only altered its deck moulds, but has also modified its hulls to improve ride and performance. Refinements are the result of hull design evolution (across the board) that span back past two decades.

Haines Hunter's new 570SF Champion has had the forward flare of the bow lowered a little, enhancing bow recovery in a short, deep sea. The chine has been widened five centimetres to improve stability at rest. At the stern, a short planing plank allows the boat to slip quickly up onto the plane and further enables the boat to ride flat through choppy conditions.

Boats around the 5.5-6m range are particularly diverse in their application. They are very comfortable boats to work our open bays and certainly more than capable of heading offshore. Sure, boats of six metres-plus are even better as offshore platforms but when you take into account the additional purchase price, running cost of bigger engines, size of vehicle required to tow the rig and storage and handling issues... Well, a big boat can become quite a handful.

The 5.7m Champion can be towed by the family six-cylinder car, efficiently runs on 115-150hp engines, and can adequately handle the whole family out on the water or the 'boys' for an offshore fishing trip.

The boat's layout lends itself impressively to both options. Two helm seats and two rear seats (one in each corner of the transom) provide comfortable seating for four adults. The box mounts under the seats are superior to pedestal mounts, as they are secure and make use of otherwise wasted storage space.

The rear seats are mounted cushions that slot into each corner. They are not big and cumbersome, so can be easily lifted out and placed up in the cab when using the aft deck area for serious fishing.

Most anglers slip up into these corners, especially when it's a bit rough, as you can brace yourself in a number of directions and position your feet right in against the sides of the boat for serious fish-fighting.

Across the transom of the Champion, a clip-on cover hides items such as batteries, oil bottle, bilge pumps and engine cabling. It is neat and tidy and quickly clips off for access to any of the items.

However, the one thing I dislike about these sunken bilge areas is that the battery remains low to the deck. For instance, if you cop a heap of water in the boat (something which can happen when fishing offshore), all the water runs to the back of the boat. Sure, this bilge well is nice and deep. But dump a few hundred litres of water in here and the inadequacies of a small bilge pump, or a battery covered in water could soon be noticed. I expressed this concern to Haines Hunter's development team, who are considering lifting the battery higher off the deck.

FEEL THE WIDTH
The 570SF is nice and beamy, so you have plenty of room to move about and fish in the aft cockpit. The stability is very good, especially with the increase in width of the outer chines.

Haines Hunter makes one of the best cutting board/bait stations in the business and you will find one over the engine well of this boat. With a lift-up cutting board with sink below, large storage tray, rod and knife holders and the ability to completely remove the entire station, make it a must for fishing.

For baits (alive, dead or frozen) there is the large well on the starboard side of the transom. It's a good size, but the depth of this box prohibits the battery below from being lifted higher off the deck at this stage.

On the port side, the transom bulkhead has been lowered and a step added, to make life easier getting in and out of the boat. Here too is a moulded auxiliary engine mount... Another example of clever design.

All rails and cleats are recessed into the 570's gunwales, which provides smart overall presentation and eliminates obtrusive items which can be hazardous.

Up in the helm area, you will be impressed by the big dash and smart instrument layout. Big video sounders can be mounted on the dash or smaller LCD units flush-mount nicely into the dash, right in front of you.

On the passenger side, a raised compartment caters for everyday items such as sunglasses, wallet and sunscreen. Larger items can be kept in the big pocket at your side and, of course, there is abundant space in the sidepockets. And with the recess in the dash on the passenger side, it is easy to get in and out of the cabin without bumping your back.

Plenty of light and air gets in here, keeping it fresh and cool. Indeed, it's no small area, with a sizeable V-berth and ample storage in the generous sidepockets above the bunks. A couple of hatches at the head of the bunks provide further room for storage.

As with most V-berths on a boat this size, you can slip in the centre section to give you a big, double bed. The centre cushion covers up the optional toilet, and a big hatch opens up in the cabin roof for plenty of flow-through ventilation. The cab is one of the more spacious and stylish that I have seen in a boat this size.

ARMCHAIR RIDE
The ride of the boat was superb, as it was a flat, calm day during the test and the only rough water we could find was the wake of the camera boat. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to drive and there was certainly no problems with the boat getting up out of the water and on its way.

The big 150hp Johnson on the back just picked up and slung us forward at an eye-watering pace. You appreciate that planing plank at the stern when you push the hammer down. Along with the planing strakes, it helps tracking and stability.

Smaller engines, such as 115hp V-four powerplants, would be well-suited to this rig.

But for good all-round use, 120-130hp becomes more practical.

With 160lt of fuel under the floor, there is the capacity for quite a big day out on the water with the option for a larger tank if pre-ordered.

Haines Hunter's 570SF Champion retails for $44,200 (including electronics, toilet, canopy, options and on-water costs). The standard boat, with motor and trailer, is priced at $38,900. Either way, it seems Champion value for money.