Savage 575 Blue Water

Little did John J. know that more than a century later, the Savage name would become part of Australia’s boating heritage. Savage boats have influenced and been a template for plenty of other brands in the Australian marine industry.

For many years, Savage was the top-selling boat brand in Australia, with much-loved craft often passed down through generations.

In 2008, Telwater purchased Savage and new business plans were set into motion to revive the brand and restore it to its former glory. The production of Savage boats was moved from Melbourne to Telwater’s 8.6 hectare manufacturing facility in Coomera, Queensland.

And so we cut back to our launch of the brand’s newest boats.

Among them was the neat new 5.9m cabin boat called the 575 Blue Water. At the launch, we were told by Savage Boats’ director of sales and marketing, Damian Duncan, that the boat was borne of Savage dealers’ request for a boat which could take a 150hp engine.

The other two boats in the Blue Water series, the 545 and the 515, have maximum horsepower ratings of 130hp and 100hp respectively.

According to Mr Duncan, the boat we were looking at was a direct result of dealer requests: "Cabin boats are what’s hot at the moment. Entry-level cabin boats are what’s selling – especially in South Australia and Victoria," he said.

"Dealers wanted a larger cabin boat that could take 150hp, and this is what we built them.

"We had our dealer launch last week and the dealers loved this boat. We already have forward orders for the boat which is very encouraging," Mr Duncan told boatsales and BoatPoint.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- An affordable, versatile boat to option up
Entry level. It’s a term bandied about in this industry a lot. But what is ‘entry level’? Entry level for a yacht can be $200k. Entry level for an inflatable dinghy can be a few hundred bucks. And entry level into the small runabout market is around $20K or less. So really, it’s all relative.

Entry level into the 5.9m (19ft) new cuddy cabin market would probably be in the 40K range so this boat starting from $47,956 is right in the range. But bear in mind, this boat is powered by an Evinrude E-TEC 150hp six-cylinder engine that really gives it some mumbo. Many entry-level boats would be powered by engines in the sub-100hp bracket.

Our test boat had a few options which brought the price up to $51,381. Notable options were the bimini (almost mandatory, we thought) and the hull wrap – well half of it anyway.  Savage had decided to do half the boat in a wrap and half just paint which is why it looks like two different boats in the photos.

According to Damian Duncan, the theory is that the company offers the boat at a realistic price with few options and then customers can option them up to suite their specific needs as and when required.

HULL AND MECHANICALS
- Smooth new hull with 30 per cent bigger cockpit
Stepping onto the new 575, the increase in usable cockpit space is immediately evident. With the rear lounge folded away there is plenty of room for fishing or to carry a heap of gear for the crew. The boat is rated to carry seven adults.

The forward section of the boat is constructed along similar design lines to the 545 and the extra length is devoted to the cockpit. Construction is of 4mm bottom with 3mm topsides.

As mentioned, our boat was powered by the Evinrude 150 which is a V6. In fact, it’s the smallest of the Evinrude V6 range and packs plenty of punch. Drop down to a 130 and you get a V4 which won’t have as much grunt but you will get better economy, and the 95-litre fuel tank will take you a lot further.

Steering is mechanical non-return with a 4:1 ratio.

INTERIOR LAYOUT
- Pretty standard fare but plenty of room for the family
The layout is fairly standard for a cuddy cabin boat. With notable aspects being the big, flat carpeted cockpit and the wide decks which are perfect for rod holders and other mountings. Storage runs down each side of the hull and, while there’s no kill tank, we’re told it will be offered as an option.

There is a swim platform either side of the engine. A transom door is another option. A flip-up lounge adorns the inside of the transom and this is easily removed via a couple of cotter pins on the aft ends. The battery box and isolator switch are located under the transom to starboard, and under a small hatch amidships is the bilge pump which is automatic with an override switch on the dash.

Up at the helm, it’s a fairly simple affair with the standard E-TEC gauges giving plenty of information about the engine and its performance. There is not too much room on the fascia for electronics but the top of the dash is deep with plenty of room behind the windscreen for bracket-mounted equipment.

The pedestal seats are pretty good without being outstanding. We were told that there will be a pedestal ‘box’ arrangement available as an option with additional storage below, and we thought this would be a good inclusion.

In the cabin were the usual carpeted berths with a small footwell so you could comfortably sit in there if you needed to get out of the weather. Storage was available under the bunks but there was no storage along the cabin sides.

Access to the foredeck was great with an XXL size forward hatch so you can safely stand to raise and lower the anchor. We were told an anchor winch is available as another option.

ON THE WATER
- Smooth ride with plenty of punch
The day of our test was a lovely one for boat testing. Clear skies and about 15 knots of nor’westerly blowing down the Broadwater. There were sheltered areas if we wanted it and enough chop in the open areas to test the hull.

Savage has had plenty of time sort out aluminium hulls, and this one didn’t disappoint. The fine entry cut through the chop while the reverse chines sent the water away from the boat. The 150 E-TEC got us up and onto the plane in no time and with a bit of trim out, we were soon seeing high 30s with more to go.

We found we could hold a plane at a bit over 10 knots at less than 2000rpm using 6.3 litres per hour. A good fast cruise at 4000rpm produced 30 knots at 30.9lph. Rev it out to WOT of 5700rpm and we were over 40 knots and burning 59lph. (We didn’t do that for long as it would suck the 95-litre tank dry in about an hour and a half.)

Interestingly, I didn’t find the mechanical steering too bad. The E-TEC is a comparatively light engine and even flicking the boat around in tight turns wasn’t a problem. I was really expecting it to be heavier in the steering but was pleasantly surprised. 

Manoeuvring slowly, which we did quite a bit of wasn’t a problem either. Certainly if assisted steering was a high priority, if could be accommodated but we’re not going to whinge about the lack of it.

One aspect that took a bit of getting used to was the twitchiness of the throttle with the V6 on the back. Press forward too hard and the punch of the engine will just about evict the crew over the transom! 

Gentle throttle adjustments are the order of the day and once we got used to it, the crew remained happy and in the boat for the rest of the day.

At the helm, there’s a good view of the boat and its extremities whether seated or standing. The controls fall nicely to hand and there’s a good footrest for sitting helmsmen.

VERDICT
- A worthy addition to the Savage brand
The new 575 Blue Water is a great boat the family or the keen fisherman. It offers plenty of room in the cockpit and a great cabin to store your gear out of the weather.

The boat has plenty of punch with the 150hp strapped on, but if you don’t really need to travel at 40+ knots and wanted to save a few shekels, a drop down to one of the four cylinder engines would adequately power this boat. 

Just by way of example, the weight of the 545 Blue Water (boat only) is quoted at 570kg and it has a recommended power range of 90-130hp while the 575 weighs in at 635kg – just 65kg more – so we reckon it could easily cope with a 100 or 130hp engine.

Savage offers a comprehensive list of options so you can customise the 575 to suit your style of boating.  The boat handles well and importantly comes with a three-year warranty. It is certainly a good-looking robust boat that will pass the test of time.

LIKES
>> Well priced
>> Versatile package for the family or fishing markets
>> Big usable cockpit

NOT SO MUCH
>> Could do with a bigger fuel tank
>> Not a lot of room for electronics

RATINGS
Overall rating: 22.5/25 = 90 per cent
Mechanical/equipment: 4.5/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.25/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.5/5.0
Value for money: 4.75/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

SPECIFICATIONS
Price as tested: $51,381 Including Savage trailer, bimini and envelope, vinyl wrap, registration, safety gear
Priced from: $47,956
LOA: 5.95m
Beam: 2.33m
Depth: 1.27m
Length on trailer: 6.90m
Height on trailer: 2.60m
Bottomsides: 4.00mm
Topsides: 3.00mm
Rec HP: 90hp
Max HP: 150hp
Prop: 17-inch Viper
Max people: Seven
Steering: Mechanical non-return 4:1 ratio
Warranty: Three years

Supplied by:
Coffs Harbour Marine
311B Pacific Highway
Coffs Harbour NSW
Tel: (02) 6652 4722