Haines Signature 502DF

Not quite in the league of ‘pocket rocket', the 502DF Haines Signature has more than the usual amount of internal space; something we all yearn for, and in a boat just over five metres in length.

LIKES

-Heaps of fishing room
- Ability to get right on top of ground tackle
- High coamings make it an ideal rough-water fishing boat and especially so with youngsters aboard

DISLIKES

- Steering was disappointing and needs to be upgraded

OVERVIEW

- Good things come in small packages

The 'DF' moniker denotes Day Fisher and provided you keep up your end of the deal, the boat should come up with the goods as it has a lot of practicality throughout for a comfortable day chasing things piscatorial.

This boat features the same hull bottom as The Haines Group’s RF model but with a new top deck.

The cockpit has been opened up to give the impression of spaciousness and looks are more than skin deep here. This is one roomy little boat and coupled with its high coamings that rise as they head toward the helm, it presents itself as a very practical fishing boat for estuary and coastal work. A well-designed transom further adds to the fish-ability of the 502DF.

LAYOUT

- Easy to move around

This superstructure has its helm and windscreen well forward to open up the deck space behind and to reduce the distance of the cuddy cabin roof between the screen and the bowsprit.

The acrylic screen has a central opening pane that allows one to walk through to the bow after opening the cabin roof hatch. Once there you are right on top of the bow which gives more leverage on the ground tackle -- very hand for hauling in the anchor!

Rather than have a stand-alone anchor well, the rope and chain is stored on a shelf inside for ready access. The shelf slopes away at the front so water that is shed off the tackle runs down to a drain that exits through the hull. A rebate in the front edge of the manhole allows the roof hatch to be closed when the anchor is deployed.

Head height is typically short in the cuddy cabin but there is enough room for someone to crawl in for a snooze during the quieter part of the bite.

The cushions here sit loose on top of the liner which has no storage within due to all of the voids in this hull being foam filled for buoyancy. With those out of the way some handy tackle storage systems could be fixed in place here for those inclined.

A long shallow compartment under a hatch between the helm and passenger chair offers some storage space not available inside the cabin. The continuation of this rebate toward the stern is occupied by a 100-litre poly fuel tank that is easily accessible for maintenance to the plumbing if need be.

The two swivel chairs sit on fibreglass boxes that have apertures on their inside wall for further stowage. After purchase, a bead of silicon around the bases would keep contents dry from any water seeping through from the surrounding deck.

The helm station has enough room on a flat fascia for a 12-inch electronic cabinet to be flush mounted and a brow behind was fitted with Garmin GMI10 digital instrumentation that is interfaced with the Suzuki outboard. Garmin’s GPS Map 451S which is a combination depth sounder was gimbal mounted as an option.

Full cockpit-length stowage pockets are installed high enough to get the feet under when fishing about the gunwales and a quality rear lounge folds up out of the way when not in use. It has a cargo net installed on its underside to hold gear when it is deployed as a seat or folded up so one may fish over the transom. The back rest for the lounge is a permanent fixture on a hinged back that folds down should you want to install an outboard engine that featured a high profile engine cowl. This will prevent cowl and transom clashing when being fully tilted.

The transom bulkhead extends aft on the starboard side and a livebait tank is installed here. That profile is missing on the portside corner replaced with a short walk-through transom door leading out onto the boarding platform. The engine cranking battery is fixed to the deck under the step in this doorway.

Standard fit in this boat is a pair of Tallon receivers that flush-mount on the inside of the coaming. These fittings are a base for all manner of accessories and are very effective should you wish to carry a variety of them. You can plug in rings, handles and drink bottle holders and in dry areas there are even accessories to hold computers, mobile telephones, marine electronics and the like. They are quite handy indeed.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

- Great base price for a quality boat

The base price for the 502DF is $39,999 and on the boat we reviewed we noted the bimini, lockable glove compartment in front of the passenger and the rear lounge was optional and took the price up to a total of $47,780

MECHANICAL AND HULL

- Supurb finish

Our test boat was fitted with a straight mechanical steering system which we found difficult to deal with when getting onto the plane and until the motor was trimmed out correctly. The amount of torque transferred to the helm was uncomfortable so serious thought has to go into optioning up to at least a non-feedback mechanical system or ideally a hydraulic one.

The hull finish is typical for one out of this company’s factory; excellent in every regard and we couldn’t find any blemishes in the joins and finishes.

As mentioned earlier, the voids below deck are foam filled and the structure such as deck and bulkheads are constructed of Ruply which is guaranteed against rot and insect pest invasion. The Ruply timber is glassed each side prior to installation to further increase its robustness.

ON THE WATER

- Smooth and quiet

Once we got over the excessive torque at the helm the 502DF was a pleasure to drive. It has a very high windscreen so the face has protection from the wind when standing and underway on the plane. Importantly the profile of the dashboard behind the helm has been kept low so people of various heights will be comfortable travelling seated or standing and have the necessary safe vision forward.

Taking the boat out through The Seaway on the Gold Coast we could only find swell to about a metre on which it performed well when travelling in various directions over it. Some large boat wash was encountered and the boat cut through that without any untoward banging to contend with.

Noticeable also was how dry the hull rides even with wind on the quarter and no spray came onto the screen. The ambient noise coming through the hull is minimal as well, thanks to the foam filling those voids below deck.

The fitted 90hp Suzuki four stroke wound out to 6000 rpm at WOT at which time we were running at around 66km/h.

It had enough torque throughout the rev range to handle a variety of cruise speeds and we took the opportunity to glean figures from a performance test on this motor fitted to its sister ship, the 502RF.

We noted that at the afore-mentioned full throttle the engine was consuming 33.15 litres per hour and its ideal economical cruise speed was 42.8km/h and 4000 rpm where its fuel consumption was a pleasing 11.45 litres per hour. That equates to a range of 271km using 95 per cent of the available fuel in the 100l tank; impressive indeed!

We see this as an ideal boat to handle those cold and windy southern days and it will afford its occupants plenty of shelter and safety in inclement weather. A set of clears will really make this an all-weather fishing platform.

The winter whiting won’t know what hit 'em.

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4.6/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.5/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water performance: 4.6/5.0
Value for money: 4.7/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

Specifications

Length overall: 5.25m
Beam: 2.13m
Deadrise: 21-33 degrees variable
Weight: 525kg approx. Hull only
Fuel: 100 litres
Recommended minimum HP: 70
Recommended maximum HP: 115
Maximum transom engine weight: 200kg
Berths: shelter only
People day: 5 to 375kg

Supplied by:

The Haines Group of Companies
www.thehainesgroup.com

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Haines Signature 502DF

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