Seafarer Vega 5.75m

The latest boat from the Seafarer stable, the 5.75m Vega, shares a common denominator with all other Seafarers emanating from the Gold Coast factory. And that hallmark is quality.

When boating desire turns to fibreglass trailerboats, the Seafarer name often heads the wish list.

We gave the Vega a hit-out on an unfortunately flat calm day. Apart from the wash generated by the two testboats and boats and ferries traversing the watercourse, there wasn't a lot of rough water for boat testing. Even the Gold Coast Seaway was flat.

But the Vega gave the impression of being big enough to handle a family outing, capable of comfortable travel in lumpy water without the associated pounding, and comprising sufficient manoeuvrability to be comfortable at the hands of a single crew member. They are a typically dry hull and throwing the boat around in the wakes and wash produced infinitesimal spray at windscreen level.

EYES WIDE OPEN
The Vega is available in single and twin-engine configuration. We had both at our disposal on the testday and the run up the Broadwater drew more than a few stares, especially from occupants of older model Seafarers who were out en masse enjoying the glassed-out conditions.

Transporting the Vegas to the water was via Tinka Classic trailers, which are supplied by Seafarer and feature checkerplate aluminium formed guards. Both the single and twin-engine models can easily be towed by a six-cylinder family car. The boats were driven off and on the trailers with ease.

Externally, the transom has a deadrise of 19° - an angle that will find favour among offshore anglers and those contending with a short sharp chop, such as that in Moreton Bay and many other shallow open waterways.

Forward, the stainless steel bowrails that begin on the gunwale (where the cuddy-cabin joins) protrude over the bow of the boat, bullnose fashion, and encompass the bowsprit. This style of rail protects the fibreglass bowsprit when coming alongside wharves and provides some form of protection in front of the anchor person. A stainless steel holder, for a boat hook or grappling with small eye, is welded to the bowrail.

A split bollard with quick-release pin sits between the bowsprit and anchor well. The well has a flush-mounted hatch which opens to the side. Hinges and catches are smooth and it has ample volume for ground tackle. It is an option to carpet the well to prevent gelcoat damage from the anchor and chain. Access to the bow is via a very large flush-mounted hatch that has its front down near the anchor well, with the hinges on the other end under the windscreen. The hatch lies out of the way for easy manoeuvrability of the anchorperson. There is a lot of room in this hatch, which reduces the risk of back bruising from being tossed around at the bow while working with the ground tackle.

Access into the launched boat is via two rounded transom boarding platforms. They protrude past the level of the transom and their lines flow back into the engine mount area. This is a good idea, as should you collide with objects when motoring astern, the vessel should glance off with less damage than if that area had square features. This rounded effect is lifted onto the top of the rear cockpit bulkhead where two 60lt livebait wells grace each quarter. They too protrude astern, giving a 'wraparound' engine well effect. The self-draining bait wells are covered with flush-mounted fibreglass lids.

The cockpit side of this bulkhead is also rounded and has a collapsible two-piece bench seat. With seat bases in position this area makes for an ideal lounging area for the family, and when collapsed it provides a comfortable leaning post for anglers. Feet fit comfortably under the edge of the collapsed seat bases. This area, with its rounded ornate design, looks quite opulent.

HIDING PLACE
Batteries, oil bottles, isolator switches and fuel filters are tucked up and hidden under the transom, easily accessible when needs be. Filler caps for the oil bottles sit on a ledge on the outside of the rear cockpit bulkhead. Fuel filling is done from this location, and breathers and overflow vent into the external well.

Moving forward, each gunwale coaming features a short rebate in the outer edge holding a cleat. Flush horn cleats are an option here. Topside, a rodholder with rubber cap sits just forward of the livebait tank, and on the inside corner of the coaming a long rebate holds a stainless steel handrail. Another recessed rodholder sits forward, just before the rise of the cuddy-cabin bulkhead.

The passenger-side bulkhead features a large aperture leading into a storage shelf. The outside is padded for the passenger's benefit when bouncing around in rough seas, and a formed heavy-duty left-hand grabrail is nearby.

The windscreens on all Seafarers are made from tempered glass - nothing ages a boat more quickly as a crazed perspex windscreen. The glass screens are contoured and mounted in neat extrusions. A wraparound stainless steel grabrail runs the full width (and just inside) of the screen. In behind the windscreen the helm assumes an equally rounded perspective. Engine performance gauges specific to Seafarer are on an upper facet, while on a different-angled facet below, there is ample room to place in-dash electronics.

Lowrance X75 sounders were fitted to both boats, and the twin-engine boat was fitted with a GlobalNav 310. The transducers were flush-mounted thru-hull and worked well at all speeds. In shallow water behind Wave Break Island, when taking photographs of the dash layout of the single-engine boat, a couple of healthy arches appeared on the X75 screen in shallow but stirred-up water. Damn! Left our rods at home.

Any brand of flush-mounted thru-hull transducer can be fitted to a Seafarer boat during manufacture.

SMOOTH OPERATOR
The steering on both boats was SeaStar hydraulic and it was typically smooth to operate. The twin-engine boat didn't have counter-rotating propellers, so additional torque was felt on one lock but not at a level to be unduly concerned about.

On the starboard-side of the skipper a console holds a binnacle-mount engine control. The console tapers down and away, the tail end sporting a drinkholder. A false bulkhead sits in front of the skipper's knees. An angled footrest is installed for both the skipper and passenger.

We saw two options in the seating department. Both utilised Reelax seat bases and the seats were wraparound, upholstered and comfortable. One type of base had a standard aluminium tube pedestal, while the other on the twin-engine model was mounted on fibreglass bases. Access into these bases was via a door that opened out into the companionway. The swivel chair adjustments were actually inside of the bases, keeping them out of the way and allowing for a larger base to be used in the first place. This resulted in a lower seating height and increased dry storage.

Access into the cavernous cuddy is quite good. Headroom was ample and a six-footer should easily sit inside without touching the roof with the head. The step down into the V-berth begins outside of the cuddy's roof alignment, which is ideal because it allows you to be at the lower level before stooping to move inside. This prevents a lot of headbanging associated with tight apertures leading to cabins.

The V-berth may hold a marine toilet under the seating. This was the case with the twin-engine model which also had a zip-up door to screen-off the cuddy-cabin from the cockpit. The padded side cushions also lift up to reveal stowage below. A neat curved and carpeted shroud hid all the uglies associated with the rear of electronic panels.

SHADE OF DIFFERENCE
Shading the helm is a stainless steel framed bimini. The quality of the bending and welding of tubing was excellent. This strong structure was topped with black marine canvas trim, which set-off the boat nicely. It had six stainless steel rodholders across the rear section, aerials bolted to purpose-built plates either side and navigation lights and Lowrance GPS antenna fitted centrally to a purpose-built plate.

This bimini was hinged with a quick-release thumb bolt and split pin arrangement, which, when released, allowed the assembly to fold back inside the cockpit for ease of parking under a low boat port or for economy towing. It was surprising to see how solid it was when underway and when swinging body weight off it. There was no 'clanking' and 'rattling' audible, which is often associated with multi-tubed biminis.

A full-length, centrally-located floor hatch revealed the standard 180lt stainless steel fueltank.

Many of the fittings into the hulls of these boats are specific to Seafarer and are of high-quality chrome-plated brass, adding a further touch of polish to their overall quality.

Powerplants on the testboats were a single Evinrude 135hp FICHT engine fitted with a 17-inch Viper propeller. This engine pulled 5400rpm with a top speed of just over 70kmh.

The twin unit was powered by a pair of 70hp Johnson carbed two-stroke engines fitted with 18-inch stainless steel Rakers. Eighteen-inch props are a tad big for these engines, thus a 17-inch prop is more suitable. Still, at 5500rpm top speed was just over 66.5kmh. From dead in the water with only one engine running, the Vega was onto the plane (albeit with a bit of grunting) and reached a top speed of just under 49kmh. This result attests to the outstanding performance of the Vega hull.

As mentioned earlier, Seafarer boats ooze quality - a characteristic that sees them stand out among the crowd at boat shows, ramps and anchorages. And a practical hull design categorises them as all-rounders (ie. great for fishing purposes or as an excellent getaway mode for the entire family). The Seafarers have nice lines, functional space and good manners when it counts... on the water!