Pirate Sportfish 34 Review

The hull of the Pirate Sportfish has had quite an interesting life. It started out as a 31-footer, designed by Dick Ward and Brad Craft in Cairns. Even in its original incarnation, it was a great little boat, but the designers decided a few extra feet would make it that much better.

Subsequently Ward and Craft set about extending the Pirate mould to produce a 34-footer. The second Pirate was born and the sister ship Saltaire followed.

In its early days the Pirate 34 received rave reviews from those in the know. Cairns-based skippers who were used to driving 40–50ft gamefishers didn't mind getting behind the wheel of the Pirate; in fact, light-tackle fishermen preferred the smaller boat due to its amazing manoeuvrability.

The Pirate hull moulds then changed hands a couple of times before finally being purchased by Ryan Leigh-Smith from Gold Coast City Marina.

Ryan loved the look of the Pirate and saw the potential if the design could be mass-produced rather than hand-built.

Ryan Leigh-Smith and the team at Gold Coast City Marina are in the process of making alterations to the design to suit production manufacture. The hull of the test boat we drove was moulded, but the rest was still hand-built using composite materials. Along the way though, Ryan's team have been moulding individual components, so eventually the entire boat will be moulded and can be assembled on a production line.

The good news is that once they can build the Pirate Sportfish as a fully-moulded boat, the building process will be far more cost effective, and as a result we should see the price drop considerably.

The first two boats were both hand-built and both had price tags in excess of $600,000. It's a lot of money for a 34-footer, but the workmanship is of a quality that doesn't come cheap.

THE FASTEST SHIP IN THE FLEET?
We drove the Pirate Sportfish in its home waters of the Gold Coast, and unfortunately the weather was pretty calm, so we couldn't put the boat's seakeeping ability to the test. I have driven one of the earlier Pirate 34s in rougher conditions and thought it handled quite well, although it was a little wet.

The hull of the test boat was fairly full in the bow with not a great deal of flare. This translated to good volume down below but did tend to push up a bit of mist. Since the time of this boat test, however, the newer, moulded boats have been upgraded with the addition of three chines to improve performance and greatly reduce spray.

Powered by twin Cummins 380hp QSB5.9lt electronic diesels, we managed a top speed of 35kt and a 25kt cruise felt just right. Roaring around in reverse is where this boat really comes into its own. You have to be careful not to throw your crew out of the boat as you rip around the corner. I can definitely see this boat appealing to the ultra-light-tackle record chasers.

BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES
The Pirate Sportfish boasts a proper gameboat cockpit, with survey freeboard, and covering boards you can actually get your knees under. The livewell in the transom is small and might be a bit of a knee-banger, but it will do the job for light-tackle livebaiting or switchbaiting.

Hawse pipes in each transom corner lead to solid cleats, and while the transom door probably won't accommodate a grander, it will certainly aid getting back on the boat after a swim.

A Reelax fishing package on the test boat included a 130lb chair, five rodholders and a set of outriggers. The teak deck and solid teak covering boards look the goods, and the scupper system seems to disperse water well. An engine-driven deckwash is another smart inclusion.

At the forward end of the cockpit you'll find a reasonably-sized freezer on the port side, and a baitrigging centre complete with sink, freshwater washdown and storage to starboard. Both boxes are ideal spots for anglers or crew to sit and watch the baits while on the troll.

At deck height on either side of the cockpit are more storage compartments that double as steps to the sidedecks or to the tower. Access to the bow was a bit awkward, particularly when you have to clamber around the outriggers, but as usual we found it hard to fault the Black Marlin Tower by Paul Selby.

AHOY ME MATEYS
Two steps lead from the cockpit to the helm. Below the first step are fuel and freshwater filters, which prevent any fuel making it on to the deck.

Probably my favourite feature on the entire boat was that the entire helm deck rose on a heavy-duty ram to provide amazing access to the engineroom. Best of all, this was done simply at the touch of a button and without the need to remove furniture to gain access. Engineroom access is rarely prioritised on small boats, so it's nice to see a lot of thought has gone into this design.

Ryan has chosen a centre helm console that provides excellent vision to all corners of the boat and particularly to the cockpit. This design also means the captain is just a couple of steps from the cockpit, which is great if you're a bit short on crew.

The console itself is smartly configured with a concealed 15in monitor that can be raised on a gas strut when in use. The steering wheel sits nicely under your bum when backing up and the Morse single-lever electronic controls fall nicely to hand. The only hazard I saw was that the throttles can be easily knocked accidentally.

The dash featured a Furuno NavNet black-box sounder/plotter, Furuno autopilot, SmartCraft gauges and digital display as well as an Icom VHF and Auto Anchor windlass control panel. Mounted overhead were an Interphase forward scanning sonar, a barometer and a clock.

Lounges on either side of the helm are long and wide - I can see these daybeds being very popular on slow days at sea. They also featured stylish teak backrests and plenty of storage space below.

The toughened-glass windscreen is mounted in a custom stainless-steel frame, and the hardtop and clears provide appropriate protection from the elements. The gap between the hardtop and the base of the tower is 660mm, which suits the lines of the boat and provides enough room to mount the RFD and the radar scanner.

The tower itself is well padded. The tower console features standard inclusions such as steering wheel and electronic controls, as well as duplicate electronics including SmartCraft digital display, Furuno autopilot and NavNet seven-inch sounder/plotter.

BELOW DECKS
The forward cabin is beautifully finished in high-gloss timbers and stylish dark blue leather upholstery. It's three steps down from the helm to the forward cabin. For a 34-footer, the area below decks is surprisingly spacious.

Directly to starboard is a large settee, which has a drop-down Pullman berth above, providing two bunks for sleeping. A large vee-berth forward has a drop-down dinette and infill to form a double bed. A flatscreen TV is located on the forward bulkhead and a DVD/CD player is just under the shelving on the starboard side of the vee-berth.

On the portside of the forward cabin you find a generously-sized and fully-enclosed head, complete with electric loo, hot and cold shower, washbasin, vanity and ventilation hatch.

Forward of the head is a compact but functional galley that features a microwave oven, granite benchtop, single burner electric hob, large sink, 12V refrigerator and plenty of cupboard space.

The Pirate Sportfish certainly has the sexy looks and solid feel of some of the better US-built express sportsfishers and at 600-odd thousand dollars it also has their pricetag. It will be really interesting to see the moulded versions of this pocket sportsfisher, because when Ryan Leigh-Smith can get the price down he won't be able to build them quick enough.

STOP PRESS: Ryan Leigh Smith advises that the first fully-moulded version of the Pirate Sportfish will be finished in February, 2006 and will be priced from $380,000. Expected build time for subsequent boats is around 14 weeks.

Pirate Sportfish 34
Price as tested: $620,000

OPTIONS FITTED
Engine upgrade, electronic controls, electronics package, leather upholstery, metallic hull paint, air-conditioning, genset, 2C survey, Teinbridge props and more

PRICED FROM: $380,000 with 330hp Cummins

GENERAL
Material: Solid FRP hull with foam-cored topsides and deck
Type: Deep-vee monohull
Length: 10.2m (33ft 6in)
Beam: 3.56m (11ft 8in)
Draft: 0.46m (1ft 6in)
Deadrise: 17°
Weight 7500kg (16,535lb)

CAPACITIES
Berths: Four
Fuel: 1200lt (317 US gal)
Water: 350lt (92 US gal)

ENGINE
Make/Model: Twin Cummins QSB5.9
Type: Fully electronic six-cylinder turbodiesels
Rated hp: 380
Displacement: 5.9lt (1.6 US gal)
Weight: 588kg (1296lb)
Props: Teinbridge four-blade

SUPPLIED BY: Pirate Sportfish Coomera, Qld tel (07) 5573 1311 or 0408 758 886 or visit www.piratesportfish.com.au