Markham Dominator 5600 Canyon Runner

Anglers have more in common with each other than most prospective boatbuyers. Take those intending to buy a boat for a spot of serious offshore fishing from a coastal port, where there might be rough seas, a river bar and some rampaging big fish on the tooth. These would-be skippers will find that their pre-purchase checklist has a likeness in keeping with the shopping lists of two mums with four kids under the age of 10 stepping into their local supermarket. Save yourself a lot of time in the aisles and check out the boat featured here.

The Markham Dominator 5600 Canyon Runner has a title that suggests wet-track form, but it's not until you pit it against the shopping checklist that it comes out tops. Consider the following shopping list for a new offshore sportsfishing boat:

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HOME ADVANTAGE
Markham Marine builds trailerboats for seriously fishy boaties at Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast. There is a river bar that can get rather nasty and the fish-rich canyons are a good 30km run east. A good breeding ground for a bluewater boat if ever there was one.

While they aren't the cheapest boat for your money, the Dominators are high-quality, hand-built production boats designed for going places. They come with lots of good gear as standard and most of the R&D glitches on things such as suitable power matches, prop sizes and appropriate fittings have been ironed out well before the boats hit the market floor.

For example, the 5600 Canyon Runner has standard angling-friendly accoutrements such as a saltwater deckwash, big livebait tank with scoop and pump, upholstered cockpit coamings, Reelax padded helm seat and mechanical non-feedback steering, with hydraulic steering available as an option.

The NSW Markham dealer - Coastlife Marine on the Central Coast - added a factory-fitted fold-down rocket launcher with bimini top and Vibak clears, GME marine radio and stereo. The top was a fold-down number to allow it to fit in smaller garages - but if that's not an issue, you can fit a rather excellent optional moulded hardtop as a home for your electronics, too.

Either way, the 5600 Canyon Runner isn't a handful. The fully-cocked custom Mackay trailer is a drive-on/drive-off affair with teflon skids and polyurethane rollers. It had galvanised dual axles and leaf springs, 14in wheels on mag rims, a spare, and Sensabrake system. Hitch up and haul away - the coast is waiting.

On the road, with twin Honda 90hp four-stroke outboard motors, the rig weighs 1900kg dry. That is within Commodore and Falcon tow limits, providing you fit a heavy-duty hitch. So, no need to go shopping for a new tow vehicle either. Check.

HAPPENING HULL
Boatbuilder Mark Hookham is a qualified naval architect and probably the longest-serving catamaran builder in Oz. He is proud of the fact he has never lost a boat at sea and that he took the initiative long ago to build "unsinkable" boats.

Hookham has a penchant for the asymmetric cat hull shape. His 5.60m model, the smallest Canyon Runner in that range, has sponsons that are each like a small monohull. The tunnel isn't huge and it tapers from bow to stern to trap displaced water and provide lift.

Combine this venturi effect with the very flat run of the sponsons aft, and you have an efficient cat that rides high on the water. The design is well suited to carrying the weight of four-stroke outboard motors, and I have waxed lyrical in the past about how well it works - especially on the company's 7m Canyon Runner.

Because a lot of the water is directed aft, and used for lift, there is also less water displaced to the sides. Fast or slow, the 5600 Canyon Runner is a very dry boat - the light mist on the windscreen came from playing silly buggers in a passing boat's wake. But wait, there's more.

The Dominator cats lean into the turns and don't wallow to the outer hull like others. With such manoeuvrability on tap, you can make last minute decisions when crossing bars without risk of throwing the crew overboard.

Now, a word or two on the construction side of things. Hookham describes the build standard as semi-high tech without being exotic. The hull has GRP hand-laid lay-up with double-bias rovings. The bulkheads and stringers are foam cored, and end-grain balsa is used for the cockpit sole. No wood underfloor, just positive foam buoyancy of the closed-cell type that won't absorb water.

In the looks department the 5600 is hot. The hull and deck mouldings are nice and fair, and a good deal of thought has gone into getting the ergonomics just right. Lean into the coamings and you will find plenty of room to put your toes under the coamings, and lean overboard in comfort thanks to the bracing on the thighs.

DESIGNS ON FISHING
Despite its impressive dimension on the trailer, the 5600 Canyon Runner is easy to access and doesn't demand that you undertake a month of Pilate lessons. A fold-down swim ladder - which doubles as the aft rail on the walkway between the motors - lets you climb aboard to take on tackle, fuel and supplies.

The boat has a good spread of stainless-steel rails, with an especially high and safe optional bowrail that lets you pitch lures from the foredeck in calm weather, send the anchor seaward or retrieve it back on deck.

Back aft is a transom door leading into a wide, self-draining carpeted cockpit with room for three to four anglers. But I'd make that carpet removable for easy cleaning.

The outboard powerheads tilt back into deep splash wells that each harbour a scupper and fuel filter with clear inspection bowl. On the flipside of these are the internal battery holds, mounted off the floor for safety and toe-under space. I couldn't find an isolating switch, however.

The gunwales were graced with six rodholders and trick recessed aluminium cleats. The padded coamings, stability and freeboard make this a great fishing platform. The boat's terrific access to the water via the transom walkway and ladder should also appeal to divers.

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
Full marks for the inspection ports in the cockpit sole that lead to twin 150lt fuel tanks and senders. There are two separate fuel systems and deck fillers. Should you get a batch of dirty fuel, you can run on just one tank and motor. Dual fuel gauges allow you to keep check of the tanks' levels and draw from one or the other by trolling on one motor.

The factory-fitted rocket launcher was mounted on good quality Sant fittings. Big-boat Vibak clears and high canvas provided plenty of headroom at the helm. There was space to mount eight rods up top and scope to swing outriggers.

Storage exists in two skinny bait or wet wells in the transom tops, and fully-lined sidepockets for gaffs, boat-hooks, landing nets, paddles and - with a little application of the holesaw - a long-handled tagpole. Smaller pockets near the helm provided a home for personals. There are drinkholders close at hand, too.

Switches marked "bilge pump" are located to port near the coamings. The aft one fires up the saltwater deckwash hose, while the forward one turns on the livebait tank. The livie tank is located under the padded passenger seat, which has room to sit two people, or one in a semi-prostrate lounging position facing the wake.

A second padded lid over the forward section of the passenger lounge lifts to reveal a sink and handheld tap linked to a 23lt watertank. You could also mount one of those single-burner camper stoves here and make a cuppa at anchor or beside the holiday road. There is a storage hatch for lifejackets handy to the helm.

CABIN FEVER
The aforementioned watertank resides in the portside sponson in the step-down toilet area. The BiPot chemical loo can be upgraded to an electric number if a five-star WC is high on your shopping list. Foam flotation fills the starboard-side sponson, and there is a fluoro nearby to light the wiring behind the dash... but no cover to protect the connectors.

An infill board, which is foam cored to save weight, and a centre cushion convert the cabin into a generous 2.12m transverse double bed upon which a couple could sleep. If you're really keen for a fishing adventure, two more could bunk down in the cockpit on airbeds under camper covers.

The cabin hatch was mounted on hydraulic struts that were so powerful they virtually lifted you into the air as the hatch headed skywards. When closed, the tension prevented the hatch rattling and removed the need for a second catch.

You have to scamper through the opening to reach the foredeck, but I found plenty of freeboard up front to lessen the likelihood of water slopping aboard. The flat casting area offers secure footing and a thigh-high bowrail adds support. There is a full-width rope locker with two hatches, but I couldn't find the deadeye.

EASY TO HANDLE
A "big" little canyon runner, the 5600 proved a snap to launch, drive, park and put to sea. Much of that had to do with the rather excellent helm setup. The padded Reelax chair with armrest is adjustable fore and aft, and it swivels. Big views all round.

The footrest on the forward bulkhead is a long way away and a small, fold-down footrest off the seat box would be handy. Presumably that seat box - which provides storage space - is through-bolted into a backing plate and not just self-tappered in place.

The windscreen is an acrylic number mounted on struts that could be beefed up. I would also like to see a grabrail around the windscreen, as it's the one item you instinctively reach for when high-tailing it to sea. But full marks for the upgraded Hydrive hydraulic steering, solid stainless-steel wheel and twin Honda throttle boxes. There was good vision through the windscreen when seated and through the zip-out clear panel when standing.

The moulded-fibreglass dash had a drinkholder, 12V accessory plug for the phone and twin sets of Honda gauges. The switch panel controlled the lights and stereo that, along with a 27-meg radio, were flush-mounted. There wasn't much room left over for mounting serious electronics. Large-screen sounders and plotters can be mounted ahead of the passenger but facing the skipper.

BLUEWATER BOUND
We launched at the picturesque town of Brooklyn on the mighty Hawkesbury. The river was running as clear as a puddle on a well-used four-wheel drive track. So I ventured downstream and out to sea, noting some principal performance figures and handling traits en route.

The boat is true to its performance claims, lifting out the hole swiftly, and nice and level when you keep the legs in. Once up and running you will find a good range of trim angles, and one motor can be set deeper to offset crew weight.

The Honda outboards were quiet, and the fact you didn't need to shout to be heard made for a pleasant passage. With full in-trim, the boat will almost hold plane at 3000rpm, although the nose lifts quite high. This might be handy for climbing your way out to sea in heavy weather. At 3500rpm, the boat holds a low-speed plane of 26.6kmh.

Some 4500rpm per motor produced the most efficient cruising speed of 43kmh. At this speed I cruised into the teeth of a loping 1.5m swell with a long fetch and joggle on top, and found the boat was smooth riding. Later, 2800rpm offered a 13kmh gamefishing troll speed, and 2500rpm returned 10kmh for pulling minnow lures for salmon and kings.

I could see the blue water a kilometre off Broken Bay - a vanguard of the warmer current announcing summer wasn't far away. But it wasn't to be. Instead, I high-tailed it back home to see how the boat handled down-sea. Try 63kmh at 6500rpm without broaching or sucking spray back aboard.

The only bogey is in the reversing department. The boat has a tendency to bury its transom and powerheads when you go hard astern. The lighter DFI two-stroke motors might help, as would a fully-sealed transom door. But providing you are aware of the reversing trait, you can circumvent the problem. In any case, you are best to fight big fish from little boats while going ahead and to pull anchors at 45° with a dan buoy.

I'm told a lot of new Markham Dominator buyers are coming out of big boats. That doesn't surprise me. The list of features on the company's Canyon Runner series is in keeping with a much bigger craft.

Straight to parcel pickup, shoppers?