Sea Rod 550 Deluxe Centre Console

OVERVIEW
- Tough, durable alloy boats for every budget and application
Brisbane-based company Formosa Marine has been manufacturing aluminium boats for over fifteen years. The early models were pretty basic, pressed alloy boats with not a lot in the way of innovation or unique design features. Still, they were inexpensive, well made and ideally suited to boat buyers on a budget. The company prospered, and it wasn’t long before a nation-wide dealer network was established.

Since those early days, Formosa Marine has come a long way. The hull designs, interior layouts, finish and fit-out of Formosa Marine boats has improved ten-fold, and the boats are now well regarded.

To cater for a wide range of boat buyers – those on a strict budget through to anglers looking for a higher-end product – Formosa now offers several different model ranges.

Customers can still order a basic, entry-level package from Formosa’s Classic range, but there are now other options, including the mid-range Tomahawk models – and the very latest Sea Rod series.

The latter come with a range of extra features – the most notable being a cleverly designed hull equipped with a series of water-ballast chambers to improve stability and reduce rocking at rest.

Within the Sea Rod range there is the Deluxe and the Offshore series. Both have heavy-duty, wide beam, reverse chine, water-ballasted alloy hulls. They differ in that the Deluxe models have a carpeted plywood floor, while the Offshore models have a sealed, self-draining alloy deck.

For this test review we were able to secure one of the Deluxe models, the 550 Centre Console. While it does not have the desirable sealed alloy floor of the Offshore version, it is substantially cheaper.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- More boat for your money
The Sea Rod 550 Centre Console is wider, deeper, and more spacious than most similar-length models from competing brands – giving buyers more boat for their hard-earned dollar.

It is also very well priced. Gold Coast dealer, Coastal Powerboats has the 550 Deluxe priced from $39,450 with a 90hp Suzuki four-stroke outboard and single-axle Dunbier braked trailer.

There are plenty of onboard features of note too – such as the centre console with folding windscreen and storage shelf, carpeted plywood floor (with the undersides sealed against mould), forward casting deck with safety-gear storage locker, 150-litre fuel tank, elevated aft battery and storage shelf, four rod holders, VHF radio, entry-level Lowrance sounder, fully welded side decks (not stitch welded), rear boarding platforms and fold-down ladder, auto bilge pump, boat and trailer registrations and an inshore safety gear pack for six adults.

Oddly enough, seats (of any kind) are not included with the standard boat. We can appreciate that passenger seating such as bow seats and rear lounges should be optional, but we do believe some kind of helm seat should be provided – even if it’s a simple storage box with a cushioned lid.

We also would like to have seen stern cleats in addition to the stern rails provided. Tying-off to stern railing is fine with smaller boats, but proper cleats should be fitted on craft over 5.0m in length.

With regard to construction, the 550 Deluxe has a 4mm plate hull and transom with 3mm topsides.

Underfloor, the boat is built with a framework of longitudinal stringers and cross braces welded directly to the bottom plate for strength and rigidity.

The vacant spaces underfloor are then filled with foam to achieve a Basic Flotation standard – and to dampen hull slap and rattle when the boat is underway.

The test boat supplied by Coastal Powerboats was fitted with a number of options including the heavy duty T-Top, dual battery system (with VSR), bait board with built-in live-bait tank (plumbed), Lowrance HDI Elite 7 fish finder/GPS chart plotter, Fusion MS-RA 50 stereo system (with Bluetooth), and a 100 watt spot light.

The extra gear and equipment lifts the price of the 550 Deluxe Centre Console up to $46,490, but this is still a respectable price for a boat of this size and fit-out.

INTERIOR LAYOUT
- Wide beam creates plenty of uncluttered interior space
The interior layout in the Sea Rod 550 is practical, albeit unremarkable. It has a moderate sized centre console, with open space at the bow and an uncluttered rear cockpit.

Where it differs from similar length competitors is in the size and volume of the cockpit. The high sides, full freeboard and sheer breath of the cockpit area makes the Sea Rod feel like a much bigger boat. There really is loads of deck space – room enough even for a game chair if you felt the urge to go heavy-tackle sport fishing.

In specifics, the overall cockpit (excluding the elevated bow section) is 2.6m long by 2.14m wide. Aft of the helm console the cockpit stretches back 2.08m.

Surrounding the cockpit are super wide, 255mm fully-welded side decks/coamings, and beneath these are elevated side storage pockets.

The standard boat does not have anywhere to keep the day’s catch, but a kill tank is available as an option.

The full-height transom (700mm above the floor) has a vertical front face so you can comfortably lean up against it to fish over the stern. Padded bolsters for additional support are not necessary.

A large, semi-enclosed shelf is positioned directly under the transom to house batteries and oil tanks – as required.

The test boat was fitted with the optional bait board/live-bait tank combination unit – complete with four built-in rod holders. For most anglers, this would be the first item ticked on the options list.

The 550 Sea Rod is fitted with an external, fold-down boarding ladder, but without the optional transom door you will need to clamber over the transom to step aboard.

Moving forward, the helm console is just the right size and height for the boat. You can walk around the sides to the bow easily enough, yet it is wide enough to shield two people standing at the helm from the wind.

The helm windscreen folds down to help you fit the rig in your garage – but this feature was negated in the test boat with the fitting of the fixed-position overhead T-Top. A folding/collapsible T-Top may have made more sense in this instance – though the fixed unit will be stronger and more rigid.

There was ample standing headroom under the T-Top and the surrounding rails made for excellent hand-holds.

The steering wheel and throttle were well placed and the shelf under the console will be ideal for small charts, magazines and the like.

A key/phone shelf is situated on the top of the dash, sheltered beneath the windscreen.

The bow compartment/deck area forward of the console is elevated about 180mm above the rear floor. The floor area here is clear, leaving unrestricted space to fish from the bow. Beneath this foredeck area is a deep storage locker for a safety gear pack, etc.

The anchor locker is very large and the insides are carpeted to dull any noise and clatter from the anchor or chain moving about when underway.

WATER BALLAST SYSTEMS
- Improving stability and reducing rock and roll
The most notable and innovative feature of the 550 Sea Rod’s hull – and in fact the entire boat – is the multi-chamber water ballast system.

Most water ballast systems have a single hollow chamber at the keel. In contrast, the Sea Rods have several smaller chambers – with two chambers either side of the keel and another two further out, closer to each chine (see photo).

In each case, the chambers are designed to flood with water when the boat comes to a stop. This artificially increases the displacement of the respective craft so that it settles down in the water, improving stability and reducing roll.

You would think there would be little difference between the water ballast systems, but the Sea Rod designers believe the multi-chamber set-up to be more effective in reducing the 'rock and roll' of a boat when it is at anchor or drift fishing in a confused sea.

Without comparing the two systems side by side on identical boats, it is impossible to determine whether one system is better than another – but what we can confirm is that the 550 Sea Rod is a very solid, stable boat and that the combination of the water ballast system, the wide beam and the reverse chines combine to create a boat that is very solid and secure at rest and underway.

ON THE WATER
- Comfortable ride, easy handling, efficient performance
The Sea Rod 550 is rated for a single, extra-long shaft (25”) outboard to a maximum of 140hp and could readily handle this kind of power. With a 115hp Suzuki four-stroke we achieved a top speed of just over 30 knots. This leaves room for a bit more grunt for a higher top end speed, though we were quite happy with the acceleration and mid range performance with the smaller engine.

On the water, the wide beam, reverse-chine hull planed quickly and sat quite flat through high speed turns.

The moderate, 17-degree deadrise hull handles well in a following sea. We could not fault it during the test in relatively mild sea conditions.

Inshore chop is dealt with pretty comfortably, and there were no irritating rattles or squeaks to speak of.

The Sea Rod hull is not really designed for high speed work, but it is very effective and comfortable when running offshore at cruising speeds of 15 – 18 knots – working between 3500 to 3800rpm.

The high bow and pronounced spray chines kept most of the spray clear of the helm and cockpit for the duration of our offshore test.

VERDICT
- Price and performance win the day
The multi-chamber stability ballast system is the key selling point for the Sea Rod 550 Centre Console, but it has many other attributes that should not be overlooked.

First and foremost is the price. For its sheer size, feature-set, performance and construction, the Sea Rod would be a great buy at several thousand dollars above the list price. The fact that it costs little more than an entry-level pressed alloy boat is a win for boat buyers in this market segment.

LIKES
>> Excellent stability
>> High freeboard
>> Sturdy construction
>> Simple but effective layout
>> Elevated battery/oil tank platform
>> Carpeted anchor locker
>> Multi-chamber ballast system

NOT SO MUCH
>> No stern cleats
>> No standard seating

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.6/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.4/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.7/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.7/5.0
Value for money: 4.8/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

PERFORMANCE
4.8kts (9km/h) @ 1500rpm
5.5kts (10km/h) @ 2000rpm
6.5kts (12km/h) @ 2500rpm
7.7kts (14km/h) @ 3000rpm
15.5kts (29km/h) @ 3500rpm
18.9kts (35km/h) @ 4000rpm
22.1kts (41km/h) @ 4500rpm
24.3kts (45km/h) @ 5000rpm
26.5kts (49km/h) @ 5500rpm
30.7kts (57km/h) @ 6200rpm (WOT)

Specifications:
Price as tested: $46,490 including Suzuki 115hp extra-longshaft (25”) four-stroke engine, Dunbier single-axle braked trailer, heavy duty T-Top, dual battery system (with VSR), bait board with built in live-bait tank (plumbed), Lowrance HDI Elite 7 fish finder/GPS chart plotter, GME VHF radio, Fusion MS-RA 50 stereo system (with Bluetooth), 100 watt spot light, boat and trailer registrations, and inshore safety gear pack for six people. 

Priced from: $39,450 with a Suzuki 90hp four-stroke outboard, Dunbier trailer, VHF radio, inshore safety gear, boat and trailer registrations.
Length overall: 5.65m
Hull length: 5.50m
Beam: 2.45m
Hull weight: Approx 1190kg
Towing weight: Approx 750kg
Deadrise: 17 degrees
Bottom and transom alloy: 4mm
Topsides alloy: 3mm
Maximum power: 140hp
Engine as tested: Suzuki 115hp four-stroke
Fuel: 150 litres
Maximum persons: Six

Supplied by:
Coastal Powerboats
Phone: (07) 5523 0072.
Email: info@coastalpowerboats.com.au
Website: www.coastalpowerboats.com.au