Polar Kraft TX 165

Name: Polar Kraft TX 165
Brand: POLAR KRAFT

Looking for an inexpensive alloy bass boat? The American Polar Kraft is certainly worth a look!

LIKES

- Price and features
- Stability at rest
- Ease of operation
- Storage

NOT SO MUCH

- Could have more fuel load
- Some finishing issues
- Needs rod holders
- Helm ergonomics

OVERVIEW

- An alloy boat from the USA?

I suppose it’s appropriate to test something called a Polar Kraft in Melbourne in winter. But as we found out, the Polar Kraft didn’t get its name for being the preferred vessels for ice-bound adventurers, nor did it get the name for being manufactured in far-northern climes where the moose and polar bear abound (although they do have model called the Kodiak). No, I found out that the company got its name from the original owner’s ice-cream cart manufacturing company.

Polar Kraft was established in 1951 and is now part of the huge Nautic Global Group, the fourth-largest boat manufacturer in the USA. Nautic Global Group was formed in 2005 with the merger of Godfrey Marine and the Rinker Boat company and now, based in Elkhart Indiana, boasts seven different brands and some 200 models of boats from 12ft to 42ft.

Relatively speaking, perhaps the aluminium boat doesn’t seem as popular in the US as it is here, although they use them in some circumstances as work boats -- they call their version of our punt a Jon boat.

Polar Kraft does make a range of Jon boats and I’d tip that that is where the company started building fishing boats. However, the TX 615 bass boat is a long way from a Jon boat apart from the fact that it’s built of aluminium.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

- Big on equipment, small on price!

The big story about these Yankee bass boats is the price. From just $25,500 you get the whole package -- boat, motor and trailer (BMT) -- and unlike some other entry-level boats, you don’t have to add half the price again to get it up to a fish-ready standard.

Here the entry price gets you the boat with the works: live bait tank, casting platforms front and rear, full instrumentation including a Lowrance X4 sounder, storage everywhere including lockable rod locker for fully-rigged sticks, pedestal seats, and all powered by a 60hp Mercury four-stroke engine. Add to that a Minn Kota electric motor with iPilot and separate battery, and you’ve got a real turn-key fishing rig.

All you need to do is pack your rods, bait and maybe and esky and you’re out there!

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION

- Is this only 16 feet?

I guess it’s because of the sensible layout and the way the Polar Kraft makes good use of the beam, but this boat feels bigger than its 5.03 metres (16ft 5ins).

The side console layout allows for room between the helm seat and the passenger seat to port. But fold up the bench that has two drink holders in it and you’ll find a third seat. Folding this flat again is handy if you’re moving up to the bow for gear or back down aft to access the live-bait tank.

The deck is flat with stacks of storage under the casting platforms. There are specific storage areas including two lockable rod storage compartments that can handle rods up to seven feet. There are also two lockers aft with fitted tackle boxes.

The live-bait or fish box is located on the aft casting platform and is divided so you can have bait in one end and fish in the other. Obviously, it's fully plumbed and has either a manual or automatic setting constant or intermittent running.

In addition to the helm and co-pilot seats there are a couple of pedestal seats that can be moved about or removed all together. These can be positioned flat on the decks or up on the provided pedestals to lift them up to a comfortable height.

MECHANICAL, HULL AND DECK

- No wood, foam filled, carpeted throughout

The Polar Kraft is constructed of 2.5mm marine-grade aluminium which is fully welded and has a one-piece bottom.

The hull is wide with a flared bow and hard chines running aft. The boat features heavy-duty extruded gunwales and an extruded transom.

The whole boat is painted in a high-gloss urethane paint and there is closed cell foam flotation. All parts of the boat that aren’t used for storage are foam filled and this adds to the feeling of strength throughout the boat and also makes it quieter when running.

Fuel is 45 litres in a factory-installed under-floor tank.

The whole interior is covered in 18oz marine-grade carpet which is nice on the feet but may get a bit smelly after a weekend of serious fishing.

It’s interesting to note that the decks and hatch covers are all reinforced aluminium. No wood here. According to importer Dean Matthews from Riverview Marine, the only wood in the boat is around the pedestal seat mounts.

The boat comes with a Mercury 60hp four-stroke engine and the afore-mentioned Minn Kota electric motor with iPilot remote control.

ON THE WATER

- A good little mover

Fortunately for us, on the day of our test, the waters of Port Phillip were glass-smooth. These boats are designed to run on lakes and estuaries, not the wide expanses of often-choppy bays like Port Phillip. However, Dean was quick to point out that these boats are virtually unsinkable: "We’ve filled one up in the US and it was still able to motor along," he said.

We had no such intentions, so the smooth water was perfect for putting the Polar Kraft through its paces.

Sitting in the helm chair is comfortable. Dean tells us that he upgraded the seats to those of the higher model and it’s paid off. I’d happily cruise around in this boat for few hours trolling a line.

At the helm, the analogue gauges give you speed and engine revs as well as trim, volts and fuel level. Along the side of the console are rocker switches for lights, bilge pump, live bait tank, horn and more. The Lowrance sounder is well positioned in the middle and there’s a 12-volt plug on the bottom left of the dash.

One thing I found was that the engine controls were positioned a little far aft for comfort. This is due to where the rocker switch panel is positioned, pushing the engine controls back. Not much can be done about it, but it did feel a little uncomfortable.

Our test boat was fitted with quite a small prop which Dean told us was to get it out of the hole quickly. For our money, we’d have a larger prop with a bit more bite. That said, the Polar Kraft was a pretty good mover.

We found it holding the plane at 11 knots at 3000rpm. From there we were cruising at 18 knots on the GPS at 3500rpm but the sweet spot felt like 4000rpm with about 20.5 knots showing. At wide-open throttle, we were doing a smidge over 30 knots at 5500, but I reckon we were really chewing through the juice, and with only 45 litres on hand it’d be unwise to hold that for too long.

For the trolling enthusiasts, we got 2.4 knots at idle in gear (around 800rpm).

At the helm, I found the steering to be tight as were the engine controls. That said, it handled quite well and felt nimble, but as you’d expect with a small prop there was a quite a bit of cavitation if we gave the boat some stick.

Moving around at rest, it proved to be quite a stable platform, with two medium-sized blokes on the one side we didn’t feel didn’t feel tippy, but then again we had perfectly flat water.

VERDICT

- A bargain-basement bass boat!

If you’re after a bass boat for a bargain, this could be it. The boat comes fully loaded and ready to go. Although Polar Kraft has been making boats for over half a century, whether they're as tough as the Aussie-built boats remains to be seen.

We did note a few imperfections and trim issues, but also noted that these boats are pretty well finished and you won’t lose any bark due to rough edges and exposed alloy.

The ride is smooth and quiet due to the foam-filled hull and the boat handles quite well.

This boat is not the top of the range when it comes to bass boats but for the money, it’s a great way to get on the water and go fishing on your favourite lake, river or estuary.

Specifications:

Price: $25,500 BMT
LOA: 5.03m
Beam: 2.13m
Weight: 445kg (Dry approx.)
Tow weight: 750kg (approx)
Fuel: 45 litres
Max HP: 60
People: Four

Supplied by:

Bayview Marine
6/18 Powlett St
Moorabbin, Vic 3189
Tell: (03) 9786 0296
Web:

www.bayviewmarine.com.au

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Polar Kraft TX 165

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