Scout 242 Sportsfish

American fishing boats are on the march in Australia and one such boat, the Scout 242, has found its way to our shores. The test boat was supplied by Tim Bailey of WA Bait Supply who runs his business out of Fremantle, Western Australia. Bailey, who has spent a lifetime in the marine industry brought this boat into Australia several years ago. Scout Boats are now available from Sportsfishing Boats Australia in NSW.

The 242 Sportsfish features a hull with a beam of 2.6m and, due to its low profile and raked down gunwales towards the stern, it takes on the appearance of a long and narrow vessel.

These boats are big on under-deck stowage. Preparing the moulds for the topside must have been a huge task in itself; it has that many nooks and crannies.

The transom of this boat is capable of lugging a 225hp four-stroke and the test boat featured a Yamaha’s F225 four-stroke outboard.

The full beam rear lounge was in three parts. The central section could be collapsed and its back section folded down, opening up the transom bulkhead and facilitating a walk-through arrangement that utilises the small swim-outs installed on the transom in each aft corner of the hull – a necessary manoeuvre to allow the engine to come up to full tilt. The assembly, along with the corner cushions, could be removed to free up the area for stand-up fishing, or it could be just folded down.

 The engine well was rebated below the level of the swim-outs and Sea Star hydraulic steering was fitted to the big engine.

Many fishermen angling from the gunwales look for a place to put their feet underneath so that their body is upright when they lean against the coamings. You won’t find this on the Scout, except for where the rebates are situated in the inner liner for gaffs and the like. Even then, an upturned lip on the deck edge puts one slightly off kilter when fighting a fish. The coamings are very high so this makes up, to some extent, for the lack of that attribute.

WORKAHOLIC
The last part of the coaming is flared in the port corner, with the hatch in the top supported by a stainless steel gas strut. This is a massive area in which you could store wet gear, live fish, dead fish and, even at a squeeze, scuba tanks (we had none with which to measure).

A very functional work station, including a cutting board, is installed in the opposite corner. It features a plumbed sink with fresh and saltwater wash that is operated by an L-cock in the face of the unit.

The two doors on the face of the work station open to reveal four clear lure trays and three drawers in which rigging tape, plastic add-ons and rigging tools may be secured.

A huge livebait tank is installed alongside the work station, hidden in the coaming by a hinged, solid fibreglass lid.

Where the coaming cuts back to its typical width, the cockpit liner is rebated and rods and reels, gaffs and boat hooks can be stowed here.

The rebate in the coaming also allows room for when you’re moving around the centre console.

In front of the console there’s another example of moulding expertise. The first step up onto a padded flat lounge opens to reveal the water filling port and a self-draining cavity for fenders and ropes. Under the large cushion on the flat lounge is a hatch that opens to a dry stowage area for gear bags and life jackets. This and all the other hatched areas have good, self-draining gutters to drain water quickly.

 The hatch on the top of the bow opens to a purpose-built rack that suspends a Danforth anchor. This is the spare anchor and can be lifted out of its rack along with chain and rope for use as an extra or a back anchor when moored off the beach. Should the rope or chain become tangled, there’s a vertical hatch in the bulkhead to give you access to fix the problem. An electric Windlass winch weighing a plough anchor is the main ground tackle on the bowsprit.

AT THE HELM
The helm is to the port side of the console and Furuno electronics have been flush-fitted along with other instrumentation. A map compartment is hidden beneath a perspex lid and items such as the start key and battery isolation switch are rebated in the face of the console.

The hard top’s supports are very strong and rigid, with swivel-out outrigger bases and rear deck lights fitted here.

The frame under the hard top holds another dry stowage box. Radios could be installed here to get them off the console.

Just in case you run out of storage space, the bum seat features more. It has a removable back rest that occupies two rodholders. Another two rodholders are available on the back of the base along with two drinkholders. The bum seat folds forward to reveal a fibreglass stowage box and an icebox can be strapped underneath, amongst the seat’s supports.

Entering the console from the port side, the head is in a deep recess, and the inside of the compartment is lined with soft carpet. The battery is stored in the forward wall of the head.

CHOPPING THROUGH CHOP
Nudging out into the chop in front of Fremantle Boat Harbour, the big Yamaha had plenty of perk and lifted this boat easily out of the hole. The longitudinal centre of gravity was well back and under the console so travel over big chop should not be a problem. We could only find chop of up to a metre on the day of the test and the Scout proved very agile at the helm.

Wound out to full throttle at 5800rpm, the boat was cracking along at 35kts.

Backing off to 8kts, the tacho registered 2300rpm and over short chop to under a metre the ride was super smooth. With so much walkaround fish-fighting space, backing down on a fish is not a priority but the Scout will do so without too much trouble. This boat is on the large side of the trailerboat spectrum and towing it may require a permit in some states. But this rig will do you nicely for some extended offshore expeditions.


HIGHS