Savage 485 Jabiru Pro
The return of the Savage brand with new designs and a new marketing plan has reinvigorated the brand.- Strong build with plenty of stand-up fishing room
- Excellent power to weight ratio
- Standard-fit rod locker.
- Fishing rod stowage compartment lid needs a strap or spring to hold it open when accessing the contents
- Cross member above windscreen not necessary and impedes forward vision.
That was until Telwater took the reins of Savage and gave the Jabiru back its wings. In fact, a whole flock of them are back on the water with this, the 485 Pro, being the largest and newest of a number of sizes each with variations.
It comes standard with a pair of rod holders, underfloor flotation and carpeted marine-ply decks and is an excellent base on which to start building your recreational pastime.
The forward casting deck is isolated from the bow with a void under the bow deck that goes full beam in which the ground tackle is stowed. There is a lot of room here and this space could serve a multitude of uses as it will clear the decks aft to keep the platform uncluttered. That bow deck is formed from aluminium checker plate which offers some non-slip potential should you be using it to board and disembark at shore. Invariably these decks are used for loading and unloading gear as well and this surface keeps its paint work neat for a longer period of time.
Fitted to the test boat was a remote-controlled electric trolling motor which was not standard, rather an option, but the reinforced section of the deck on which it is mounted is part of the standard hull. This alleviates the need to weld and repaint at a later date when adding one of these accessories after market.
The forward casting platform has a number of hatches, one of which is front and centre to allow the ground tackle to be stowed in a receptacle rather than left lying against the hull where it will bang and rattle when riding over chop. That is, if you don’t option for an electric motor in which case the battery to drive it may be stowed on a sturdy purpose-built rack which is a standard item on the 485. A hatch either side of the platform opens outwards and loose gear may be stowed here against the hull bottom and the central hatch that opens toward the bow has a carpeted bottom to allow gear to be stowed up out of a wet bilge.
The substructure of the forward casting deck is crafted from sturdy aluminium box section with plate alloy bulkhead and the deck here and elsewhere is carpeted marine ply.
There was something missing here and that was a socket in which a seat base pole could fit so an angler could sit or lean against a bum seat when standing.
Under the portside coaming a rod locker extends from the forward casting platform bulkhead to that on the aft casting platform. It was fitted with two hasp and staple catches to enable it to be locked which will be handy if over-night travelling and away from home. It could not stay open of its own accord so needed a retaining strap or prop spring of sorts to keep it ajar to make it easy to get gear in and out.
The top of this rod locker is carpeted and immediately springing to mind is that it is an ideal surface on which to place tackle trays with Velcro adhered to the bottom so they don’t slide about and spill their contents. Also rods may be laid flat on carpet areas such as this and a strip of Velcro lain over the top to stop them moving around when travelling at speed over rough water.
In the lower deck there are three seat positions; one for the skipper and two portside for the passenger seat.
The rear casting deck also abounds with stowage area covered by carpeted hatches.
In the port side, a nylon hatch may be used as a bait cutting board and opens to reveal a live bait tank of approximately 35 litres. In front of that a narrow hatch opens outwards to reveal a cavity in which two standard sized tackle trays would fit. The live bait tank is plumbed and the tackle tray container has drain holes allowing water to flush into the hull proper.
A centre hatch opens to access the cranking battery and that starboard side is Velcro fixed and slides out completely to access another large stowage area and the fuel filter that is fitted to the hull.
The bulkhead that supports this deck has a seat pole tube welded to it to allow a skipper's seat to be installed if this boat is to be powered by a tiller control.
The console is an open front shell that serves its purpose and a tubular framework surrounds a tinted acrylic windscreen. There was an intermediate cross rail at the top of the screen which engineering wise was not necessary and it did sit right in the vision of the seated skipper. If you could do away with that it would be advantageous to the helmsman.
The hull bottom is built from 3mm aluminium while the sides are 2.5mm plate with the transom material being 3mm also. The hull is what was termed many years ago as a V-nosed punt in that it had a slight amount of V at the entry point and therefore the shoulders of the chines run well forward. That’s where the stability of this hull comes from, especially with heavy anglers working in the forward quarters of boat.
The coamings are nicely finished being fully rolled underneath and having struts running out from the ribs to add to their strength.
The agility offered to this hull by its maximum rated horsepower of 75 was fantastic and it had power to burn with effortless hole-shot. Steering was also excellent with the usual amount of trim in on the leg required when performing hard turns at speed, to alleviate any aeration at the propeller; nothing out of the ordinary there.
Trimmed out it hummed along at a WOT of 5000 rpm with top speed a tad over 65km/h according to the gps.
As tested, one couldn’t ask for more. It was a tidy package for the price and stretching the memory back to the good old days, we could say it is built with more muscle than its predecessor.
Packaging and practicality: 4.6/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 4.9/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0
LOA: 4.9m
Beam: 1.95m
Weight: 450kg boat only
Engine: 75hp Evinrude Etec three-cylinder direct-injection two stroke
Fuel: 70-litre under deck
People Day: Four
130 Windsor Road McGraths Hill, Sydney NSW 2756.
Telephone: (02) 4577 6699
Email: anne@blakesmarine.com.au
Website: www.blakesmarine.com.au
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