Riviera 4000 Offshore Pro Tournament

We've all heard fishermen personify their boats. They're almost always a 'he' or a 'she' rather than an 'it'. But can a gameboat be sexy?

It can if it's Riviera's new 4000 Offshore, the fishing version of the Queensland company's 1998 BIAA Cruiser of the Year. It is a vessel that has already received widespread praise for its good looks, fine figure and sporty spice. But only now does it get a wrap for its fishing flexibility.

Fitted with a polished anodised aluminium tower, the 4000 Offshore has evolved into a long, lithe, luscious-looking fishing boat - a model Riviera calls the 4000 Pro Tournament.

The popular sportscruiser can now strut its stuff offshore with a full complement of anglers and tackle, just as proudly as it can parade down a big city waterway where looks are everything.

Indeed, for some patrons of aesthetics, the 4000 Offshore Pro Tournament was the standout new offering at the Sydney Boat Show. Bearing a navy blue hull (Is that Black Watch blue?) and lots of shiny anodised aluminium, it looked every bit the young-and-wealthy man's fishing machine. The Porsche Boxster of the bluewater if you like.

Unlike most cruisers, the 4000 Pro Tournament has been enhanced by the addition of polished (or powder-coated) aluminium rails in place of stainless steel. This is the trend in America where many smart anglers favour an open or canyon runner-style boat over the conventional convertible.

"Basically, the boat was consumer driven," explains Riviera's Peter Jenkins. "The guy who bought it wanted a tower to go fishing. And it's a good boat for fishing. Hopefully, the east coast sportsfishing market in America will pick it up."

INTEGRATED PACKAGE
For the money rich and time poor, this boat offers more useable, better-integrated space for day fishing than many closed-door boats with rarely used saloons and tiny outdoor living areas.

When surrounded by clears - including additional storm covers so you can fully enclose what I've decided to call an 'upper saloon' - you get to see more of the outside world as you travel. And when these clears are rolled away, the view is even better.

The other big plus is the social side of this boat. The table seating allows at least six anglers to converse freely while watching the lures, steaming to the grounds or hanging out at the marina. Yet, for all this, the cockpit is never more than a jump and grab of the rod away.

Covered by a fibreglass hardtop, offering full headroom and surrounded by top-shelf Vybak clears, the 4000 Pro Tournament virtually has two saloons, including one alongside its lower station, which is a big attraction to me.

The skipper, who can sit on a two-person helm seat or lift the bolster and drive while standing, faces three tiers of classy walnut veneer-finished moulded dash, each graced with a battery of gauges.

The comprehensive dash adds to the driving pleasure. On the top tier is a neat display of gauges for the twin V-eight 435hp Caterpillar diesel motors. But it's the middle tier (which includes a well-positioned Raypilot 650), where you'll find a terrific array of switches.

If you had any doubts this was a well-equipped fishing boat, you only need play with these. There are a number of light switches, including ones for the instruments (with dimmer), cabin, courtesy, targa, engine-room, anchor and nav. Additionally, there's a switch for the livebait tank and another to drain the built-in cockpit sole fish boxes. There are stop-start buttons for each motor; and, finally, switches for the trim tabs, washer, wiper, anchor winch and horn.

Flush-mounted on the bottom tier are the electronics - an excellent spread from Raytheon, a brand favoured by Riviera and many gamefishers.

There is an 850 colour sounder, 620 LCD plotter and Pathfinder SL70 radar (24nm), with an arch cleverly mounted on the fibreglass hardtop behind a polished aluminium protective cage.

Right at hand are the single-lever electronic Morse controls and Rayline searchlight controls - there are two aft facing lights in the tower and one monster shining forward like the eye of Cyclops. And somewhere lies the modern day marvel, the remote for the Clarion CD (with woofers even streetmachiners would be proud to own).

Finally, there's an overhead radio box with GME, 27Meg, VHF and Codan 9390 HF.

All this amounts to a mighty array of electronics, to which you can add a second set of engine gauges and alarms, ignition buttons, engine controls and 27 Meg and VHF radios in the tower. That's not to mention the television aerial or the extra halogen light over the dinette.

Though seduced by the techno tour de force, I wasn't so keen on the lack of vision through the wrap-around windscreen and the shallow panel of clear-curtain - with zip-out section between it and the hardtop - that the main helm station offered.

Indeed, there were times when I felt I was almost driving blind and often the trim tabs were needed to keep the bow flat. Which raises a question. Why didn't Riviera use the 4000 Offshore Hardtop to make this boat? It's got better vision at the helm and, with air-conditioning, would be just as comfortable for those days when it's too rough to head up top.

LOUNGING AROUND
Seating for the crew is hard to pass-up, even if much of it doesn't face back towards the wake. On the portside is an L-shaped lounge for four anglers around a dinette (what a bait-rigging station!), and opposite is another two-person lounge. All have storage beneath them.

The skipper's seat was a little too close to the wheel when standing and facing the transom, backing up hard as you might when on a big fish in foul weather. This should not be a hard fix, but I guess young guns will don their Gortex spray jackets and climb back up in the tower to drive in any weather.

At floor level you'll see another of the many Riviera options - teak decks. Go down two teak-covered steps and you're in the cockpit, which you'll find is well-equipped for gamefishing.

To the port is a transverse moulding with eutectic fridge and a handy 12-volt bar fridge. Above this is a small cabinet for a boat hook, tagpole, bait needles and ready-made traces. To the starboard is a sink unit with running water and storage.

Underfloor, there are twin-oval storage bins, each large enough to hold a 30kg yellowfin. There are also four-side storage bins around the cockpit.

These give access to the hot and cold deck shower, the fluid reservoir for the trim tabs, and the button to raise the entire upper saloon floor on hydraulic rams - terrific engine access.

There is also a livebait tank in the transom (more like an aquarium with an inspection window), a factory-fitted base for a gamechair, an underfloor lazarette with access to the running gear, padded bolsters to soften the thigh-high gunwales, and a clever marlin door with an integrated stainless roller for heaving b-i-g fish aboard.

Deck gear is another impressive area. The boat has nine stainless rodholders, two pop-up cleats, stainless hawse pipes and top-mounted aluminium hand rails along the wide bulwark to the bow. Here there are more cleats and deck fillers.

Scamper to the bow and you'll reach a small low-profile bow rail. It's stylish and in keeping with the US-driven tournament look but totally impractical. Looking back, there is a big non-skid white fibreglass deck, with lots of polished aluminium in the tower (equipped with matching Lees alloy outriggers) and four gold-anodised alloy holders in a rocket launcher.

The wight-step ladder to the tower wasn't too hard to negotiate for someone as agile as myself, but our editor might have to watch himself!

Up top, there's room for two or maybe three people - held in place by large padded bolsters - and a view to die for. Here, you can see all corners of the boat, the transom and the big phallic bow. Naturally, fresh air comes by the boatload, though the small bimini top keeps the sun off your noggin.

THE PLEASURE MACHINE
It's when you head below that you discover the boat's alter ego. Remember, the 4000 is a sportscruiser, so once you've shaken the fishing crew, you can enjoy the sumptuous surrounds with your fish widow (mate, et al).

The galley, immediately to port, is conveniently located for serving guests. The granite-coated moulded benchtops are L-shaped and there's an electric, two-burner hotplate, sink, microwave and fridge. And there's plenty of room to cut a baguette, tear apart a cold chicken, and spoon in some coleslaw as filling.

The fridge, cupboards and drawers are all finished with beechwood facings and there's also pleasant (and practical) honey-coloured vinyl flooring.

The best word to describe the head is big. Located next to the galley, it's an easy-clean, moulded room with a standing height shower, Vacuflush toilet, overhead cabinet and moulded wash basin with taps and lots of storage.

The lower saloon includes an L-shaped lounge and dinette, drinks cabinet and mirrored wall, entertainment unit and a well-positioned switch/breaker panel near the companionway.

There are numerous overhead hatches but, in keeping with the sexy look, the portholes have been omitted.

The master cabin has an island berth, twin hanging lockers and is finished in a Lindt chocolate-coloured bedspread to match the brown leather on the lounge.

The carpet is dark ash, while the facias are, again, beechwood covered.

A two-stage bi-folding door transforms the interior from open plan into a private cabin in the bow. Halogen lighting sets the mood.

THE ACID TEST
The electronic Morse controls make this boat particularly sensitive to the throttle. They take a little getting used to, but sure beat the pants off those heavy mechanical throttles we've had to endure over the years.

Linked to twin Caterpillar 3208TA diesel engines putting out a claimed 435hp each, the boat has plenty of power, a nice note at trolling speed and lots of response.

It is also quiet, which some say isn't the case with Cats.

The 3208s are my favourite motors and certainly power the 4000 Pro Tournament to an impressive top whack. Indeed, this boat flies along at 2900rpm at around 30.5kt. At 2500rpm, you're sitting on 26.7kt. Delivery speed is 2200rpm and 22.7kt, unless you have a deadline to meet. And if the weather turns nasty, you can always truck along at 2000rpm at 18.5kt.

With the padded wheel in your hand, the boat's easy to drive. We had a nasty sea on the nose when we tested the 4000 in the midst of Sydney's horror winter weather, but the boat remained composed. With a big rain squall on our heels, we scuttled back inside, swung the wheel to port and surfed home in a hurry.

But I bet we looked a million dollars out there, strutting down Pittwater with the rain beading off the virgin decks. A million dollars? Not exactly. This beautiful boat costs just over half that. And the queue's already forming...

Box Story: CAT IN THE HAT

They have a reputation for reliability and could well be known as the working man's diesel motor. For gameboat operators who clock up a lot of hard yards at sea, the trusty Caterpillar 3208 diesel engine is a benchmark powerplant.

Generating 435hp at 2800rpm, the latest version of this model V-eight marine engine - the 3208TA - revs a bit higher than those early mustard-coloured Cats. But then that's the way it is with most modern high-performance diesel engines fitted with turbo-charging and after-cooling.

Roger Davey from Energy Power Systems, who sells Caterpillar engines in Melbourne, admits the 3208s have been around a long time. But he says that's a strength in the eyes of boat buyers because the motors have a proven reputation.

"It's probably about a 30-year-old design," he says, and adds that Caterpillar motors are backed by a full two-year warranty for pleasure craft use and up to five years for major components.

"But it's a big capacity, very reliable engine. It's a V-eight, which people drool over, with big cubes... It isn't bought on price, but on reputation," Davey says.

Though you won't find a yellow Caterpillar engine inside a new Riviera - the boatbuilder buys all-white Cats to better match its lovely white engine rooms - you can still count on the modern version of the 3208 to get you out to the grounds and back home.

And the 3208 has always been a motor which raises fish, with a pleasant exhaust note. Even if it's a tad more smoky than the newer Cats, such as the 3116s, the fish don't mind.

For more information, contact Energy Power Systems, tel (03) 9574 9222.