Salem SSB590 Series

Think of Salem's Rob Meredith as the leader of the skiboat razor gang. Because he's slashed build times to the bone? No... Because he makes the cheapest skiboats on the Murray? No... Because his craft have razor sharp handling and will cut it with the best of them? Well, yes, but that's not the 'real' reason.

The razor part of the Meredith/Salem story has nothing to do with costs or construction. It relates to Meredith's purchasing of the Yarrawonga (Vic)-based company.

Yes, like Remington shaver tycoon Mr 'close as a blade or your money back' Victor Kiam, one-time Salem skiboat owner Rob Meredith liked the product so much he bought the company.

Meredith purchased Salem from its original owner Bob Hume nine years ago. For a time, Hume continued to build the craft, then Meredith moved his family to Salem's traditional home on the banks of the Murray River and immersed the whole crew in the business. Now Meredith builds a range of family skiboats which he says are among the best in Australia.

There's every indication his faith and effort has been well placed. With a total of 25 years in the business, the Salem brand has a stronger reputation than ever and can proudly boast many multi-boat owners.

FOLLOWING BIG BROTHER
With the launch of its latest 590 Series boats, Salem is hoping that it will be able to attract even more owners to the fold.

Available in three versions - outboard, sterndrive and centremount - the 590 builds on the long-term success of Salem's 620 Series, though in a shorter, more roomy package that Meredith believes will better suit more buyers.

The 590 is unashamedly based on the same hull as its big brother. Indeed, from the helm back, the 590 and 620 Series are identical below the waterline.

The pair share a hull design that dates back to Hume's days - as Meredith says, why fix what aint broke? It features a conventional 15° constant deadrise moderate-V and incorporates six lifting strakes and pronounced reverse chines.

The change in overall length comes from a 'pinching' of the hull forward of the helm. And while the difference in the length of the foredecks of the two boats are obvious when they are seen side by side, the overall lines of the shorter craft remain pleasant to the eye. In other words, there are no obvious signs that the 620 Series has been 'cut and shut' to form the 590.

According to Meredith, the move to a 5.9m boat has been largely driven by customer demand.

"There's a perception from some customers that 21-footers (620 Series) are too big to tow, but to be honest the major consideration is storage. The beauty of the 590 Series is that the boats can be stored in most normal garages," Meredith explained.

However, length isn't the only change that has been made. In the changeover, the low deck 620 design (Salem also builds a low-deck 580) has given way to a more space-efficient high-deck set-up. Apart from the obvious 'sit-in' feel such a design dictates, the final result is a significant 225mm increase in cockpit width without any change to the beam.

Make no mistake, in the outboard version at least, this is a cockpit some fishermen would kill for. Even in the sterndrive, there's plenty of room for the whole gang and while we didn't get the chance to sample the centremount model, the added width should deliver a true walkway down each side of the mill. Other makers, please take note...

Another added bonus is that your outboard-powered Salem 590e doesn't start life as a centremount hull or vice versa. Though requiring extra investment in moulds and the like, Meredith believes that dedicated moulds produce a much better result than the multi-part mould systems some makers use.

And for the record, all Salem skiboats are 100% handlaid using Australian-made resins, 10oz bi-axial cloth and generous amounts of woven reinforcement at all stressed areas. The boats I viewed at various stages of completion showed construction values more akin to offshore racing hulls. I'd wager no Salem hulls have trouble with delamination or other stress-based failures.

INSIDE OUT
Cockpit-wise, the craft are relatively conventional. Up front there is a comfortable, adjustable, bucket-style helm seat for the driver. Also adjustable is the steering wheel, so tailoring the driving position to your individual needs should pose no problems.

Gauge-wise, the driver is confronted with a full set of Quicksilver clocks in the case of MerCruiser or Mercury-powered craft. These are housed in an upright semi-circular binnacle that Salem has moulded with a leathergrain finish. It's an effective and above all, practical dash.

The observer's seat is a tight fit for two, but plenty big enough for your co-driver to lounge about. And lounge is the operative word too... There's a generous rear lounge fitted to the outboard-powered version, and the sterndrive version boasts an observer's seat which wraps around and down almost the full length of the port side of the cockpit.

A matching lounge is installed behind the helm seat and the result is more akin to a conversation pit than a skiboat cockpit. (At least you'll be able to bring along all the gang!)

Funny as it may sound, the only problem with the cockpit is its spaciousness! In the outboard version especially, there's little for the observer or passengers to brace themselves on. Thus, fast turns could have the crew a little... umm, err... restless.

E is FOR EGGBEATER
In our weather-affected test session, we were able to sample two versions of the 590 Series.

Fitted with a 210hp fuel-injected 4.3lt MerCruiser V-six coupled with an Alpha One leg with 21-inch Laser II prop, the test SSB590s was essentially the base level sterndrive version offered by Salem. The SSB590e on hand was far closer to the top of the performance tree though.

Hooked up with 200hp of Mercury EFI V-six and the same Laser II wheel, its performance was stunning.

Acceleration from standstill was effortless and even at moderate throttle openings the boat didn't so much rise onto the plane as pop out of the water.

With the top speed an indicated 74mph (119kmh), apparently there's even more to come from the craft than we could glean in the relatively confined test area on the Murray itself. (Bad weather stopped us from using Lake Mulwala.) In fact, one-up the boat was bordering on flighty as the 200hp Merc stretched its legs.

According to Meredith, 85kmh performance is available with an outboard as small as 135hp - and after sampling the 200hp-equipped craft I can believe it. Such a set-up would be very economical. Mind you, once you've sampled the muscular midrange available from the big Merc, it'll be hard to settle for less.

Refined is the word best used to sum up the 4.3 EFI-powered sterndrive version. In the past I've never been a huge fan of the V-six MerCruisers, but this craft seemed to suit it to a tee.

Though it did seem a little over-propped, the 590s jumped out of the hole flat and eagerly with the leg trimmed all the way in. Acceleration livened up once free of its shackles and the V-six recorded an indicated top speed of almost 105kmh. All the time, noise levels were considerably lower than its outboard-powered stablemate.

By the way, if this sort of performance is not sufficient (once the propping is sorted out, this set-up should provide enough go for all but the ratbags among us), Salem offers a number of hi-po sterndrive options. These include various V-eight set-ups including MerCruiser's 300hp 350 Mag MPI coupled with a BlackHawk semi-surface drive. This is a configuration which Meredith says pushes the 590s top speed to 130kmh-plus!

When compared to some centremount craft, both the sterndrive and outboard versions of the 590 were more prone to slip when cornering at or near top speed. This is hardly comparing apples with apples, however.

Meredith had a centremount 590 underway when we visited Salem. It will be interesting to compare the performance of this boat against some of the other similarly equipped craft we've tested lately.

With both the outboard and sterndrive versions it was important to pay attention to trim when it came time to turn and burn. In this regard, they are no different than their counterparts from other manufacturers.

It was also noticeable that both the 590e and 590s were somewhat reluctant to turn hard against the considerable torque of the big Laser II props at speed.

Having said this, the 590's hull offers a number of advantages over its immediate opposition. Top of the list is a considerably softer ride. I would have no hesitation in using the 590e as an inshore runabout, for instance - something I wouldn't say about many outboard-powered skiboats.

BIG CAT INSPIRATION
According to Rob Meredith, by building the 590 Series, Salem has sought to produce a skiboat that doesn't limit its owners to just skiing. It's important that such a craft is useful when pressed into service for a whole range of water-based fun.

Press him and he'll admit he had boats like the Pride Panther and Caribbean Jaguar in mind when he planned the 590 Series - especially the 590e.

If that was the company's aim, I'd say that their shot has hit dead centre.

An entry-level centremount 590i will cost $23,500, while at just $25,500 rigged with a 135hp Mercury V-six outboard and rolling on a custom-built Salem Easytow trailer, the entry level 590e is also cheap ski-ready fun.

Sure, you'll have to pay a bit more for the 590s or 200hp 590e as tested ($29,800 and $29,900 respectively) but that's still good old-fashioned Murray Valley value in our book.